Navigating the trials and tribulations of the modern dating scene is not for the faint-hearted, but what if you were a house? That’s right, Building Relationships is exactly that. You play as a house who has arrived on an island with one goal, to meet eligible Bachelorx Pads and romance them. As you explore the island, you will meet a roster of characters brimming with personality, including a flirty windmill named Millie, Tenet the tent, and a talking chest known as Chester. Your house can even go fishing, because of course it can. Don’t expect to catch fish, however, as you’ll reel in different species of…car.
The uniqueness of Building Relationships is enough to draw anybody in, even if you aren’t a player that typically dives into the relationship simulator genre. We were lucky enough to speak with Tanat Boozayaangool, the mind behind Building Relationships, to learn more about what the upcoming game has to offer.
GameScout: Tell us more about Tan Ant Games!
Tanat Boozayaangool: So the studio is just me! Game development used to be a side project I pursued outside of work hours. I was having a bad time at my tech job, and Building Relationships was supposed to be a portfolio piece to help me transition to games. But as I was trying to juggle both, my full-time job kept getting more stressful – the burnout was so real. Thankfully, the game had landed a spot at Summer Game Fest and I was in a position where I could quit my job, move back home, and try out indie dev full-time. So far, it has been such an incredible opportunity, absolutely fortunate to be able to pursue any of this!
I find a lot of inspiration from weird experiences with a strong perspective. I love getting to know an artist through their expression. I want to know what they have to say, and I want to understand the struggle it took to get that point across. That’s why I love the indie space! I love seeing the rough edges, the unique takes, the unrelenting vision.
Unsurprisingly, I play a lot of indie games. Mostly to take notes and see what people are doing within the space. I tend to have a strong attachment to titles with a sharp, impactful narrative, but I also just love consuming what my peers create. Most recently, I finished Promise Mascot Agency, Blue Prince, Wanderstop, and Rift of the Necrodancer.
If you’re confused, you should be. Building Relationships makes absolutely no sense, but in the best way. As you’d expect, the game is packed with humour and charm. It embraces its silliness through impeccable writing, managing to achieve this feel without shoe-horning innuendos and making it odd for the sake of it. Did we mention that cooking for your date involves you assembling furniture? Tasty.
GameScout: I have to ask, how on Earth does someone come up with such a weird and wonderful concept for a game?
Tanat Boozayaangool: The game actually found its first breath at a game jam 10 years ago! The theme was “Construction / Destruction” and I was trying to figure out what kind of game to make. I could make a game about buildings… or maybe a game about relationships? And that’s when it clicked: why not both?
At the time, I was inspired by bizarre dating sims like Hatoful Boyfriend, but I couldn’t really make something meaningful because I didn’t consume enough dating sims or visual novels.
Five years later, I got obsessed with A Short Hike and wanted to try making a game with exploration as a mechanic. I took part in another jam called Unexpected Jam and thought it was the perfect time to bring back Building Relationships. Since then, the game’s taken all sorts of inspiration, ranging from my misadventures on Grindr to improv comedy from various Dropout shows like A Crown of Candy.
GameScout: How big is the dateable character roster? Who’s your favourite character and why?
Tanat Boozayaangool: So there’s only two characters you can date in Building Relationships, which is a bit of a departure from other common dating sims. I’m responsible for everything in the game (aside from music,) so it takes quite a bit of time to add even one character. From the very start, this game was planned to be small, with a modest price tag. After all, this is my first game. It just felt too risky to commit to something big and ambitious, given how hard it can be for games to find visibility these days.
But with the small roster, it gives me more time to really solidify every building’s identity. I know I shouldn’t have favourites, but I really enjoy writing Millie. When the game was announced, someone tweeted something along the line of “If you know someone who talks like the windmill in that house game… please let me know…” and I think about that a lot.
GameScout: What kind of relationships can you develop? Are there opportunities for friendships, casual relationships, or finding a life partner?
Tanat Boozayaangool: Since the game is planned to be small, I wanted to focus on a strong, streamlined narrative rather than one with many branching paths. That’s the tricky thing with making a game that sits across so many genres – I had to choose exactly what I wanted to explore within the game. So, the gameplay isn’t supposed to be about testing players if they could successfully court a particular building. Instead, it’s focused on the themes I want to tackle, and I want to make sure the rest of the game is designed to be inviting and that I approach each topic with nuance.
But back to the question: you can expect to go on dates with your chosen structure. As for where it goes from there… you’ll just have to play the game to find out! Though, as a chronically single man, my relationships rarely fit neatly into a specific category, so that might hint towards what kind of relationships you might build in game.
The gameplay itself is an important aspect of Building Relationships. This isn’t something that’s shown off too much in the demo, leaving me wondering whether or not the gameplay loop can live up to the personality that shines through to create a complete package.
GameScout: The demo gives a solid sense of the game’s mechanics, humour, and charm, but not too much about the gameplay loop. Can you tell us more about this, please?
Tanat Boozayaangool: The game is a mix of exploration, narrative adventure, and dating! There’s a main story to experience (centred around the romance,) but there’s also side-content like areas to explore, fish to catch, and structures to meet. The core loop is focused on the whimsy and the delightful moments, with lots of small, unexpected surprises around the corner!
With an element of platforming in Building Relationships, you may be wondering how you navigate the world as a house. In the demo, you’ll find yourself rolling, jumping, and dashing around the island. There’s only so many ways a house can move, right?
GameScout: Will there be any further movement boosts you can acquire in the full game, aside from the ones already in the demo?
Tanat Boozayaangool: Not exactly. Instead of adding new movement abilities, I’m focused on adding more depth and mastery to the mechanics I already have. Since this game spans across many genres, I have to make sure that those who may not enjoy platforming will still be able to experience the story. Meanwhile, I also really want the game to feel fun to speed-run. At the end of the day, I just want to wreck players with my writing and in turn, see them eviscerate and destroy my game (in a good way.)
GameScout: Although Building Relationships is a silly game, dating in the real-world can be challenging. Will Building Relationships have a focus on the more taxing parts of dating? If so, how will you strike a balance between addressing issues with dating and keeping the game lighthearted?
Tanat Boozayaangool: I think that there’s still room to explore serious topics, even within a silly pretence. There’s this scene in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 where the Nopon characters (traditionally goofy, child-like party members) end up starting a discussion around morality in their universe. I’m really stuck with how they took the comedic relief characters and used them to start such a grounded and engaging discussion.
I can’t say much about where the game’s headed, but I started working on this game in one of the most stressful periods of my life. So there might be more than meets the eye.
GameScout: Can you tell us a release date? If not, can you give an indication as to when players can expect a release date to be announced?
Tanat Boozayaangool: I can’t! So far, I’m finding it really hard to predict when exactly Building Relationships will be done. I have a direction and an arch, but as I flesh out each section, new themes tend to emerge and I have to revisit the other parts of the game to make everything feel cohesive. The story just really needs some time to breathe.
It is supposed to be a small game (and it will still be,) so I can guarantee that it will be out in 2025. I’ll announce the release date when I’m confident with what I have.
GameScout: Do you have any post launch plans for Building Relationships?
Tanat Boozayaangool: That depends on how the game goes. I want to port the game to console, but I currently have no plans for DLCs or free updates (but that answer might change in the future.)
Still, hard to say at this point. I do have rough plans for my next game, I might work more on that. Or I might sleep for a month instead. Not sure!
To keep up with Tanat Boozayaangool and Building Relationships, be sure to follow Tanat on Bluesky and join the Building Relationships Discord. Try out the Building Relationships demo for yourself on Steam and remember to add the game to your wishlist!
