Steam Game Introduces Playable Tofu Character Following Feedback on Female Lead

Honcho is an upcoming car simulation game where you step into the shoes of a character determined to reclaim her grandfather’s legacy in the ruthless realm of vending machine entrepreneurship. Developed by Minskworks, the game promises a “heartfelt story of betrayal, mystery, and hope,” following the journey of Keiko as she rises from a deliverywoman to a property mogul.

However, not everyone is on board with this premise. The backlash isn’t about the landlord role itself, which could be a valid concern, but rather the fact that players must embody a female character. In a recent interview, Minskworks’ Greg Pryjmachuk noted that they’ve encountered these criticisms across platforms like X, YouTube, and Discord, with a particularly striking complaint surfacing on Honcho’s Steam Discussion Board.

One user expressed, “There’s really only one thing that I am hoping for and that’s the ability to build a play as a male character if you wanted to. I know I have talked to you on Reddit before, but I’m not a fan of playing a female character. Kind of ruins my immersion honestly.”

As a small indie studio without a publisher, Minskworks decided against spending extensive development time on creating a new male character model complete with custom dialogue and outfits. Instead, they introduced a quirky alternative: Mr. Tofu, inspired by Resident Evil 2.

“I’ve added the ability to play as Mr. Tofu, a sentient block of tofu that conceals the player’s body, with an option to hide the hands as well. Hopefully, this serves as a reasonable compromise,” the development team shared on the Steam Discussion Board.

Interestingly, the original poster of the complaint ended up loving the addition of Mr. Tofu. Pryjmachuk emphasized that this change wasn’t made out of spite. “While I may not have any interest in self-inserting in the games I play, who am I to dictate how someone else enjoys their media?”