As I was playing Butterfly Soup, I couldn’t help but relate with the characters, see similarities between the characters and my friends, and feel a little bit closer to them by the end of the game. When Min-seo said something cringey, I would feel the shock of second-hand embarrassment. When Min-seo made a move (or multiple) on Diya, I both felt awfully shy like Diya but incredibly ecstatic for Min-seo. When I first got a glimpse of Akarsha, I wondered if I should change my discord profile picture to her since we look pretty similar. I was drawn into the game and really felt like I was part of their friend group for the duration of the game, rooting for the to-be couple, sighing at Min’s bad jokes, laughing at the good ones. Butterfly Soup sets up a narrative with compelling characters that are realistic and relatable to the player, really emphasizing what interactivity means for visual novels.
This game’s emotional interactivity point heavily relies upon the characters, their personalities, and their interactions throughout the game. Many times, visual novels deny giving characters cultural backgrounds. Butterfly Soup gave its characters specific cultural backgrounds, like Min being Korean and Noelle being Taiwanese, which added to the richness of dialogue that could be had between the characters and also provided a point of relation between the player and the characters. Although I am not Asian, I am very familiar with the minority parent mindset and found that to be a point that I could relate with the characters and feel as if I could understand their frustrations, as if they were alive. I could see their Oakland upbringing as one similar to many of my friends’ as they went through the experience of being Korean-Americans in a predominantly asian neighborhood. I felt the discomfort of being told racist things but also felt the humor in flipping that back around in a way that only Min could. The social anxiety and the thoughts that constantly ran through Diya’s head were extremely frustrating – until I realized that I do the same thing.
The way that these characters are given backgrounds and personalities makes this game an immersive experience that, as a minority, I could easily insert myself into. Without that additional layer of depth, the game could have been a stereotypical dating sim with a little less choice than normal. However, Butterfly Soup fleshed out the characters well – something more characteristic of the novel than the video game. Still, this tactic is what enhanced the interactivity aspect, the unique quality that games have, and made it that much more immersive and enjoyable to go through.
