You can also watch this interview highlighting her voluptuous (chubby) charm. We spoke with Hyorla, Art Director of "MIRESI: The Invisible Future."
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/939/G093947/20251002016/
Editorial Department: Musical Instruments | 2025/10/14 23:00 (UTC)
At the Tokyo Game Show 2025 (TGS 2025), we interviewed Hyolra, the art director of Smilegate’s new title “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” (PC / iOS / Android).
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You absolutely must see the voluptuous bodies of these beauties. “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” pushes bold, impactful thighs in a hopeless world [TGS2025]
We had the chance to demo Smilegate’s new title, “MIRESI: The Invisible Future,” at Tokyo Game Show 2025. This RPG tells the story of girls striving to save a world on the brink of extinction, alongside “the Council Member (protagonist).” It carries a serious tone and features strong emphasis on thigh anatomy.
[2025/09/25 22:19]
- Keywords:
- PC: MIRESI: The Invisible Future
- RPG
- CONTROL9
- Smilegate
- Event
- Play Report
- Editor: Musical Instruments
- Photographer: Wataru Nagayama
- Tokyo Game Show
- TGS 2025
- PC
- iPhone: MIRESI: The Invisible Future
- iPhone
- Android: MIRESI: The Invisible Future
- Android
- Korea
“MIRESI: The Invisible Future” is a subculture RPG developed by CONTROL9, the studio formed by staff who previously worked on titles such as “Venus Vacation: NIKKE” and “Seven Knights 2.” It’s scheduled for release in 2026.
The gameplay can be described as a tower defense where players move their units into place. The story and world setting revolve around time travel, offering depth that still remains difficult to grasp even after reading the previous report.
And its biggest feature? The visual design of the beautiful girls.
On the lower left of the photo is Hyolra, the art director at CONTROL9 we interviewed. Gallery Image No.001 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra
Just from the sheer volume of their lower bodies, you can already tell how this game intends to present its characters. And the key concept behind these visuals is a Korean term known as “Yutok (yutto-k).”
What exactly does this word entail? If you’re curious enough to keep reading until the end, I’ll explain it for you.
Let’s start with the answer
4Gamer:
The girls’ lower bodies are incredibly vivid. Is this really a game about that?
Hyolra:
Yes, it is.
4Gamer:
Ah, I see. Got it.
Then, please introduce yourself again.
Hyolra:
I’m Hyolra (pen name). Previously, I worked at SHIFT UP as a character designer for “Destiny Child,” then served as art director on “Venus Vacation: NIKKE.” Currently, I’m the art director for “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” at CONTROL9.
4Gamer:
That background really gives you an idea of your artistic touch.
So what kind of game is MIRESI?
Hyolra:
The central theme is “time travel.” Players take on the role of a member of a future bureau, joining forces with beautiful girls to move across time and space in order to prevent the world’s destruction—a fantasy RPG. The 5v5 battles emphasize positioning for both allies and enemies. The combat system is essentially real-time turn-based: it auto-advances by default, but players select skills when their characters’ turns arrive.
In terms of art direction, we aimed for a design that caters to a sexy aesthetic rarely seen in the current market.
4Gamer:
At TGS, I also enjoyed some field dates with the girls.
Hyolra:
Yes. There’s a feature where you can control specific characters on certain fields to advance quests or enjoy dialogue between them—content designed to deepen your emotional bond with the characters.
TGS demo space scene Gallery Image No.004 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra
Battle system is hard to explain in just one sentence. Please see the play report here Gallery Image No.005 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra
Field date introduction screen. A kneeling pillow-style composition, with a strong top-down angle Gallery Image No.006 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra
4Gamer:
In terms of scale, is this essentially a rich PC game?
Hyolra:
Yes. The base design aims for maximum performance on PC, including graphics. Mobile versions are also planned, with optimization efforts to ensure visual quality remains intact on smartphones.
4Gamer:
How did you end up joining the development team?
Hyolra:
I left SHIFT UP and had been working at LINE Games. At a point when I was taking a break, two of our company’s founders approached me. They shared the project’s outline with me.
Initially, I wasn’t deeply invested in it—but then they told me, “Your art is essential for this project.” With the opportunity to freely express my artistic vision and considering the development potential, I decided to join.
4Gamer:
When you were asked to join, did you feel honored?
Hyolra:
Well… honestly, it’s hard to say. The kind of art I’ve pursued hasn’t always been considered mainstream. So with MIRESI, there was still some negotiation needed. But thanks to the generous support from both founders, we managed to bring it all together.
4Gamer:
You said it wasn’t mainstream—does that mean your visuals are too sexy?
In recent years, NIKKE has indeed helped reduce the resistance to such aesthetics in Korea.
※On the other hand, I’ve heard from NIKKE’s director, Yu Hyun-sok, earlier this summer that societal judgment is still quite strict in Korea.
Hyolra:
Yes. Since NIKKE, I do feel society’s eyes on sexy visuals have softened a bit.
But the concept of “Yutok (yutto-k)” we and others pursue isn’t really about that. It’s an art style rarely supported widely in the game market—hence why it still feels non-mainstream.
4Gamer:
So, what exactly does “yutto-k” mean?
Hyolra:
In Japanese, you might say “chubby” or “voluptuous.” It’s a visual expression I’ve spent years researching as an illustrator.
4Gamer:
So in essence, this is a challenge to showcase bold, glamorous art that hasn’t traditionally been considered commercially viable?
Hyolra:
Exactly. In that sense, it’s definitely a bold challenge.
4Gamer:
It’s hard to draw the line on what’s acceptable visually—but are you aiming for characters that appeal only to specific tastes?
Hyolra:
No, we’re trying to keep our target audience fairly broad.
For example, Enda and Itsuka have proportions typical of mainstream beautiful girl characters. Meanwhile, Tyria—with her enhanced physical beauty—is aimed more at core fans.
From left: “Itsuka,” the gyaru ninja; “Tyria,” the sci-fi nun; “Enda,” the cool magician Gallery Image No.012 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra
This girl is Lemon Gallery Image No.008 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra
4Gamer:
MIRESI’s prologue presents a remarkably complex setting and world, difficult to grasp at first glance. Did you understand it immediately after reading the materials?
Hyolra:
Well… I managed to get there (laughs). The time-travel-based world is hard to decipher at first, but as art director, I took my time to fully engage with it.
The story features multiple worlds differing in era and civilization. Maintaining consistency between visual concepts and designs was quite challenging.
4Gamer:
So the visuals change drastically depending on each world?
※In-game, there are distinct worlds like “First Era” and “Second Era.” The protagonist jumps to a point where the future can be rewound—before doom is inevitable.
Hyolra:
Yes. At TGS we unveiled worlds such as “Yggdrasil” and the “Time-Space Corridor,” but in-game, each era has its own distinct look.
Even among main characters: Enda is a fantasy magician; Itsuka is a modern gyaru ninja; Tyria is a sci-fi nun—so you can already see how varied their concepts are.
4Gamer:
Indeed. Could you share your personal insights on each character?
Hyolra:
Of course.
First, Enda gives off a calm and intelligent, cool aura. But she’s closely tied to Yggdrasil (the so-called “tree” attribute).
From a design code standpoint—visual rules—the concept is akin to elven symbolism. However, simply coloring her green didn’t make the character stand out enough. So I focused on finding the right color palette that would best express her personality, eventually settling on blue as the core tone.
4Gamer:
That’s why the leaves are blue (in her skill animations, blue leaves swirl wildly).
Now, Itsuka.
Hyolra:
Itsuka is a girl who combines two opposing traits: modern gyaru and traditional ninja. The goals were to clearly showcase her charm and make classic ninja elements look vibrant.
Balancing the strong self-expression of a gyaru with the need for stealth as a ninja was tricky, but we eventually achieved harmony through clothing and accessories—finding that sweet spot between gyaru and ninja.
4Gamer:
That’s why she wears a jacket with ninja garb.
Lastly, Tyria.
Hyolra:
Tyria ended up being easier to design than I expected. Her concept—sci-fi cyborg (mechanized body) combined with devout nunhood—was very clear and easy to blend.
The nun’s outfit was already symbolic and instantly recognizable. Adding a few cybernetic elements gave it that final touch.
4Gamer:
Did the art team and story/world development teams ever clash during character design?
Hyolra:
Oh yes, all the time. We constantly clashed. So we spent a lot of effort discussing what each side wanted, making sure both sides fully understood one another and reached mutual agreement. It took us quite some time to get to that point where everyone could finally say, “This is really good!” (laughs).
4Gamer:
So you’ve clearly put in serious work aligning characters with the world.
Also, how many characters are there? Is this a game featuring around 10 limited heroines—or more like 100, letting players pick their favorites?
Hyolra:
More than ten, but fewer than one hundred. At launch, we aim to have about twenty characters ready.
4Gamer:
In-game, each character has 2D illustrations (like card designs), 3D models (for battle), and event stills for the adventure mode—will all of these be fully completed?
Hyolra:
Yes, that’s our plan. Also, while not yet confirmed, we’d like to deepen connections between the protagonist, characters, and players through events and storylines.
4Gamer:
The 2D assets already show undeniable charm, but the in-game 3D models still feel a bit stiff. If this continues, we might say the visual quality is being compromised—but are you currently working on optimizing and improving these models?
Hyolra:
Yes, that’s definitely an issue we recognize.
The current 3D models are only at an early development stage—just barely made it in time for TGS. In terms of progress, they’re still like a baby just starting to walk.
So we expect significant improvement in the 3D visuals—and our goal is to reach a point where players can’t tell the difference between the 2D illustrations and the 3D models.
4Gamer:
Then there’ll be no visual gaps at all?
Hyolra:
Please look forward to it.
The 3D models still feel stiff, but skill animations are strong Gallery Image No.014 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra Gallery Image No.015 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra Gallery Image No.016 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra Gallery Image No.017 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra Gallery Image No.018 thumbnail / This interview with thick, plump (chubby) charm also shows “MIRESI: The Invisible Future” Art Director Hyolra
4Gamer:
Overall, the game clearly shouts “This is MIRESI’s art!”—was that intentional?
Hyolra:
Yes. That was exactly our intention—to make everyone feel that way after seeing it. We’ve spent a lot of time refining what “MIRESI’s art” really means.
The conclusion? Two points: First, we standardized facial expressions and distortion styles to reflect the characteristics of subculture art. Second, using “line” and “plane” as keywords from cel animation, we emphasized contrast between them so that players can clearly feel the character’s bold silhouettes.
We also combined intricate details, dense coloring techniques, and intense color contrasts—aiming for illustrations that make people say, “This is truly MIRESI art.”
4Gamer:
Was it a long process to reach this artistic identity?
Hyolra:
Hmm… not really with MIRESI. There was plenty of trial and error, but the overall time wasn’t excessive.
Actually, I struggled the most during my work on NIKKE. Technically, I could’ve done it quickly—but emotionally, it took a lot.
4Gamer:
Why?
Hyolra:
Back then, I was deeply conflicted about merging my own illustration style with subculture art. I kept asking myself: “Is this really okay as-is?”
But over time, I found my own way… and realized that just thinking through it wasn’t enough—I had to grow personally. That shift helped deepen my understanding of art a little. Recently, I feel like I can more smoothly find answers about how to draw.
4Gamer:
You’ve overcome your personal barriers.
Hyolra:
Yes, exactly. Probably because that experience existed, we didn’t need as much time this time around.
4Gamer:
By the way, what does the title “MIRESI” mean?
Hyolra:
In Korean, it means “vision to see the future.” As indicated by the subtitle, it’s a word that evokes time and the future.
4Gamer:
Interesting—did you know that in Japanese, “miresi” sounds similar to “mireshi,” which can be interpreted as “look!” (like “see already”)—a kind of rough, gyaru-style expression? It’s almost like something Itsuka would say.
Hyolra:
Wait… really? I didn’t know that.
Probably the person who picked the title doesn’t even realize it either (laughs).
4Gamer:
So phrases like “You’re saying ‘invisible future,’ but look already!” or “Hurry up and see today’s new story, look already!” or “The server crashed—can’t look at anything!” might become slang in Japanese communities. That kind of catchy phonetic ring is exactly why it resonates with Japanese audiences.
Hyolra:
Great! If you feel that way, we’re really happy too.
4Gamer:
Last question: After the game’s 2026 release, what position would you like MIRESI to hold in the gaming industry?
Hyolra:
The value we prioritize most is originality. While striving to create a mainstream title accessible to as many people as possible, we want this project—through its meticulously polished gameplay system and unique art style—to carve out a new path for the industry.
Ultimately, our goal is to produce a game that can’t be compared to any other—a truly fresh addition to gaming history.