We're just a couple weeks from the stateside release of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Square Enix's quirky new title that combines RPG elements with rhythm gameplay. I recently had the chance to sit down with the game's producer, Ichiro Hazama, and pick his brain about the making of Theatrhythm, and how such a unique project came about in the first place. Here's what he had to say...
IGN: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy is a rather unique rhythm/RPG hybrid. Exactly how did the idea for this game come about?
IH: So as you know, Final Fantasy is an RPG. But from the very beginning Final Fantasy has had a reputation for coming with great music. As you also know, the Final Fantasy series is celebrating its 25th anniversary. We already have 14 titles to showcase the whole of their music. Whenever you look back on the moments that you played the games, you always associate certain scenes with certain music. We thought that music has a real appeal that way, to Final Fantasy fans. That was the original thought that led us to develop the game.
IGN: Why did you choose the 3DS as your platform? Was it the touch screen, the portability? What about the hardware appealed to you?
IH: Of course, both of the aspects that you mentioned are part of the key elements. But also, compared to the DS, it has a much greater capacity, and it has a great sound system. To combine the sound and the visuals, we thought that this would be a great platform to work on.
IGN: Was it difficult to incorporate RPG elements - like leveling up, boss fights, items, things like that - into a rhythm game?
IH: Of course, it wasn't easy. But when you look at Final Fantasy fans, they're not necessarily big rhythm game fans. So to satisfy them and amuse them, you do have to have some RPG elements. They might be better at using abilities or items to clear the games easily. And then they might be able to enjoy a music game that much more. That was our idea.
IH: When you look at the Battle Music Stages and Field Music Stages, you see a distinctive difference in the music. Battle music is uptempo, it has a really fast pace, and field music stages have slower music. And when you look at Final Fantasy games, both styles exist. When you look at rhythm games, most of them just have the simpler, faster music. But you can't do that with a Final Fantasy game, to satisfy fans of the series. That's why we separated those two.
In terms of event music stages, it just recalls people's memories from the games. It's a little bit different concept from the other stages. Battle music stages are very similar to a traditional rhythm game. The field stage is to make players feel more comfortable just enjoying the music. And event music stages are to make players feel like they're the conductors of the actual music.
IGN: So that’s why you move your stylus around like that during those segments, almost like a conductor’s baton.
IH: That's exactly right, that's what we wanted to do.
IGN: Final Fantasy obviously has a vast catalog of amazing music. So how did you choose which songs to include, and which to maybe save for downloadable content?
IH: We tried not to choose on our own, on the developers' side. But when I worked on a previous game, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy [Dissidia Duodecim], we conducted a survey of fans who played that game, and then we collected the results. Those were actually incorporated into the game.
IGN: The chibi depictions of Final Fantasy characters in Theatrhythm are adorable. So what’s the story behind this? Why was the decision made to go this route instead of opting for a more realistic art style, or just using the different sprites and character models from the games themselves?
IH: As you know, if you tried to use the original character art, you’d see such a variety of art styles, from simple pixel images to beautiful CG images. So it was difficult to put those all together in one game. But in Japan, when we were developing this game, there was another game, a mobile Kingdom Hearts game, which had something called the Avatar Kingdom. In that game, some Final Fantasy characters appeared as chibi characters. I thought it was really cute, so I proposed the idea of using it in Theatrhythm to Tetsuya Nomura. Nomura approved, and so that's how we came to it. I'm very glad to hear that you thought they were cute, because whenever we propose those chibi types of characters to an American audience, they tend to see that as part of a game that's aimed toward little children.
IGN: Is that so?
IH: Yes. That's why I'm glad to hear that someone like you agrees that they're cute.
IGN: Trust me, they're adorable. Especially chibi Squall.
IH: (laughs)
IH: First of all, they'll be surprised to see the combination of RPG aspects in a rhythm game. But also, we want the players to feel a fresh excitement about the combination of music and movies. We think it will give them a new, refreshed kind of excitement. And also let them feel like they can remember old times playing these games, and feel like playing those games again, because those were so much fun. In that sense, this might be a little bit of an old-school type of gameplay, something that stimulates players' imaginations. That's what we hope players will get out of this game.
IGN: What about this game do you think will appeal especially to hardcore Final Fantasy fans?
IH: We would want the serious Final Fantasy fans to remember their history, remember the history of the games and the series, and enjoy the music in this game. Also, in addition, this is the 25th anniversary, and some players may not be familiar with certain titles, even though they're fans of others. So this game may lead them to feel like they want to play the games that they've never played, because the music sounds so amazing.
IGN: Do you feel this is a game that even people who haven't played Final Fantasy before would still be able to enjoy? And if so, what about the title do you think is universally appealing?
IH: Yes, I do think people who never played them can enjoy it. It might be difficult for them to actually pick it up and start the game, they might need a chance to get to know Final Fantasy. It could work if, say, their friends knew about it, or they borrowed it from someone, like an older brother. But if that gives them a chance to get to know the games and get to know the music, that would be great. As long as players play it and feel it, I think they'll love it.
Source : ign[dot]com
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