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Author of the interview: 九月
Translator: Hansuke
Editor: Lanju/Ranza
In early August, Clouded Leopard Entertainment invited the news media to Tokyo to try out Falcom's new game "Ys X: Nordics", which will be released on September 28th. To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the series, "Ys X" no longer adopts the "Three Main Attack Attributes" combat system of previous works, but a new gameplay centered on "Cross Action" to fit the meaning of "Ys X".
After the short demo, Falcom's current president, Mr. Kondo, was interviewed by the Chinese Media. Although Mr. Kondo has often appeared on the pages of "Famitsu" magazine, it has been a long time since we have seen him in person since the epidemic. We took this rare opportunity to ask a lot of questions about Ys X and other Falcom titles. The interview lasted for two hours, and the reporters asked questions from a variety of perspectives, making it a great experience for us and delight to meet the president of Falcom.
The following is a compilation of the content of this interview. Considering that the interview is nearly 6,000 words long, which it has been categorized by the type of questions asked to make it easier to read.
Introduction:
Q: This is the first time that a Chinese version of a canonical title in the Ys series has been released simultaneously, and the first time that it has been released being cross-platform, how was this achieved? Were there any difficult challenges in its development process?
A: At the beginning of the project, we hoped that Ys X could be released on multiple platforms simultaneously, and at that time, we also considered the Switch. This decision also had an indirect impact on the development process. According to Falcom's release schedules, it suppose to be within September, scripts are usually completed around the end of last year or the beginning of this year, but this time, in order to get a simultaneous release of the game, I was asked by the development team to write the entire script and finished it which I turned it in last October. Due to finished Ys X script early, it also allowed Clouded Leopard to start localizing the game as soon as possible, which is why a Chinese version by CLE is able to be involved in its simultaneous release. The most diffcult thing to think about is that I was prepared for a delay if needed, but I didn't expect everything to go so smoothly, which it's the first time in my professional career that everything has gone without any problems.
(Translator Note: Ys X script is submitted by Kondo and have to go through a editing process through the development team/script writers before being finalized. After that, Falcom give the script to publisher like CLE to be worked on its localization in early stages of development at least within 70% completion of its game development. CLE received the finished script since February-March timeframe this year. )
Q: During the development process, were there any specific optimizations for different platforms? What are the different features of each platform?
A: Different platforms do have performance differences, and we've been working as hard as we can on the development. PS5's graphics and quality are of course the best, and the frame rate is very stable, and the material is capable of 4K or even potentially 8K in some areas, so players will be able to notice those differences after the release of the game.
Q: Has Falcom's new engine been optimized specifically for Ys X?
A: There are a lot of tweaks to the in-house engine. The new engine was originally designed for Kuro No Kiseki, and we developed a new shader that is specifically design for the development of Ys X. This is because using the same shader would have resulted in the graphics of the two titles being too similar to one another. Considering the adventure and its main stage for Ys X involves with the sea, we put a lot of effort into its representation.
Q: I noticed in the promo that Adol has those speaking moments, will his lines become more frequent in this game?
A: Adol has about the same amount of lines in this game as in the previous Ys games. The reason why it looks like he has more to say is because the promo cuts out the the main highlights of the game, so it looks like he speaks up more, but the amount of lines doesn't really change. Considering that the players is being immersed of the adventure as Adol, they don't want too much of speeches that may break the player's sense of immersion within the story. After all, this is still a main title in the series, so I hope that it will continue to showcase of its existing elements. In fact, Adol's voice actor, Mr. Yuki Kaji, has often complained that he has only a few lines that he can't tell where the plot is actually heading towards.
Q: Toi8 has been chosen to be the illustator for these cast of characters that are new to the Ys series, and his style of drawing is different from the previous immerisons of "Ys", which is very eye-popping. Why did you choose toi8 as your illustrator? Is there any story you can share about this collaboration?
A: Since the timeline is a young Adol and the main characters are teenagers at a similar age, we wanted to make the young characters as attractive, and his illustrations gives us that similar vibe. Sadly I can't think of a interesting story about this collaboration at this time, but he often gives the artwork at a exact deadline, which often makes us a little nervous (laughs).
[Story Setting]
Q: The timeline of this game is set after Ys I&II, which is a fairly early part of Adol's adventures, why did you choose this specific period? Will the younger Adol change much from previous works?
A: Fans of the Ys series are roughly divided into two groups, some veterans who played all the way through from Ys I&II, and a lot of newcomers who got into the series with Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana. When we were working on Ys X, we thought about how to make both groups of players have the best experience. On the other hand, given that Switch player are mostly relatively young, we also wanted to set the protagonist at a similar age to appeal to young individuals. Of course, as the 10th installment of this series, we also had some back-to-the-basics considerations. Compared to previous installments, Adol is probably more of a free-spirited adventurer, mostly meeting and separating from his companions, and rarely getting to know his peers better. This time, however, Adol is surrounded by female and male characters who are in a similar age as him.
Q: Will the plot fill in the gaps of the previous setting or start a new chapter again?
A: We're mainly looking to fill in the gaps that have already been set up. If you are familiar with the series, you know that the worldview of "Ys" is actually based on the reality of Europe, for example, the Romun Empire corresponds to the realism of Rome. The setting of this game, Karnack, is also the territory of the Romun Empire, but it is ruled by the Normans, a region similar to Denmark and Scandinavia, which is a bit of an imperial frontier. Perhaps there will be more stories about the Normans in subsequent works, but of course it's not confirmed as of yet, it's just a temporary idea.
A:The only reappearing characters in the game will be Dogi and Dr. Flair. There will be some familiar mechanics that veterans will recognize, such as Lila's Shell -- something I've had seen previously before I was even hired at Falcom. And who is this Lila? There will be a filler of the topic in this game. Dr. Flair is a character from the Lance Village in the Ys series, so there may be some names that veterans may recognize that will pop up in the dialogues.
Q: Ys X is the story of Adol in his teenage years, so how do you make sure that this one stands out from the rest and connects to previous works?
A: Actually, we deliberately didn't emphasize the so-called "continuity"; Falcom now has two major series under its belt. The Legend of Heroes: Kiseki series is the one that requires players to know the past arcs in order to enjoy and understand it better, whereas Ys is an action RPG that can be played independently from each other, and the story will be finished in one unique story, so we made this game according to the past works and trends within. Veteran players may find those easter eggs while enjoying its uniqueness of the game more, while newer players will probably wants to know what's up with this Dogi person, etc which that's probably how they are going to feel about them.
Q: The plot of Ys VIII was well received, how do you think the story of Ys X will fared in comparison?
A: Actually, when I was working on Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana. I didn't anticipate what kind of reviews that the players would give me because the story had been pushed around in my mind for so long that I didn't have a initial concept of it myself, and this time around it's pretty much in the similar situation for Ys X as well. Some employees in the company have already gotten it through, some will explicitly say that the story is ok, others have not commented, or having both of these kinds of comments been made.
Q: What "VIII" and "IX" have provided and the lessons were put into account during the development of "Ys X"? Does the new title also have a Romun Empire-related storyline?
A: All of the past games in the Ys series have been about doing 'things that haven't been done before', such as the exploration of three-dimensional space in Ys IX. The Cross Action battle system in the new game is a completely new game design, and being the core element of this game. In terms of plot, we wanted to depict exotic cultures that were not dominated by the Romun Empire, so we focused more on the Normans.
Q: The stage of this game clearly shows references to Old Norse, why did you adopt such a setting? Is there any connection between the real Norse mythology and this work?
A: It's true that the theme makes reference to the Norse style, but the script is original content. Although the worldview of "Ys" is based on the realistic of Europe, there are still a lot of different expressions of it. Players who know Norse mythology might guess which character corresponds to which deity, and there are also some references to the history of Vikings, so players with relevant knowledge should find some of these clues.
Q: The female protagonist "Karja" is a pirate princess, which is not quite the same style as previous interpretations of past female protagonists, was this influenced by the "Maturity of the Kiseki series script"? Does the overall atmosphere of the new work tend to be light-hearted, or is it a more serious style?
A: There is no so-called "Maturity" of the plot. Basically, it's a story about these teenagers growing up and working together, with the main point being of the rebuilding process of the town. At the end of the adventure, there will be a grand-scale test, and the protagonists will look at it from the perspective of a teenager, so it's not all happy, due to there are serious moments being shown as well. Overall it's a cheerful and lively story.
Q: What is unique of the big whale often seen in the promo and main art visual?
A: It's a unique whale that has a lot to do with the plot, so if you do all the side stories, you'll get the full picture of the whale's story.
[Naval Warfare Section]
Q: What was the inspiration for using the "Nautical" theme as the main element?
A: So far, the series has been mainly based adventuring on land, but Falcom has always wanted to have a sea adventure story, but we didn't do it before because the ships and other related systems require a lot of cost and labor. At the beginning of the project, when the team was discussing whether or not to do a "nautical" theme, most of the core members said "I want to take on a challenge," and we all agreed, so we started working on it. Another reason was that when I first joined Falcom, there was my predecessor who originally works at my work station at the time had left behind a lot of materials, including a piece of paper with a drawing of a human character and a note that read "Ys of the sea", and this material made a deep impression on me. The five dragons in "Ys VII" actually refer to as deities acting as ships going at it, and I really like that. Ys X is the work to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Ys series, and I have enough financial and experience to finally realize this project of mine that I had in the back of mind years ago.
Q: What is the meaning behind the seafaring and land-based components? Are the naval battles a necessary part of the flow in the main story, or are they just side quests?
A: The ratio between land and sea really depends on the player's style of play. Most of the sea activities are free exploration, while the main storyline is land-based. If a player wants to explore all the elements of the game, seafaring will take up about 40% of the time; if the player focuses on the main storyline, he will spend about 70% of his time on land.
Q: There seem to be a lot of ship-related systems of information available, but is the ship that Adol sails can lead to something very dangerous? (Note: In the series, there is often "Adol suffers an unfortunate shipwreck and starts an adventure in a new continent")
A: (President laughs) Because this takes place after the adventure of Ys II, Adol hasn't suffered too many shipwrecks at that time, so overall it's pretty safe. Although there won't be a sequence where you're rescued by a woman, there are other sequences, such as passing out and waking up to find that you've been taken to another place, and so on. Another thing that can be revealed is that the origin of the title "Dogi the Wallcrusher" will also be shown in this game.
[Related-systems]
Q: The Ys series has recreated the battle system almost every few integrations in the series. Compared to Ys IX, what is the reason for creating 'Cross action' in the 10th installment?
A: We've been using a battle system like switching characters and three main attack attribute since VII. Although it's simple and easy to understand, after so many installments, it feels like it's almost the end of the line and needed a change. In a few of those games, we would prepare 6~8 party members, but some of those usable characters we added later on in game would most likely be underutilized in terms of usage, so we thought that instead of making a large number of playable characters that wouldn't be operated or being underutilized in the long run, we should focus our development resources on letting players become more familiar with the existing cast of characters, and thus we adopted this such of a design.
Q: What was the inspiration for the new "Mana Moves"? Aside from the three announced abilities, are there more unannounced varieties? Will there be specific mini-games that utilize Mana moves to play?
A: The main inspiration for this system came from Ys I&II, as did the setting where new items are used to advance through subsequent levels. Some of the moves that have been made public will have stronger versions in the second half of the game, as well as some that have not been made to the public at this time, such as special visions that allow you to spot objects that you would not normally see, and so on. There are no minigames in the game in a traditional sense, but there are a few segments that require the use of Mana moves that gives off that racing-like behavior.
Q: Were there any difficulties encountered during the development of Combination Mode and Cross-Action? Any information you can share about the timing of using each of the two?
A: I think the biggest challenge was how to handle the maneuvers. In the initial version, we designed a very complicated set of operations, which went against the original intention of the series of "easy to get started", and easily made the player's hands feel overly complicated, and then we tested a lot of those mechanics through the "Combination mode". It is generally recommended to use solo mode when exploring the wilderness and fighting small monsters, and use the series' previous fighting style to fight, and use "Combination Mode" when encountering strong enemies and boss battles. This is the general approach, but later in the game, after customizing the character, players can also choose their own preferred fighting style.
Q: Was it your intention to have two separate modes: solo and combination mode?
A: It is indeed intentional. Initially, the operation of the combination mode was designed to be more complicated, and subsequent adjustments were made to simplify it to have in its current state. In the beginning, it was actually a separate button to switch between solo and duo mode, but now it's been changed to holding R2, which takes into account of using the guard function, just like before (holding R2 is to defend).
Q: Are Adol and Karja the only playable characters available in this game? Have you considered adding more characters via DLC?
A: It's true that there are only two playable characters in this game, and there are no plans to add new characters via DLC. I believe that after playing the game, you will realize that even with only two characters, there is a lot of unique gameplay in this game.
Q: Is the "Combination Mode" a way to take care of new players by eliminating the attack attribute? Will the "Slash, Hit, and Shoot" system be completely abandoned in this game and in future games?
A: We haven't decided anything on the future or the long-term yet, and it depends on players' evaluation of the combination mode system. I'm sure many players are already used to the three attribute system, but we promise that the combination-mode and its unique system is a richer way to play.
Q: Is it intentional that boss battles are particularly difficult to fight in solo mode and very easy in combination mode?
A: The bosses you encounter in the demo are designed that way on purpose. There will be a few Adol-only scenarios in the game, and you'll realize how much easier it is to use the combination mode.
Q: Besides the two characters that can be operated, is there any kind of a support system?
A: It's true that they are the only two characters that can be operated in battle, and the other characters are supported in a buff-like behavior.
Q: Are there any special rewards for playing the highest difficulty? What are the obvious differences between the different difficulty levels?
A: There are rewards for playing on the highest difficulty. In addition to the ability parameters, some bosses will attack more often(aggressive behavior) and so on. During development, we've adjusted the Normal difficulty to be slightly easier because the new system takes time to get used to, so if you're not confident in your skills, you can consider choosing Normal or on easier difficulty. In addition, the game also has an automatic jump that provides assistance in jumping, so you can turn it on at any time if you need to.
Q: How long does it take to get through Ys X? What is the difference between the The Scroll of Hugill sub-story and the main story?
A: It took me 40 hours to get through the entire story on my third playthrough with all the game's content played. Normally it's about 50 hours for a average player. The Raven is a companion that goes along with Adol on his adventure, and in addition to the Raven sub-story there will be some interludes that will have exclusive plot quests.
[Other content]
Q: Falcom has occasionally 'remastered' some of its older titles in the past two years, such as Tokyo Xanadu eX+ and Nayuta No Kiseki Ad Astra. I wonder if there are any plans to remaster the Zwei: The Arges Adventure, which already has a PSP version? Will there be a PS version of the Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana?
A: Because there are a lot of new players who haven't played the older games, that's why Tokyo Xanadu eX+ and Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana was released for the Switch. There are a lot of older, past games that are not available on the current platforms, and I feel really bad that is not on current platforms, and I hope that there will be a chance to bring those games to the newer players, but I don't have any plans to disclose any info at this time.
Q: Is there any chance of a remake of Ys V?
A: Actually, every time we discuss the development of a new game internally, someone will ask if we want to work on "Ys V", but when I ask if we want to work on a new game or do a remake, most of my colleagues will say, "It's better to work on a new game". Ys V is a game I played at the time when I was a student at a university , and the script and its systems are very different and unique compared to games today. A remake would require significant changes, and the cost and labor would probably be more than just making it as a new game, which would still be challenging from the company's perspective. Personally, I hope I can accomplish this goal before I retire...
Q: What are your remarks you like to express to the Chinese audience?
A: In "Ys VII", we used the party-based combat and attack attributes system, and the innovations that are made in "Ys X" this time around involved a great deal of cost and team effort, and the team was a bit uneasy internally, not knowing what kind of feedback the player base would give to them. However, after the development of the game was completed, we felt that the new combat system is still very unqiue and interesting, and we hope that you will support it.
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