A Potion for Chamomile is part of Kamilla’s expanding universe
The Queer Games Bundle is a collection of nearly 600 items by LGBTQ+ creators and teams, nearly 400 of which are independent video games, all sold for just $60. I’m talking with creators from the bundle about their games and their making habits. Visit the bundle and consider buying it.
In Kamilla’s short visual novel A Potion for Chamomile, you join two . . . friends? on a journey to gather ingredients. One is a bit grouchy and reluctant, and the other is eager and friendly — it’s a tale as old as time. But in this case, Chamomile is trans, and Lavender doesn’t hesitate to help her get what she needs.
How long have you been making games?
I knew I wanted to make games at a very young age, but I didn’t start actually making games until I was 14. Now I’m 21, so that’s about 8 years of making games. It is only within the last year or two I’ve started making games regularly though.
What tools do you like to use?
I use a lot of different things. For game engines I either use RPG Maker VX Ace, Ren’Py, or Game Maker. I’ve even started learning Godot. It all just depends on what kind of game I am making. Aside from that I use FL Studio for music. For sound effects I either record them myself or splice them together from free sound effects I find online. For art I use Paint.net, Asesprite and FireAlpaca.
What themes or genres do you like to explore?
That is something I’m still figuring out, but generally I like to make games with somewhat heavy themes sandwiched between a lot of silliness. I love games that can really make you feel things, and I aspire to write games that can affect people that much. Thematically I also like exploring topics that aren’t often discussed such as chronic illness or being transgender. Genre-wise I like making story driven games, but I’m also looking into making rhythm games and farming games, since I love those kinds of games so much! They just take a lot longer to make…
What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of making games?
Favorite part? Coding. The worst part? Also coding. Jokes aside, my least favourite thing is definitely drawing things on a drawing tablet. I always put that off until the very end. It’s not that I hate it. It’s just the thing that takes the most time and effort for me. My favourite part is when you start seeing the game as a whole. Seeing all those tiny puzzle pieces you’ve been making become something much bigger. It’s such a good feeling!
Is there a game that has affected you recently?
Spiritfarer made me cry my darn eyes out. So many well written characters. And even though it is a game about death, it always felt so comforting to be in that world.
A Potion for Chamomile is a sweet visual novel about a grouchy chemist who helps her witch friend make a transition potion. What inspired you to make it?
Me and a friend were goofing around, talking about the stereotype of ‘the sunshine one has a thing for the grumpy one’. I just love that stereotype so much that I wanted to do my own take on that. It sets up for some sweet character development and some funny dialog. As for what inspired me to make Lavender, she is a bit of self-insert. I’m not quite as grumpy or as much of a hermit as her, but I certainly pulled those traits from myself. For Chamomile, basically made her the opposite of Lavender in a lot of ways. Someone who could pull Lavender out of her comfort zone and show her that the world isn’t always a scary place.
The characters look similar to some in your other games, which are also witchy — is this a cinematic universe??
YES!! All my games are connected! My plan is to slowly build up this universe with each game, but always have each game make sense on their own. I have SO many plans for this universe! What’s public now is only just scratching the surface! Lavender and Chamomile are new additions to the universe but characters such as Freesia have already appeared in 3 of my games! You can also see the silhouettes of other known characters in the Rootsquare background. So far I’ve mostly focused on the town of Rootsberg, but the universe is much bigger than that. So much bigger.
This is such a nice spin on the classic, like, RPG journey. How did you decide to send them on a trip?
That wasn’t actually something I did intentionally! The places and the items they collect are actually things from a huge RPG game I’m working on, so the RPG feel that the game got is simply a side effect of that. It was also a really fun way to expand on the universe, making them travel to a lot of different locations. Them going on a trip was essentially just that I thought it would be a very short game if Lavender already had all the ingredients at home. An adventure seemed like a perfect way to make these characters grow as people and become closer to each other!
What was it like designing all the different biomes and creatures?
My brain is practically churning out ideas for stuff like this at all times. I just love coming up with fantastical creatures and weird locations! I know I’ve come up with a nice idea for a biome/location when I get the urge to go exploring in that place myself.
The Fog Meadows come from my fascination with fog, and the uneasiness it brings. You never know what’s hiding in it! The blue mandrakes are inspired from the mandrakes of Don’t Starve. I just made them a little bit bigger, and a little angrier. The orb woods come from my love for birch trees. Birch look like they have eyes, so I made up my own version where they really do have eyes!
The forest guard is bit of an odd story though. It’s based on a demon that shows up in my dreams every now and then. I hope they don’t mind I stole their design.
And most importantly . . . Would you say you’re more of a Lavender or a Chamomile?
I would say that I’m a Lavender in need of a Chamomile. But unlike Lavender, I can actually admit that I love going on adventures!
