The 2025 Busan Indie Connect Festival was unusually saturated with titles sporting a distinctly Korean, oriental flair. Games like 'Gwigwisaljeon', 'National Exorcist Association', 'The Newspaper of That Day', and 'Purgatory Flower'—each reinterpreting the East in their own unique way—garnered significant attention. Among them, one title stood out: 'Pungbi-Baksan'. The name alone packs a punch, and the game itself is a rhythm title that leans heavily into the bright, vivid colours often found in traditional Korean folk paintings and ornaments.

The gameplay is equally eccentric. You whip up dishes via rhythm mechanics to serve to various yōkai. With the addition of charming, cartoonish character designs, the short demo I played has stayed with me ever since. I caught up with the team behind it, Team PBBS, to drill down into the concept and design philosophy.

Team PBBS consists of CEO Kim Sung-woo, art lead Lee Jong-hwan, and programmer Jang Yong-hee. It’s a lean ship, meaning Jang pulls double duty handling the sound design as well. 'There are plenty of hurdles, but I prefer to focus on the upsides,' says Kim. 'The real strength is that we share a similar sensibility and can add content to the game without getting bogged down in endless debates.'

Development for 'Pungbi-Baksan' kicked off in September 2021. While the idea had been simmering for a while, the first actual build didn't materialise until 2022. They balanced day jobs while crafting the game, and by 2023, they were showcasing at the Busan Indie Connect Festival and Burning Beaver. However, the project hit a brief hiatus in December 2023.

Serious development resumed this past June, where they overhauled the gameplay while keeping the characters, world-building, and art intact. 'An acquaintance suggested we try a rhythm game approach,' Kim explains. 'We tried it on a whim, and when we saw how fun it was, we stuck with it.' Developer Jang adds, 'I’ve always been a fan of rhythm games, so I was motivated, and it allowed me to reuse existing assets while focusing purely on the rhythm elements.'

The title—and the restaurant's name—'Pungbi-Baksan' is a Korean idiom meaning 'everything is falling apart and scattered to the winds.' CEO Kim notes, 'It popped into my head during a time when things weren't going well and I was really into black comedy. I wanted to capture that vibe: a noisy, chaotic mess where things don't quite go to plan, but everyone’s having a laugh anyway.' Art lead Lee adds, 'It’s a game of delightful chaos that fits the title perfectly. I hope when people search for it, they find our game instead of stories about personal misfortune.'

The protagonist of 'Pungbi-Baksan' is a human who has stumbled into the world of yōkai. In this world, the human and yōkai realms are completely severed, making the protagonist quite the anomaly. Naturally, being just a regular human, the supernatural antics of the yōkai are a genuine threat, and since you’re no fighter, you’ve got to dodge when things get rowdy.

You run the restaurant 'Pungbi-Baksan' and cook by playing a rhythm game. It sounds a bit strange on paper, but you’re essentially prepping ingredients to the beat. For example, a rice recipe requires: Grain, Grain, Broth. Each ingredient is created via a combination of two arrow commands; for grain, you input left then right.

It feels a bit tricky at first, but the intuitive UI and tutorial make it easy to pick up. Plus, you’ve got these charming, Western-cartoon-meets-Korean-aesthetic yōkai patrons. CEO Kim says, 'We aimed for the raw fun of a rhythm game, coupled with the narratives tied to each character.'

Once you serve a dish, you enter a 'combat phase' where you dodge yōkai attacks via rhythm mechanics. 'Cooking feels like an intense battle,' Kim explains. 'I wanted the entire process, from a guest walking in to them leaving, to feel like a high-stakes standoff.' Serving food is your attack, and dealing with a customer's complaints is your defense.

Visually, CEO Kim originally aimed for a semi-realistic look but pivoted to a Korean-cartoon style. The background was also darker in the planning stages, but since many oriental-themed games go that route, they cranked up the saturation. They then added outlines and shadows to ensure characters popped from the background. Art lead Lee says, 'I don't think we could use such bold, bright colours if we weren't an indie team, so we’re going all out.'

A major draw is the yōkai character design. The demo features 'Fox', the fox yōkai; 'Deathie', the grim reaper; 'Bok-seul', the Du-eoksini; and the goblins 'Du-duri' and 'Jeom-sun'. Each is built around specific keywords. 'Deathie', for instance, was inspired by a character from 'Chainsaw Man', blending the traits of a reaper, depression, and a desk-job civil servant. Even the environmental effects and music lean into gloomy, melancholic tones to match.

Art lead Lee explains, 'Fox is a mix of a yōkai and a college girl vibe. Du-duri is a Korean goblin with a Samulnori fashion sense, plus a manic inventor-pyromaniac personality. Jeom-sun is a cool, tough character—a contrast to her rustic name—and her combat gimmick involves furiously hammering the keyboard.'

The BGM and unique mechanics are rooted in these personalities. 'Du-duri', for instance, constantly launches explosive drones between beats; miss a note, and more drones clutter the screen, cranking up the chaos. 'I asked Jang if this was even possible, and he pulled it off perfectly,' Lee says. 'It’s so manic and distracting—I love it.' Jang adds, 'I paid close attention to the details, like making sure the characters look like they’re breathing.'

These characters draw inspiration from various animations and games. Art lead Lee notes, 'We referenced the art of 'Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt', 'Gintama', and 'Helltaker'.' CEO Kim adds, 'We were influenced by Western elements like 'Undertale' and 'Scott Pilgrim', but we also drew from Korean variety shows like 'Infinite Challenge' or '2 Days & 1 Night' to create characters who are a bit dim but lovable, or obsessively optimistic.'

These influences bleed naturally into the game’s aesthetic. The fairy you meet upon defeat is a nod to 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure', and Jeom-sun’s stage clear animation parodies a famous commercial. The realistic hands that appear when serving food were inspired by 'SpongeBob SquarePants'. Kim added that it turned out so fun they made it a recurring feature whenever the protagonist serves a dish.

While the Korean vibe is thick, there are unique experiments in the music and gameplay. The BGM and note-hit sounds shift based on the stage and yōkai. The base music relies on traditional strings, flutes, and large drums, with the button sound being a 'kkwaenggwari' (small gong). However, when serving food or dodging, the music adapts to the character’s specific concept.

Du-duri’s Samulnori-themed BGM highlights percussion, with the hit sound being a gong. In combat, it even incorporates rhythms reminiscent of traditional Korean music. Conversely, the intense Jeom-sun’s stage features DJ mixing-style BGM, with clap sounds and turntable scratching for note hits.

Team PBBS is aiming for a demo release within the year and a full launch in the fourth quarter of next year. While the Busan Indie Connect Festival version focused on rhythm, the final release will incorporate adventure elements with dialogue choices. 'I hope it finds a place in gamers' libraries,' says CEO Kim. 'We’d appreciate your continued interest until launch.'