Fan Nickname: Prior to the game's release, Lifewonders released a few screenshots showing how the game looked and how to play. Among those screenshots was a picture of the avatar selection screen showing the first protagonist option◊, the default human male, with the name "Nozomu Hoshihara" (a rather thematically-appropriate name considering the game's themes, as "nozomu" can mean "dream" and "hoshi" can mean "star" or "wish"). Many fans have adopted this as the main character's "real name," and some have taken it a step further by referring to the female playable characters as "Nozomi."
Unfortunate Character Design: Barrel. He's an anthropomorphic dog alien born in Houston, Texas who idolizes western movie heroes and longs to be one. That as a base concept is well and good, except that he became a cop and regularly expresses a desire to open fire on "evildoers," despite being unable to hit a target unless he's in hero form. With the game's release being only a few months after George Floyd's death and police brutality protests in America, let's just say his release did not sit right with many Western fans. The controversy became so overwhelming in the 24 hours following his official reveal that less than a day later, Lifewonders changed his bio slightly to downplay his love of guns and change his weapon of choice to a tranquilizer gun.
◊, the default human male, with the name "Nozomu Hoshihara" (a rather thematically-appropriate name considering the game's themes, as "nozomu" can mean "dream" and "hoshi" can mean "star" or "wish"). Many fans have adopted this as the main character's "real name," and some have taken it a step further by referring to the female playable characters as "Nozomi."
