Needy Streamer Overload
Developer(s)Xemono, WSS Playground
Publisher(s)WSS Playground
EngineUnity[1]
Platform(s)
Release
  • macOS, Windows
  • January 21, 2022[2]
  • Nintendo Switch
  • October 27, 2022[3]
Genre(s)Visual novel, Denpa,[4][5] Management simulation[6][7]
Mode(s)Single-player

Needy Streamer Overload is a 2022 denpa-themed visual novel created by Japanese developer Xemono and published by WSS Playground for macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch.[4][5][8][2][3] The player takes on the role of a manager for a female livestreamer, making decisions for her so that she can achieve her goal of reaching one million followers within a month.[9][10][11][5][12] The game was initially titled Needy Girl Overdose, but this was changed in November 2021 in preparation for the western release. The game kept its original title in Japan.[9][2][11]

Setting

Ame (あめちゃん, Ame-chan) is a mentally ill young girl with a needy personality,[10][7][8][13] who has dropped out of school and confined herself at home, living together with the self-insert player protagonist. In order to pay for rent, and to meet her parasocial attention needs, Ame decides to commence livestreaming on the internet, where she takes on the online persona of "OMGkawaiiAngel" (超絶最かわてんしちゃん, Chōzetsu saikawa tenshi-chan, lit. "transcendental cute angel"), or "KAngel" (超てんちゃん, Chōten-chan) for short, interacting with her stream viewers as she dons her wig, makeup, and cute outfit. The protagonist, affectionately called P-chan (ピ, pi), is tasked with managing her day-to-day life as she increases her follower count.[9][2][14][15]

Gameplay

In-game screenshot, demonstrating the game interface. A live feed of Ame can be seen in the top-left, while her stats can be monitored in the Task Manager to the top-right, and the player converses with her using the JINE messenger on the bottom-right. Daily activities are selected via the desktop icons.

The player interacts with Ame exclusively through a pastel-themed[14][16] Windows 95-esque[4][17] user interface, selecting her daily tasks via desktop icons, monitoring her stats via the Task Manager, and conversing with her through an instant messenger service called JINE.[9][10][16] Each day is divided into noon, dusk, and evening timeslots, and various actions can take up one or multiple of these timeslots.[14][9][10] Ame can only livestream during the evening, as that is the time of day where stream viewers are most active.[9][15] During Ame's livestreams, the player takes on the role of a content moderator responsible for deleting or promoting viewer comments within the stream's livechat.[6][14][10][15] After streaming or concluding various activities, the player is able to obtain a glimpse of Ame's thoughts and mood via her posts on Tweeter.[8][note 1]

Alongside follower count, Ame has three stats which the player will need to monitor, namely stress, affection (towards the player), and mental darkness. Should certain attributes become too high or low, Ame will begin to display adverse effects.[11][6][9][10][4] Activities that the player can choose for Ame may involve searching for new stream ideas, spending time together, sleeping, or abusing prescription and illicit drugs. Each of these activities affects Ame's stats in differing ways.[2][14][9][10][8]

At release, there were originally 22 different endings to the game, which are encountered based on the player's choices.[11] Additional endings were added in an October 28, 2022 update coinciding with the game's Nintendo Switch release.[18]

Development

Game development began in June 2020 under the initial title Needy Girl Overdose.[16][note 2] The title of the game for its English-language and Chinese-language releases were later changed to Needy Streamer Overload and "主播女孩重度依賴" (pinyin: zhǔbō nǚhái zhòngdù yīlài; lit. 'the streamer girl is heavily reliant') respectively; the reason for the title change was not disclosed.[19] During the development process, the game was prototyped in Figma, and then built using the Unity engine.[1] The game was initially scheduled for release during Spring 2021;[20] eventually a release date of June 5, 2021 was announced, however was later delayed by the developers, citing the need for additional quality improvements.[21] This seven month delay was later explained to have allowed the further implementation of additional game event scenarios, and a three- to four-fold increase in the number of animations.[22] The game's dialogue has a wordcount of over 140,000 in the original Japanese script.[4]

Nyalra (にゃるら), who had previously written various literature focused on mental illness, was responsible for the planning and writing of the game, while illustrator Ohisashiburi (お久しぶり) was responsible for the character designs.[4][16] The game's art direction heavily draws influence from vaporwave aesthetics and retro pixel art from the PC-98 era, along with 1990s-era bishōjo games.[4][16] There were originally four different female characters with unique personality traits planned during the early stages of development, however it was eventually decided that the final game would only feature a single heroine, combining various personality traits into the one character.[16]

Following the commercial success of the game's initial download-only Windows release, a Nintendo Switch port was announced in May 2022, including a Japan-exclusive physical release fanart book and a CD of the game's soundtrack. The Switch version was released on October 27, 2022, alongside a major update including new endings and text across platforms.[3][23]

Media

The game's theme song is "Internet Overdose" by producer Aiobahn and vocalist KOTOKO,[4][24] composed and produced in a denpa song style.[4] The song is available as a playable track in the music rhythm games Muse Dash[25] and Arcaea,[26] as part of their respective collaboration updates. The theme has also charted on the Spotify "Japan Viral 50" chart.[27] On March 16, 2023, a sequel titled "INTERNET YAMERO", also produced by Aiobahn and sung by KOTOKO, was released on YouTube, Spotify, and other music streaming and distribution platforms.[28]

On April 4, 2022, publisher WSS Playground announced that in addition to being sold via online music distribution services, the game's soundtrack would also be released on 12-inch vinyl record format,[29] to be released on June 29, 2022.[30]

A manga anthology titled KAngel! Needy Girl Overdose Official Anthology (超てんちゃん！ NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE 公式アンソロジー) began serialisation on ComicWalker and Nico Nico Seiga from December 23, 2022 onwards, featuring illustrations from Ui Shigure, Ohisashiburi, and 11 other artists.[18]

A manga adaptation written by Itaru Bonnoki and illustrated by Nata Ōkura, titled Needy Girl Overdose: Run with My Sick, began serialization on Akita Shoten's Manga Cross manga website on March 21, 2023.[31]

Reception

Needy Streamer Overload sold over 100,000 copies during its first week of release.[33][12] As of June 2022, the game has sold over 500,000 copies on Steam.[34] It has a Steam rating of "overwhelmingly positive" based on more than 5,800 user reviews.[35] The Nintendo Switch version sold 11,693 copies within its first week of release in Japan, making it the tenth best-selling retail game of the week in the country.[36]

IGN Japan notes that the game has merit as a work of satire intended at picking apart modern livestreaming culture and toxic relationships, and praises the game's art and presentation, however criticises the limited choices and gimmicks available to express the player character's persona in different ways, arguing that the player is not given the opportunity to become properly aware of any consequences from their interactions with Ame. In addition, the character of Ame is criticised as more of a "male nerd's delusion" of what girls are like, rather than how women realistically behave.[9]

Dengeki Online suggests that despite the gratuitous use of mentally disturbing content, Needy Streamer Overload is a quality piece of work full of expressiveness that can only be delivered through games as an entertainment medium, while also pointing out that players unfamiliar with internet culture may not fully appreciate what the game attempts to portray.[15]

A review from ITmedia mentions that while the game has a few rough areas and bugs which detract from the experience, the game still represents a domestic Japanese indie title with a high degree of precision put into it, closely satirising the intended audience's internet addiction while at the same time acknowledging how it forms part of their identity.[7]

Another review published by United Daily News in Taiwan compares the game progression experience of Needy Streamer Overload to that of Undertale, in reference to how the player learns more and more about Ame during each subsequent playthrough to unlock all the endings. While acknowledging that the game's themes may be too heavy for some audiences, it claims that the game is a "masterpiece" for players who enjoy the premise of exploring menhera issues and are fans of denpa culture, and also praised the official Chinese language localisation of the game, especially in regards to its use of Chinese internet memes, claiming that they accurately express the mood of the original Japanese script while still maintaining some degree of familiarity among the audience.[8]

Everyeye.it provides a comparatively more critical review of the game, claiming that it is a disturbing and morally contentious title which uses ambiguity to hide the player's evident hatred towards Ame, as observable through the player's ability to torment her, and how the game rewards players who choose to ignore repercussions on Ame's mental health when allowing her to overdose on drugs and slice her wrists in order to progress through the game and unlock new scenarios to explore. The review also criticises what it views as the game's lack of sagacity when utilising shock value, suggesting that such usage moves beyond parodic intent.[14]

South Korean gaming magazine Inven praised the game's chiptune soundtrack and overall atmosphere, however criticises the game's short length and the repetitive nature of progressing multiple playthroughs to unlock each ending, claiming that unlike other "raising simulators" such as Princess Maker which feel rewarding as the game goes on, Needy Streamer Overload may not provide the player with as much of a sense of accomplishment, despite being a game with a similar premise.[32]

A positive review from Rice Digital focused on analyzing the game's relationship to and commentary on contemporary social media and livestreaming culture, noting the game's popularity among VTubers, stating that "the beauty of Needy Streamer Overload is that there isn’t one easy answer to it all. No one ending is presented as the 'correct' one", and that "you should be prepared for failure, because you’re likely to encounter it in one form or another before long. But that doesn’t mean you’ve 'lost' or that you’ve played the game wrong".[37]

Needy Streamer Overload won the "Most Stream-friendly Game" and "Best New Characters" awards at the 2022 Indie Live Expo Awards in Japan.[38] The game was also one of two runner-up titles receiving honourable mention for the Game Designers Award at the 2022 Japan Game Awards.[39]

Notes

  1. ↑ Localised as "Tweeter" in the English release, and "Poketter" in the Japanese and Chinese releases.
  2. ↑ The title is a pun in Japanese; nīdī (ニーディー) refers to "2D", i.e. two-dimensional, thus "needy girl" is a double entendre for "2D girl".

References

  1. 1 2 "ゲーム「NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE」の開発などを担当しました". Xemono. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. 以下は弊社でやったことです...イメージボード作成（庭石さん）、画面設計、Figmaを使用してUIデザイン、Unityを使用しての実装、開発スケジュール作成... [Our company's processes were as follows: ...storyboard creation (Niwaishi-san), screen designs, UI design using Figma, implementation using Unity, development schedule creation...]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sal Romano (November 6, 2021). "Needy Girl Overdose retitled Needy Streamer Overload, launches January 21, 2022". Gematsu. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Sal Romano (May 21, 2022). "Needy Streamer Overload coming to Switch on October 27". Gematsu. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "にゃるら氏に聞く，「NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE」に込めたディープな想い。幸せな結末は存在しなくても，あなたの思う幸せはあるかもしれない". 4gamer (in Japanese). January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Iyane Agossah (February 5, 2022). "Why I'm Worried About Hololive VTubers Streaming Needy Girl Overdose". Dualshockers. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Orpheus Joshua (February 4, 2022). "Needy Streamer Overload Review – Lamentable Descension". Noisy Pixel. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 "あめちゃんは、ある側面では僕だった 「NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE」あめちゃんとインターネットの壊れた世界". ITmedia Inc. (in Japanese). February 18, 2022. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Runa Li (March 18, 2022). "✝升天✝《Needy Girl Overdose》無雷心得：致鬱系二次元偶像戀愛過量成癮". United Daily News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on March 28, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Shin Imai (January 28, 2022). "NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE – レビュー". IGN Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 26, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "触れたら誰もが無傷ではいられないゲーム『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』。だがそのゲームは、救われなかった（しかし救われるべきだった）心の古傷を救うのかもしれない". 電ファミニコゲーマー (in Japanese). January 31, 2022. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Diego Perez (February 10, 2022). "Needy Streamer Overload Could Be Steam's Next Creepy Anime Hit". Attack of the Fanboy. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Patrick Perrault (January 28, 2022). "Needy Streamer Overload Sells 100k Copies in 1 Week". TechRaptor. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022.
  13. ↑ Shinji Ikeda (March 21, 2022). "ゲームにおける精神疾患の誠実な扱いとはなにか？――精神疾患の当事者による『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』に感じる問題点". IGN Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 21, 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Andrea Sorichetti (January 31, 2022). "Needy Streamer Overload Recensione: si ispira a Doki Doki, ma non convince". Everyeye.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on January 31, 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "毒は強いけどゲームとして良質。動画配信モチーフの問題作『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』レビュー". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). February 27, 2022. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "「好きだったインターネットが急に敵に見える恐怖感」―― 新鋭にゃるらが「NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE」で描いたもの". ITmedia Inc. (in Japanese). February 22, 2022. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022.
  17. ↑ "ゲーム「NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE」の開発などを担当しました". Xemono. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. 「迷ったらWin95がどう解決してるか確かめよう」「Win95……ソリッドでかっこよくね？」、わざわざ書くまでもないような細かいUIテキスト、ゲームシステム設計... ["If in doubt, consider how Windows 95 resolves it", "Isn't Windows 95 really solid and cool?", minor UI text not worth mentioning in detail, game system design...]
  18. 1 2 "Switch版『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』が本日（10/27）発売。追加エンディング、クソリプ、JINE会話など新たな要素が追加". Famitsu (in Japanese). October 27, 2022. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022.
  19. ↑ "病み系配信者育成ADV『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』英語向けタイトルを『NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD』へと変更―現時点で日本タイトルは変更なし". GameSpark (in Japanese). November 4, 2021. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022.
  20. ↑ "『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』かわいくちょっぴり病んじゃう女の子を、彼女の"ピ"として人気配信者に育てる育成アドベンチャー". Famitsu (in Japanese). November 7, 2020. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020.
  21. ↑ ""インターネットエンジェル"育成ADV「NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE」の発売が延期に". 4gamer (in Japanese). June 1, 2021. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
  22. ↑ Keiichi Yokoyama (November 6, 2021). "女性配信者育成ADV『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』Steamにて2022年1月21日配信へ。承認欲求の強い女の子との生活で描かれる、さまざまな破滅". Automaton (in Japanese). Active Gaming Media. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021.
  23. ↑ "NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD Received a Major Update". Superpixel. October 28, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  24. ↑ Azario Lopez (April 28, 2021). "Adventure Visual Novel 'Needy Girl Overdose' Gets PC Release Date Set for June". Noisy Pixel. Archived from the original on February 13, 2022.
  25. ↑ "ポップなデザインが魅力の音ゲー『ミューズダッシュ』が病み系女子育成アドベンチャーゲーム『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』や『DJMAX RESPECT V』とコラボ". 電ファミニコゲーマー (in Japanese). January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022.
  26. ↑ Arcaea [@arcaea_en] (February 13, 2022). "2 more free songs will be in World Mode in 3.12! "NULCTRL" by Silentroom "Ävril -Flicka i krans-" by Rigël Theatre Additionally "Sakura Fubuki" by Street will be playable immediately! And, the Memory Archive will have "INTERNET OVERDOSE" by Aiobahn feat. KOTOKO!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ↑ Patrick St. Michel (March 4, 2022). "The Eurobeat boom, boom, boom, boom means the '90s are back". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. As the game has become more popular in recent weeks, "Internet Overdose" by producer Aiobahn and featuring vocalist Kotoko, has enjoyed a lot of attention, including appearances on the Spotify Japan Viral 50 chart.
  28. ↑ "『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』MVの第2弾「INTERNET YAMERO」が公開！". IGN Japan (in Japanese). March 17, 2023.
  29. ↑ "まさかのアナログレコード化も決定。病み系女子の育成ゲーム『NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE』販売35万本を達成。音楽配信サービスには4月5日からサウンドトラックが登場". 電ファミニコゲーマー (in Japanese). April 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  30. ↑ "「NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE」サウンドトラック レコード発売決定！店舗特典情報も解禁！". PR TIMES Inc. (in Japanese). April 8, 2022. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022.
  31. ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 17, 2023). "The Vampire Dies in No Time Author Pens Manga of Needy Streamer Overload Game". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  32. 1 2 Jeon Se-yoon (March 11, 2022). "(리뷰) 스트리머 '초텐쨩(feat. P)'의 우울". Inven (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 31, 2022.
  33. ↑ Keiichi Yokoyama (January 28, 2022). "NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD sold over 100,000 units in its first week". Automaton. Active Gaming Media. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022.
  34. ↑ "「NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE」世界累計販売数が50万本を突破。Steamサマーセール参加決定，初となるオリジナルグッズの発売も". 4gamer (in Japanese). June 24, 2022. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022.
  35. ↑ Nick Mosier (February 7, 2022). "Needy Streamer Overload surpasses 200,000 sales and a troupe of buff dudes dance to celebrate". Automaton. Active Gaming Media. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022.
  36. ↑ Romano, Sal (November 3, 2022). "Famitsu Sales: 10/24/22 – 10/30/22". Gematsu. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  37. ↑ Pete Davison (January 28, 2022). "Needy Streamer Overload's critique of modern content culture, online life and mental health struggles". Rice Digital. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  38. ↑ ""INDIE Live Expo Awards 2022"の大賞は「Unpacking」に決定。各受賞タイトルまとめ". 4gamer (in Japanese). December 4, 2022. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022.
  39. ↑ Owen Ziegler (September 15, 2022). "Elden Ring takes top honors at the Japan Game Awards". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. After singling out two titles for honorable mention — 7 Days to End With You and Needy Girl Overdose — Sakurai revealed the awardee: Inscryption, a rogue-like deck-builder with horror elements from Vancouver-based indie developer Daniel Mullins.
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