During Tokyo Game Show last month, Nippon Ichi Software America hosted a meeting with some of the developers/producers of their games for those who were attending the show. Obviously I wasn’t able to go, however NISA remedied that by allowing those who couldn’t go to send in interview questions for them to answer. The questions that I submitted have finally came back and I would like to share them with you all. The first one is with Caligula Effect producer Takuya Yamanaka. Please enjoy.
Mike V: First off, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a couple of question. So let’s just get right into it with the first question:
How has your psychology degree help you in creating the story for The Caligula Effect?
Takuya Yamanaka: Studying psychology, I had a lot of interest in human problems that are unique to each person. I wanted to make a game that would allow the player to step into other people’s barriers and dive into their sensitive problems. This game would have never been made unless I studied psychology. The goal was taking sensitive issues that surround our society in Japan and incorporate them into the game.
MV: Why base a game around the caligula effect?
TY: When I design a game, I like to consider how players interact with the game, thus I wanted people to experience the feel of guild when doing something that is now allowed when playing this game. My first title proposal was “Caligula Effect” which got told that people may not understand the title, so from there we tried to come up with others but this title fit the theme perfectly I couldn’t think of anything else other than the “Caligula Effect.”
MV: Are there any differences between last year’s The Caligula Effect and next year’s remake, Overdose?
TY: In Overdose the main character can betray his/her team to join the composer side. There also are more characters and composers that were added to the game. Overdose also has two main characters which you can choose either a male or female main protagonist. Compared to PS4 the UI has been completely remade so none of the old PS Vita UI can be seen. We also made the game engine use Unreal, and so the game had to be remade for the current engine.
MV: You helped write the story for the anime version of the game. Was there any difference between writing a story for a game and writing a story for an anime?
TY: Anime scenario writing was very difficult, for anime there is the possibility for the series to be discontinued if there are not enough viewers. But for the game once you purchase the game you can complete from start to finish. So, for the anime scenario for each episode I need to add tension that will lead people wanting to watch the next episode. Since Caligula Effect has a very difficult story line that and psychological elements that usually draws out long, it was very hard to complete and express the messages in 30 minutes.
MV: It was mentioned that you are working on a new title called WORK×WORK. Can you give us any details about it?
TY: WORK x WORK, is an RPG that is made with a whole new team with the people who made the “Mother” series. The theme of this game is to “work.” Unlike Caligula Effect the game is very upbeat and pop so people can easily enjoy it, and the pixel art was made by Imagawa-san. Both Caligula Effect and WORK x WORK have themes that are very immediate to people. I hope that people can take something away from the games as the themes hit an area that is close to people and society.
MV: What are your thoughts on developing for the Nintendo Switch?
TY: For Furyu and myself this is the first time we work on a Nintendo platform. When I picked up the Switch I myself felt that the console was very solid from the beginning. Perfect for WORK x WORK, which I wanted people to pick up the game leisurely and play when they had some free time.
MV: Sony announced a few months back that they will stop production of Vita games for the West next year. With the system being most well known in the West as the best place to experience JRPGs, do you think you will continue to develop for the system or move on?
TY: Even internally at Furyu we have moved onto PS4 and Switch development. We will keep challenging to deliver the best games on PS4 and Switch consoles. We feel that this change in the hardware is a chance for us to further develop our company.
MV: What’s next for you going forward? Any new surprises in store for fans?
TY: Furyu as a company usually does not make sequels to games, but with Caligula Effect we would like to reach out to as many fans, and hopefully be able to deliver the next game. For the US and EU this is the first time that we create a Limited edition and hope that people will be surprised by its contents.
I would like to say thank you to Takuya Yamanaka-san for taking time out to answer these questions. It has been a great privilege to be able to do this. I would also like to thank Travis Shrodes for setting up the interview.
