Q&A with Gal Mamalya - creator of Mitoza 🌱

We, over at Second Maze, have had an amazing time working with the fascinating Gal Mamalya to revive the incredible experience that is his adventure Mitoza! We're all very excited about the upcoming re-release on March 5th, and we thought you'd like some behind the scenes from the man responsible for it all! So without any further ado, make yourself comfortable and enjoy us picking Gal's brain about Mitoza:

Where does the name Mitoza originate from? “Mitoza” is mitosis in Hebrew. I was looking for a name that would express a situation where one element splits into two, and each part continues on its journey just to split again. It also worked out with the concept of the life cycle.

The name that disqualified at the last minute was Ouroboros, I liked Mitoza better because it sounds Japanese (^^)

What is Mitoza about?

It's not a game actually. For a game to take place, two conditions need to exist - a goal and an obstacle, and both are missing here. Mitoza is a toy, an interactive show that gives the player a false sense of control. The best way to enjoy it is to play as it was created - Do not think, choose the first thing that comes to mind, and do not regret it.

Did you create Mitoza with a concept in mind or by following a specific storyboard?

The game never had a story-board. It was created in real-time and invented on the spot. At each stage, I opened my mind and chose the farthest thing the situation had thrown me within my personal life. For example, my favourite food is “Sabich”, based on eggplant and eggs, which is why the eggplant is visiting the egg. Why is it planting it in the ground? That is an egg-plant. that simple. The carnivorous plant is Rex, the pet plant I grew as a kid. The rabbit is Navnav, a rabbit I adopted after she broke a leg (hence the ball), and so on. I still do not know how the elephant got in there, and it wasn’t a smart idea to give him food because he stayed.

What inspired you to create Mitoza?

I love taking ordinary objects and give them meaningless life-routines or goofy behaviours. Always been fascinated by other artists who did the same and create their own personal twisted world, like cyriak, Monty Python and Jan Svankmajer. And of course, some odd tv shows from my childhood like Ren and Stimpy or Happy Tree Friends.

Is there a deeper meaning behind Mitoza? Sorry if this is disappointing, but there is no narrative or a hidden message. It's an intimate improvisation.

Favourite games from 80/90?

As a kid, I loved point-and-click games like Goblins, Neverhood or Simon the Sorcerer. Also been a strategy geek, and spent my school night on Heroes of Might and Magic & Warcraft. But my all-time favourite game is Tetris.

What have you been up to in the years following the initial Mitoza release?

10 years ago I created games for brands like Coca-Cola, Nestle, Mazda, Unilever Etc. In many cases, I did everything - art, animation, code and sound design. It was satisfying but really exhausting. Mitoza was a personal project, and sadly the last one. Since then I moved into UI design and now working as an art director at an advertising agency.

Over the years I fell in love with Japan, I’m learning the language and food culture, writing a food