Devlog, game craft & the worlds we build.
Notes from the studio — how we build, what we're learning, and the lore behind Shooo Yokai.
What Browser Compression Actually Saves
We ran our own image and video tools over a public test corpus and measured all 162 outputs. Converting a video to GIF usually makes the file bigger.
Read →How to Reduce Video File Size (Keep Quality, Just Make It Smaller)
Having trouble sending videos via KakaoTalk or email because they're too big? We've compiled methods to reduce the file size while minimizing quality loss, including free options.
Read →How to Combine Multiple Photos into One PDF
Need to combine receipt, documents, and handwritten notes into one PDF? We've compiled tips on how to combine photos into a PDF, including the order, specifications, and file size, in a neat and organized way.
Read →How to Make a Barcode for Free (EAN, UPC, Code 128: Which One to Use?)
Need a barcode for products, inventory, or labels but unsure which type to use? We summarize the differences in barcode types, how to choose by use case, free generation, and tips for printing and scanning.
Read →How to Make a KakaoTalk Theme (iPhone vs. Android Differences and Application)
Want to create your own KakaoTalk theme but it seems complicated? We've summarized the differences in file formats between iPhone (.ktheme) and Android (.apk), application methods, how to make one without coding, and what to check if it doesn't work.
Read →What We Learned While Making 195 Free Tools
We made 195 tools, one by one. We wrote about what people actually use, what's more important than the number, and the difficulty of maintaining simplicity.
Read →Why Our Tools Don't Upload Files to a Server
Most online conversion sites upload your files to their servers. Here is why we process files in the browser instead, along with the honest exceptions where we can't.
Read →Change KakaoTalk themes without installing an app, the reason behind tesil
It was always frustrating to have to install an app and sign up just to change a KakaoTalk theme. We wrote about the reasons and process behind creating tesil, a tool to assemble and instantly receive themes in the browser.
Read →Why Don't We Ask for Signups or Logins?
Most tool sites require you to sign up before getting results. We honestly explain why we don't do that and what we give up in return.
Read →Designing Shooo Yokai: three pillars of a roguelike defense RPG
How we blend idle auto-battle comfort with roguelike tension in our first mobile game — and the rules that keep it light, fast, and fun.
Read →Lightweight by default: how a small studio keeps games fast
Light, fast, fun isn't a slogan — it's a constraint. How a small studio keeps its mobile games quick to load and kind to your phone.
Read →Meet the Successors: the heirs who hold the wall
Meet the Successors of Shooo Yokai — Somteori, Hwaran, Shadowfoot, and Molt — the beast-folk heirs who hold the Wall of Divine Beasts.
Read →The Legion of Ruin: what's coming for the wall
The Legion of Ruin tests you three different ways. A look at the Rotten Spore Mushroom, Corrupted Tree Spirit, and Unraveler Narak.
Read →The upgrade economy of Shooo Yokai: choices that compound
How roguelike upgrades and wave drops turn each Shooo Yokai run into a chain of meaningful build decisions — and how we keep those choices readable.
Read →Tuning wave difficulty: making 'almost losing' feel fair
How we pace Shooo Yokai's waves so a loss reads as 'I got out-planned' instead of 'the game cheated' — the craft behind almost-losing.
Read →How a small studio decides which game to build next
Before writing a line of code, we scored six game concepts on comprehension, hook, differentiation, production risk, and revenue ceiling. The simplest idea won — and the most technically impressive one came fifth.
Read →How Shooo Yokai's formation grid turns placement into probability
The formation screen looks like simple line management — three rows, drag and drop. Underneath, every slot you enhance quietly reweights who gets summoned mid-battle, and the whole board feeds your legend-grade odds.
Read →Nine ways to reward a wave: designing break-time in Shooo Yokai
A wave doesn't end with a score screen. It ends with a coin toss, a card flip, a dice roll — one of nine reward formats — and, if you've earned it, one of five rare fixed events layered on top.
Read →Cold ether can't be healed — only pushed out: the rule beneath our world
The world of Shooo Yokai runs on one cosmological rule. Corruption isn't a wound you close — it's a substance you displace. That single distinction drives a hero's arc, the way bosses scar the battlefield, and why twelve places feel genuinely different.
Read →What's a Good Reaction Time — and How Do You Improve It?
What counts as a good reaction time, what affects how fast you react, and practical ways to improve it — plus a free test to measure yours.
Read →Word Count and Character Count: How to Check Text Length Online
Learn how to check word count and character count online, why the two differ, and why essay limits, tweets, and meta descriptions use different rules.
Read →How to Turn a Video Into a GIF
How to turn a video into a GIF that's actually usable — picking clip length, dimensions, and frame rate to keep file size down without losing clarity.
Read →How to Format and Validate JSON: A Practical Guide
Learn how to format and validate JSON — fix syntax errors like trailing commas, pretty-print for readability, and minify safely for production.
Read →How to Create a Strong Password You'll Actually Remember
Real advice on creating strong, unique passwords: why length beats complexity, how passphrases work, and when to use a generator or password manager.
Read →How to Remove the Background From an Image — Free, in Your Browser
A practical guide to removing image backgrounds for product photos, profile pics, and logos — free, in your browser, with tips for clean edges.
Read →How to Merge Multiple PDFs Into One File
Learn how to merge multiple PDF files into a single document in the right order, for free, directly in your browser — no install required.
Read →How to Compress a PDF File Online — Free and Fast
How to compress a PDF file online for free — why scanned PDFs get huge, how compression works, email/upload size limits, and keeping text sharp.
Read →How to Convert HEIC to JPG (Your iPhone Photos, Anywhere)
Stuck with an iPhone photo that won't open? Here's what HEIC is, why it causes trouble on Windows and some websites, and how to convert HEIC to JPG.
Read →How to Compress Images for the Web Without Losing Quality
How to compress images for the web the right way: lossy vs. lossless, target file size, WebP vs. JPEG, and checking your result before publishing.
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