by Oink Games Inc.

Editor's note: Here's a history of this late 2024 release, told in the form of a Q&A session. —WEM

The Inspiration Behind the Game

Question: How did the idea for Souvenirs from Venice originate?

Jun Sasaki: Panpas is a small game design group I started with my family. It all began when my daughter came up with a rock-paper-scissors game, and we thought, "This is fun, let's submit it to Game Market!" That's how Panpas was created.

In spring 2023, we decided to create a new game for Game Market Fall 2023. We needed a circle name to register, and that's when we thought, "Why not have Goro design a game as well?" We casually discussed selling two games, and that's how Souvenirs from Venice was born.

Q: What inspired the theme of the game?

Goro Sasaki: During a family trip to Italy, a friend asked me to bring back a pizza magnet as a souvenir. We visited many cities, but I kept postponing buying it until we reached Venice, our final stop. Venice had its own unique souvenirs — Venetian masks, gondola-themed items — but no pizza magnets! I panicked and searched all over the city, but I couldn't find one anywhere. That real-life experience of rushing to buy souvenirs at the last minute became the core idea for the game.

Jun: We realized that buying souvenirs is always tricky. When you travel, you don't want to carry too much, so you put off buying things until the end. Our Italy trip was long, starting in Rome and moving through different cities. Pizza magnets were everywhere — until we reached Venice, where they were nonexistent! That feeling of time running out while trying to buy the perfect souvenir became the game's central theme.

Designing a Unique Sugoroku-Style Game

Q: Did the theme come first or the mechanisms?

Jun: It was both at the same time. The idea that "buying souvenirs" could be a game mechanism came naturally. The theme and rules were so intertwined that we instantly knew this could work as a board game.

Q: How did the game evolve during development?

Jun: Goro came up with the initial concept, and I refined the mechanisms. We constantly tested the game as a family, iterating on the design as we played.

At first, it was a game in which you didn't know where the best souvenirs were. You had to decide whether to settle for what you found or keep searching for something better. Early on, the game had a strong Deep Sea Adventure feel, with players needing to decide how far to go before turning back. Over time, it changed to focus on timing — when to buy souvenirs, and when to risk waiting for better options.


The Challenges of Development

Q: What were some major changes made during development?

Jun: The original prototype had players start from different locations, each returning to their own starting point. Later, we changed it so that everyone starts and ends at a shared location: an airport.

Another big decision was whether to include the ability to sell souvenirs. We debated this for a long time, but ultimately kept it in the game.

The pigeon-food vendor was also a late addition. Before that, we had "wild cards" that could be any even or odd number, but we wanted something more interactive and thematic — so we introduced the vendor, who disrupts the game just when players think they have a strategy.

From Indie Release to Oink Games Edition

Q: How did Oink Games decide to publish Souvenirs from Venice?

Jun: We were working on Deep Sea Adventure Boost for the game's tenth anniversary, but we also wanted to release something completely new. Since Goro and I had worked on Deep Sea Adventure together, we thought it would be great to launch our next game as a father-son project. That's how Souvenirs from Venice became an Oink Games title.

Q: What changes were made in the Oink Games version?

Jun: We streamlined the rules and adjusted the game for a wider audience. Some key changes:

• Increased the player count from 4 to 5.
• Standardized the board to 7×7, ensuring all tiles are used in every game.
• Removed "dog" special cards as they made the game too complex.
• Adjusted dice mechanisms to make movement more strategic.
• Refined the souvenir selection, replacing items that didn't fit Venice's real-life offerings.


Final Thoughts

Q: What do you hope players experience when playing Souvenirs from Venice?

Goro: I want players to feel the regret of "I should have bought that souvenir earlier!" That's the heart of the game.

Jun: I want people to experience travel through gameplay. It's not just about winning — it's about the journey of shopping for souvenirs, making last-minute decisions, and laughing over close calls. It's a different kind of tension from Deep Sea Adventure — more relaxed, but still full of excitement.

Q: What are your future plans?

Goro: I want to keep making games. My goal is to design games that don't just have optimal strategies, but require deep thought and tough decisions.

Jun: I've been thinking a lot about making games based on personal experiences — like Souvenirs from Venice. There's something special about turning real memories into a playable experience. I want to explore that further in future designs.