The game tackles themes of queer reclamation of aesthetics which often have been (and are currently being) used to oppress the minorities that represent the characters in the game.
It is set in a dystopian future where humanity has nearly gone extinct, and robots have taken over. Long gone cultures melt together and cause fascination within the few remaining humans. Similarly to a child looking at their history textbook and filling in the blanks of ancient culture, the characters in Jikoai have little context to our events, cultures and looks. The game plays with aesthetics such as vaporwave, neo-Tokyo, wild west, streetwear and Playboy - but without the context behind them, each character has their own unique interpretation of them, offering a sort of playground, a what-if for queer reclamation.
The story follows the protagonist, Aiko, whose aim is to revive humanity by offering her own DNA for cloning to the only surviving gene scientist, Eivor. She does it not out of desire to save the human race, a concept that she has virtually no attachment to, but because she has never felt romantic attraction for any person other than herself. On her journey she meets other survivors such as a boy, Mario, and his mother, Evelyn. Mario is inept for survival, and terrified of his mother, who seems to hunt him down for sport - but male humans are fairly valuable, so he is kept around. The enemies she has to fight and deal with in various ways are humanoid AI robots similar to otome-game (dating simulators aimed at women) men. They were created as fun pastimes for single girls, but a fault in their code made them too intelligent and caused them to take over entire societies. They may be extremely powerful with their words, but they’re no match for Aiko’s shotgun.
It is a narrative attempt to go against the white, cis-straight male-led sci-fi worldbuilding standard, where the world is often completely immersed in masculine aesthetics of war and destruction (often designed around a male-centred view of “cool” or “futuristic” aesthetics) with no regard for the diversity of real human societies, and the implication that men have both ruined the world and will be fighting for its freedom. At some points, the comedy almost shifts into pantomime-style parody of other male-led sci-fi, with Aiko acting like muscular male protagonists with a “saviour of humanity” complex, and Mario acting as the damsel which always seems to be captured and in distress.
In Jikoai, all characters are queer (and diverse in race, expression and upbringing), but none of these differences or labels are given specific attention within the interactions or world. There is purposefully never a conversation where the central topic is someone being different than the others because of sexuality, expression or appearance.
It is not an art game, as it does not follow any of the conventions related to Serious Games, nor contemporary art experiences. The flashy visuals, comedic writing and fast-paced gameplay design make it more similar to games that are more approachable by the regular young adult consumer. My aim with Jikoai is to introduce gaming audiences to real, “weird” queer representation through a game that is not centred nor marketed around the queer experience itself.
Queer audiences will find it easy to recognize themselves in the characters which were made with them in mind, but the queer identities are not written as a constant reminder, an idealised “what-if” of acceptance, or any kind of “oppression” simulator. With the writing and pacing I aim to attain a sort of neutrality about the representation - it both does not have much to do with the mysteries and plot, while also always being present both in the character’s stories and upbringing and in the game universe’s world.
The game’s unique selling point is the accessibility of genre and gameplay specifically designed for people who play games in order to have fun instead of consume artwork, together with the specific representation of realistic, genuine, queer representation which does not follow the canons of what is considered “normal” or “acceptable”, utilising the sci-fi dystopian world where society collapsed as a setting where queer people can freely be queer.
