Indie Dev Adds Sentient Tofu to Solve Player Complaints About Female Protagonist
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Following community complaints that playing as a woman ruined immersion in the indie vehicle sim Honcho, developer Minksworks added a sentient block of tofu as a playable avatar to bypass the need for a fully rigged male character model.
When indie developer Minksworks released Honcho, a procedurally generated management game about building a vending machine empire in Showa-era Japan, the studio expected players to focus on the Kei truck maintenance and open-world exploration. Instead, a vocal segment of the community zeroed in on the protagonist, a Japanese woman. After fielding consistent complaints across Discord, YouTube, and the Steam forums claiming that playing as a woman ruined their immersion, developer Greg Pryjmachuk decided to address the feedback with a clever and practical compromise.
As reported by Patricia Hernandez at Polygon, Pryjmachuk responded to a player thread requesting a male avatar by updating the game to include Mr Tofu, a sentient block of tofu that completely hides the player body and hands. Speaking with Polygon, the developer explained that funding realities made adding a fully animated and rigged male character with custom outfits impossible. Rather than spending months on new character models, rigging, and testing, the studio opted for a lightweight solution that also nods to the classic Tofu survivor mode from Resident Evil 2.
The update highlights the ongoing friction developers face regarding protagonist diversity, even in niche indie titles focused on simulation and logistics. While the original Steam thread had to be locked to prevent community dogpiling, the tofu workaround offers a funny and functional middle ground for players who struggle to see through anyone else's eyes. It is a creative fix that respects development constraints while giving the community something memorable to talk about.
Tags: Steam, Indie Games, PC Gaming, Gaming News, Polygon
Original article: Polygon