‘Tales Of Tuscany’ Dev’s Objective Is To “Let Gamers Do No matter They Need”

At PAX East, we had an opportunity to sit down down with the full of life Nico Papalia and High Hat Studios – developer of Athenian Rhapsody, and its newly-announced prequel, Tales of Tuscany (releasing on “no matter you play video games on,” together with Swap, in 2026).

We wished to be taught a bit extra about what impressed such a mad-cap universe, and the place the WarioWare / EarthBound / Pokémon-esque concepts all stemmed from. Whereas it was a little bit of a problem to speak over the raucous laughter coming from the gang gathered on the demo sales space, we managed to get an inside glimpse at Papalia’s shocking backstory and his work on each video games.

Right here is our interview with Nico, which was simply as entertaining and zany because the universe these video games are based mostly in…

Nintendo Life: So, let’s begin from the highest — what was the inspiration behind the universe of Tales of Tuscany and Athenian Rhapsody? There appear to be some Earthbound vibes in there…

Nico Papalia: Truthfully, I did not even play Earthbound till AFTER I began Athenian Rhapsody – enjoyable reality! I bit into it and was like, ‘I really feel like this meshes with me,’ and I felt prefer it regarded like what I used to be making. Positively impressed by Pokémon on Sport Boy Advance, performed a whole lot of that. I additionally performed a whole lot of Fort Crashers – The Behemoth are my buddies, so I talked to them loads, and we’re truly discussing engaged on one thing collectively too — very slapstick-y, you realize — however they’re so tight about their IPs, so… we’re nonetheless speaking.

I had massive concepts – however I by no means knew programming, I went to highschool for artwork, I used to be doing conventional pencil artwork and stuff – I did not know what I used to be doing. So it constructed over time, and I am very lucky and fortunate that I used to be in a position to share this on the scale that I did, and switch it into my job. It’s extremely private.

“Slapstick-y” is certainly the best phrase for these video games, they’re hilarious.

Yeah, it would not take itself too critically, so the inspiration for the world is simply principally my life, my buddies, and what I believe is humorous in the mean time. I will simply throw humorous issues in there as I consider them – and the gamers appear to like it. I am a solo dev, so I can type of have the ultimate say and simply do no matter I need. It is enjoyable. Within the first sport, I took some dangers and had this ‘invisible grilled cheese’ within the map, like an merchandise, and I assumed no person was going to seek out it – however somebody discovered it inside eight hours of launch! I crashed out on social, I bugged out.

Will there be any secrets and techniques or easter eggs to seek out in Tales of Tuscany?

There aren’t too many secrets and techniques but – I am nonetheless growing it, and I simply completed the principle story, so now I’ve to do the ‘evil’ story, and I will type of simply throw some additional stuff in there earlier than it releases, most likely round spring 2026.

Inform us just a little extra about how the 2 video games differ.

, making Athenian Rhapsody was type of sluggish. I began with GameMaker, and it simply type of snowballed. So I truthfully did not actually know what I used to be doing, going into the primary sport. It was in 4:3 ratio, like Sport Boy Advance – as a result of I am an enormous GBA man. So at first I used to be like, “Yeah, that is superior!” Then, you realize, it involves porting it and I am like… “Oh no.”

So, Tales of Tuscany is within the RIGHT decision. It is also received extra management customisations, quality-of-life stuff like that. Spherical 2: larger, higher, stronger. I wish to say, Athenian Rhapsody is like Pokémon Emerald, and Tales of Tuscany is extra like Pokémon Black & White – based mostly on the battles and stuff, with the digital camera motion, sprite work, stuff like that.

So that you’re clearly an enormous Pokémon fan too! What are a number of the totally different video games you performed rising up?

I performed a whole lot of Sport Boy Advance video games – Madagascar, Energy Rangers Dino Thunder, Minish Cap, and issues like that. My grandma would simply go purchase them for me. Or I performed Crash Bandicoot on the PS2, and I’d simply keep within the beginning space and mess with stuff – I by no means progressed within the sport, and that was truly most likely what I do with most of those video games. I by no means progressed; I simply did issues. And I assume all of it type of simply shaped that inspiration for me.

Fascinating – so are you a little bit of a completionist then? As a result of this sport — with all the totally different selections and storylines — appears a bit overwhelming for a completionist, like you would by no means *truly* full it totally.

what, after I was an adolescent, I used to be extra of a completionist; I’d 100% full Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze and stuff like that. However a whole lot of occasions, I used to be simply type of a silly man who did not know what I used to be doing. I could not advance by means of the plots, I by no means received Rayquaza [in Pokémon Emerald] – so I’d simply go and do random issues. And now, I am truly type of the alternative of that. So making Athenian Rhapsody and Tales of Tuscany, I desire a child to have the ability to simply go round and have enjoyable.

The video games appear to be designed nearly like a continuing dopamine hit. Gamers are allowed to only be mischievous and do no matter they need. And there is most likely no approach you would expertise each single alternative out there to you within the video games.

That is precisely it! That is type of what me and my buddies like. You type of must get in there just a few occasions, and the way in which it labored out, some gamers like that, and a few do not. Some persons are that goal, numeric, “I am carried out, verify the field” factor – however with these video games, the expertise is all the time going to be totally different, relying on who you’ve gotten in your social gathering and the alternatives you make. One other factor is that, it would not really feel ‘excellent’, and lots of people like that.

Did you all the time intend for the sport to be a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ type like that?

Yeah, I all the time supposed for it to be like that, however I did not precisely know the way to do it at first. I could not determine it out. So, Athenian Rhapsody was not programmed very properly… Tales of Tuscany is programmed significantly better, I used to be in a position to pull it off higher. However I simply needed to begin small and construct off of it, as a result of I had massive concepts – however I by no means knew programming, I went to highschool for artwork, I used to be doing conventional pencil artwork and stuff, I did not know what I used to be doing. So it constructed over time, and I am very lucky and fortunate that I used to be in a position to share this on the scale that I did, and switch it into my job. It’s extremely private.

As somebody who studied artwork and went to highschool for it, did that assist with the event of the sport itself – a minimum of, the artwork side of it?

That is truly a sick query – it will need to have! I went to SUNY Oneonta, superior faculty, I had a whole lot of nice lecturers. I used to be all into anatomy — transformational anatomy — and it took me type of some time to determine it out, utilizing house and character design.

So after I began Athenian Rhapsody, my pixel artwork was very poor – I did not have these fully-saturated colors but, I did not determine that out but. My sprites, I used to be doing the pillow shading… so it took me some time to get it. There’s some type of interlink, however that talent positively wasn’t speedy; I needed to be taught to entry that a part of my mind, studying the fundamentals of pixel artwork. Even in Athenian Rhapsody, once you play it, you may see there are 10 issues happening in a single room; that is as a result of I did not know what I used to be doing with the house! That truthfully led to this sense of extraordinarily hyper tempo, issues round each nook…

Nevertheless it works! The absurdism is what makes all of it so endearing. A part of it sounds prefer it was unintentional, trial-and-error, however that truly grew to become a very cool factor.

Precisely! And I used to be simply doing what I wished to do. I received fortunate that individuals appreciated it. Some individuals assume it is just a little an excessive amount of, however I’ve additionally heard from a whole lot of gamers who actually prefer it, saying they love the story. One other publication, the reviewer stated he thought the story “modified vibes an excessive amount of,” and that is the place he wrote me off for factors. However I’ve received different individuals — particularly youthful children, however a whole lot of adults, too — saying they love that in regards to the story!

And I personally assume it’s totally wanted. Quite a lot of occasions on this trade, individuals can take themselves just a little too critically, and I recognize that you just’re simply doing what you wanna do. It looks as if persons are drawn to that.

Yeah, I attempt to get very private and present myself as I’m. That is how I constructed this, doing tutorials on-line and constructing a following simply being myself. I simply took my cellphone and filmed my display exhibiting “In the present day I did this,” and I used to be simply being actual. However I am fortunate, I nonetheless simply get to do no matter I need. Like for Tales of Tuscany, the group thought it was just a little little bit of a danger, making the principle character a sheep…

Lambypoo – it jogs my memory of my canine’s toy, Lambchop!

Oh my god, YES! That is precisely it! I’ve 100 of these laying round my home, ripped up! That is the place it got here from, I am so glad you stated that! So I used to be identical to… yo, what if I had a button, the place the lamb simply began “baaa”-ing? And that is the place the concept for the ‘Baa’ button got here from. , it would not all the time must be this “Maintain X, cost your sword…” – you may simply have enjoyable with it. So the ‘Baa’ changed into an interplay instrument – you may break crops and vehicles and stuff, as a result of individuals simply wanna do enjoyable stuff, just like the dopamine hits we talked about earlier. So I am making an attempt to hone in on that.

I am nonetheless shocked you hadn’t performed the Earthbound / Mom video games previous to beginning your first sport. It looks like such a religious successor to these video games.

Proper? And on the subject of the flavour textual content in these video games, just like the choices are: “Yeah”, or “I am lactose illiberal” – that is precisely how I write, too. It nearly unlocked one thing, after I noticed that. I used to be like, ‘Okay, so that is okay what I am doing, this irreverence.’

I watched a documentary on Earthbound, and the director was saying he had a really intuitive method – he did not plan all of it out, he simply did it block-by-block, and that is precisely what I do, too. So I assume it is that very same mind kind, perhaps? And I had buddies from my faculty who had been making an attempt to inform me: “Yeah, you must block the entire sport out” and all of these things, and I used to be like: “Dude, however I am altering it day by day?”. So there are a whole lot of variations between the 2 video games and the way a lot I deliberate out Tales of Tuscany, however they’re the identical spirit.

Talking of Earthbound, I’ve heard you discuss with your video games as “JRPGs” just a few occasions – what does that label imply to you particularly?

Truthfully, I have been saying “JRPG” currently simply because I consider a long-narrative-based sport, and “RPG” is just too broad. However I do not know… I additionally name it an “IRPG” generally — “Italian RPG” — as a result of I am Italian, and Italians do like lengthy conversations.

For somebody who’s by no means heard of both of your video games, what is the one factor you’d say to get them to try this sequence?

Out of all the RPGs and JRPGs on the market, there are loads, and a great one that basically makes it to the end line is tough to seek out. This sport has a whole lot of love in it, there’s one thing to like in it for everyone, that is an enormous a part of how I made the sport. I liked Sport Freak’s early philosophy of making an attempt to strike a steadiness between ‘cute’ and ‘cool’, and the way everybody has a favorite pokémon. And with Athenian Rhapsody, I attempted to make one follower that everybody might love. It is the sport that conforms to what you want, and everybody will get one thing out of it. The ‘rhapsodies’ are like Gen 1 buying and selling; I wished everybody to get one thing out of it. In Pokémon, you may port your Pokémon throughout all the consoles, and that is type of what I used to be making an attempt to do. We’ll see how that works!

So, the ‘munchkins’ are making a comeback, too, solely this time, the weasels are watching you and ruining every part. This new characteristic appears fairly merciless, and I am questioning what occurred to you as a toddler that made you need to torture individuals?

HA! So, within the first sport, I had a debug choice within the ‘pause’ menu — only a placeholder — and it was known as ‘munchkins’, and all these silly issues. And I used to be like, eff it, I am gonna make ‘munchkins’ an actual factor. So principally, you must wait, like, 8-10 hours to obtain them, and you’ve got a 50% likelihood of failing… and if it really works, it is only a image of some artwork of mine that claims like, “Congratulations” – however I did not understand everybody was going loopy over that!

So with Tales of Tuscany, I assumed ‘Okay, I will not have a random 50% likelihood of failing on the finish… however there WILL be weasels… and the weasels come and slowly go throughout the display, and once they inform you, you must press an enter, in any other case they will corrupt the munchkin.’ I assumed, ‘I can not simply do the identical factor once more’, so I modified it up just a little bit. No one else is doing munchkins! No one else is doing one thing to the participant the place they’re like, ‘No, you do it the way in which I need you to do it, or else you fail, and I am not making it simpler since you’re complaining.’

@athenianrhapsody

Revolutionary new gameplay mechanic. Wishlist Tales of Tuscany on Steam #pixelart #indiegames #undertale #deltarune #earthbound #nintendo #athenianrhapsody #pokemon #indiegame #gaming #jrpg #omori #yumenikki #fearandhunger #lisathepainful #chainedechoes #talesoftuscany #warioware

♬ authentic sound – Athenian Rhapsody

You are simply going to make the sport you need to make, and purposely stay outdoors of the field. Was there something too loopy in Tales of Tuscany that ended up getting vetoed but?

Yeah, there are some things my publishers inform me I’ve to edit… I do know extra the way to skirt the road now, however there have been just a few elements that may have to vary. There’s this character from Athenian Rhapsody known as Uncle Billiard, and he is on this one once more as a result of he is an important character – and he has this scorching canine place, however all of them name the new canine ‘wieners’… and there is this one character who’s like, “Oh yeah, my double wiener sandwich…” and looking out again on it, I am like, “I can not simply be throwing ‘wiener’ round like that.” Or like, I wished to have an enemy with a plumber’s crack, and a mechanic the place you must throw issues in it. And I truly vetoed that for Athenian Rhapsody, as a result of it was type of disgusting.

…Ask forgiveness, not permission?

Yep, that is my motto!

Do you’ve gotten plans so as to add any extra to this universe, or do you assume you may go in a completely totally different course?

Truthfully, I believe this IP was a great one, it is sturdy. I did particularly need to do three RPGs.

Why three, due to Earthbound?

Oh, I did not even take into consideration that! I simply thought it might be a pleasant quantity.

You must do three, and simply by no means launch the ultimate one right here.

HA, yeah, I will simply say there is a third! , I did initially need to do three, however making this sport, I am nearing the top of the inventive improvement, and I type of need to take a break from RPGs for a bit. We’re doing the cellular sport, too – it is known as Goobie Backyard, and Thunder Goober is in it, he clearly hit one thing, so even when I do resolve to take a break with the IP, I will all the time come again to it. However I believe for my subsequent console sport, I might love to do one thing just a little extra easy, mechanic-based… perhaps a battler? I might love to do a roguelike sport. Undecided but although!

This interview has been flippantly edited for readability.

Thanks, Nico Papalia (@AthenianRhapso1 on X) and the group at High Hat Studios, for taking the time to reply our questions. Tales of Tuscany shall be coming to PC and consoles in 2026.

Will you be enjoying Tales of Tuscany when it releases? Did you play Athenian Rhapsody? Tell us within the feedback beneath.