Bandai Namco Studios Singapore is largely known for working on major titles likeAce Combat 7andSoul Calibur 6, but now it is teaming up with publisher Kakehashi Games for an upcoming puzzle/platformer calledHirogami. This paper-crafted adventureputs players in the role of a “folding master” named Hiro who must journey through the world ofHirogamito uncover the mysteries behind a digital menace called The Blight. Players can fold Hiro into alternate forms to roll into obstacles or glide on air currents to reach their destination.
Game Rant recently spoke toHirogamicreative director Yandhie Pratopo and lead game designer Yi Han Yong about the game’s origami-inspired art style and shapeshifting gameplay. They also shed light on how the idea forHirogamicame about, the thought process behind the themes of the game’s story, and how Bandai Namco Studios Singapore made the jump from working on largergaming franchises likeAce CombatandTekkento a smaller, indie-like title.This interview has been edited for clarity.
Hirogami Brings Paper Folding To Life
Q. How was the original concept forHirogamiconceived?
Pratopo:Hirogamibegan as part of Bandai Namco Studios’ Full Game Challenge, an initiative by GYAAR Studio encouraging internal teams to pitch and develop original titles under tight timeline and budget constraints. For both Bandai Namco Studios Singapore and Malaysia, it was a rare opportunity to step into the spotlight with something original.
From many ideas, we were drawn to a set of illustrations envisioning a world made entirely of origami. It was so emotionally resonant and visually unique - it immediately sparked our imagination. That concept became the seed ofHirogami.
Yong:Once we had that world, we shaped the gameplay to match. The idea of folding and unfolding - of fragility, resilience, and transformation - was a perfect fit for the kinds of mechanics we love building. The metaphor of paper wasn’t just aesthetic; it became a foundation for how everything interacted.
Q. What was it like shifting from large-scale titles to a smaller scope project?
Pratopo:It was honestly refreshing! We’re used to tight pipelines supportingmassive titles likeTekkenorAce Combat. WithHirogami, suddenly we were free, but that also meant full responsibility. Every design choice was ours to make, test, and justify.
Yong:We had to think with an indie spirit inside a big studio. Working within a small core group (less than seven permanent members across the full development cycle) but being part of BNSS meant that we could call on support from other colleagues during quieter periods of their other assignments. The trust placed in us was empowering, but also a little terrifying. In a good way!
Q. What challenges did you face with the crafted paper art style?
Pratopo:One major challenge was making the game world feel like actual crafted paper - delicate but alive. We didn’t want it to just look folded; we wanted it to evoke memories of handmade dioramas, textured with meaning.
Yong:That had gameplay implications, too. We had to strike a careful balance between visual fidelity and clarity. With multiple transformations and forms, the world had to stay readable for gameplay while still feeling refreshingly unique. We even explored tilt-shift and stop-motion influences to enhance that miniature feel.
Q. The story seems to reflect tradition vs. digital progress. Why explore thistheme?
Pratopo: To be frank, we didn’t start out with a philosophy - we arrived at one as we explored the world. Paper, in its traditional form, carries history, imperfection, and organic creativity. The digital entities in the game, The Blight, represent another extreme: impersonal, cold precision, replication, and sterilization.
We wanted to explore what happens when one force tries to overwrite the other, not because it is evil, but because it deems the other unnecessary or obsolete. This isn’t just areflection of modern technology’s rise, but a quiet nod towabi-sabi, the Japanese appreciation of impermanence, imperfection, and transience.Hirogamiis ultimately about finding beauty in creativity, in folds (and their creases), and in the incomplete.
Q. What came first: the transformation or the puzzle?
Yong:Gameplay almost always leads our design. We first outline what kind of challenges or motion we want in a level, and then we think about what kind of transformation would be fun and appropriate. Take the frog form, for example - it wasn’t just a fun visual; it was born from the desire for long jumps, swift vertical movements, and quirky momentum. Only after that realization did we decide that a frog best embodied that style of movement.
That approach also helps ensure that each transformation is more than cosmetic - it’s meaningful to the play experience.
Q. How did you approach designing transformations and environments?
Pratopo:We wanted each transformation to have its own feel, rhythm, and tone. The armadillo is fast and fun, the frog is playful, the ape is powerful and deliberate. Each one reflects a different kind of interaction with the world.
Yong:We thought of each transformation as a different verb - a way to interact with the world. The Armadillo is about rolling and smashing. The Frog is about leaping and stomping. The Mighty Ape is about swinging and strength. We wanted each environment to not only visually reflect its inhabitants (e.g., bouncy mushrooms for the frogs), but also to mechanically challenge the transformation it features.
Pratopo: Precisely. The environmental themes mirror that too. Frogs live in soft mushroom groves, apes live in misty, sacred woods… More than just being visual, these areas mechanically reinforced the transformations used within them. That consistency helps players feel more immersed and in tune with each world, and the interplay between form and world design helps make each chapter feel distinct and thematically cohesive.
Q. What should players expect from collectibles and their challenges?
Yong:Collectibles aren’t just there for numbers - they’re woven into the world. Some unlock secrets or bits of lore, others are tied to optional transformation challenges. We wanted each to feel like a meaningful discovery.
Pratopo:We also structured the levels to encourage revisiting. With new abilities, players can go back and uncover things they missed, like unfolding new corners of a well-loved letter.
Q. How was the receptionduring Steam Next Festand State of Play?
Pratopo:It was humbling. People were really connected with the look and tone of the game. Some said it felt “poetic,” or that it made them “slow down and breathe.” That really moved us.
Yong:Hearing that people found the gameplay responsive and the transformation system fun was a huge relief. We also got constructive feedback that helped us polish things even further. It was validation that small teams can deliver meaningful experiences, too.
Q. What’s the road to release look like?
Yong:We’re now in the polishing phase - camera smoothing, bug fixing, UI consistency, that sort of thing. Even tiny tweaks feel huge when you’re trying to maintain a handmade feel.
Pratopo:We’re trying to ensure every scene feels just right. Since the game is meant to feel hand-crafted, every fold matters. Thankfully, the response and feedback from the demo has helped guide us towards that goal!
Q. Anything else to share about Hirogami?
Pratopo: Hirogami is not just a game about transformation - it’s a game that was transformed by its journey. From an internal pitch by a small satellite studio to a playable reality supported by so many passionate people, this is a project born of trust and humility, with a dash of stubbornness and daring risk.
Yong:And we hope that when players finally unfold this little world, they feel joy, wonder…maybe even a little peace, like unfolding a delicate note that’s been waiting just for them.
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Hirogami
WHERE TO PLAY
Hirogami is a 3D action platformer inspired by the ancient Japanese art of origami (paper folding).Everything you encounter has been crafted to convey the physical, often fragile, natural world of paper, amidst a story interwoven with threads of wistful intrigue.Discover new forms to traverse the world,solve puzzles, and best your foes. Roll through obstacles and enemies alike as a hardy Armadillo, traverse the treetops and pound pests as a mighty Ape, and leap to previously unreachable heights as a formidable Frog.A powerful force of digital creatures - the Blight - is invading the world, defiling the delicate natural balance that has held sway for an age.As Hiro, an enigmatic performer (and master of the art of folding) from Shishiki village, it falls to you to cleanse the mind-warped inhabitants of this world, and to bring peace back to the land.Explore every nook and cranny and discover all the world’s hidden secrets.Unfold into a sheet of paper to ride fiery updrafts, or to slide under deadly traps. Or become a paper plane to traverse dangerous chasms.This origami world is a fragile place, and you’ll need your wits about you to protect it.Wield Hiro’s paper fan to blow away the Blight, or pound, pummel, or poison them using your litany of papery powersBask in a soundscape composed using traditional Japanese instruments and styles- specially crafted to evoke the variety of themes, characters and settings of Hirogami.
