Indie horror Sasaeng will allow you to live a piece of a K-pop idol's life — with all the glitz, glamor, and obsessive fans. The game was released by South Korean developer Jayhyeon Studio on August 29 and received a "very positive" rating on Steam.
Following the example of indie studios like Chilla’s Art and reminiscent of Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue in atmosphere, Sasaeng is a short but psychological game with simplified graphics.
The name Sasaeng translates from Korean as "obsessive fan." At first, the character enjoys the life of a star: lives in a luxurious apartment, reads fan letters, and participates in meetings with them, but gradually life turns into a nightmare — someone is watching the hero. Gameplay offers exploration, collecting clues, and revealing who is watching the player.
Interestingly, the developer was assisted by his wife. In an interview, Jayhyeon noted that key moments in the story and themes were created together with her.
"We often argued about the details of the plot and artistic style, trying to enhance the emotional effect of each scene."
Although the arguments were heated, according to Jayhyeon, "his wife was most often right." Developing Sasaeng became a personal experience for him:
"The time I spent creating all the main emotional elements of the game with someone I could share a 'soul' with was such a valuable experience for me that I wouldn't trade it for anything else."
