All characters are female. The story is about motherhood and gameplay revolves around the player character and her daughter.
According to Art Director, David Fernández Huerta, the inspiration for Level 1 of The Archipelago was Drag Queen Kim Chi:
As previously mentioned by Aerctaure, [“has a bonus level featuring pro-environmentalist messaging sponsored by an anti-deforestation charity”] The Lost Forest level was added as part of a contribution to Playing for the Planet’s Green Game Jam 2021: