Quick and dirty translation of the dengeki interview.
-- This is a large scale location test being held in private on a single floor, but do you have plans to test outside of Tokyo?
Ishiwatari: We want to test in multiple locations, but they might not reach this scale. This time, as it was the latest in the series after a long time, and the first location test, and because a lot of people are already in the Tokyo area due to Comiket, we were able to make it really big.
Pachi: This time, everything just came together. We're holding the test in the Sega Akihabara Building, which is like a Guilty Gear holy land, and we got private access to an entire floor, so it's huge. Of course, even the fans outside of Tokyo, such as those in Osaka, want to test the game, so we'll work on organizing something for them.
-- Instead of 2D pixel art, you're using 3DCG models this time around. Can you tell us about that decision?
Ishiwatari: After making fighting games that are 2D at heart for ten years, we thought about what the future should hold, and this was what we came up with. With Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, our company has presented the appeal of 2D, and fans have supported the appealing 2D pixel art. But we wondered what its peak would be -- if we're doing 2D in an era of 4K resolutions, can you even really consider that pixel art anymore? This is just my opinion, but when we can incorporate 3D like this and move forward while staying true to what makes it fun as a 2D game, that's the type of 3D production we wanted to introduce.
-- Does the 3D processing affect the gameplay in any way?
Ishiwatari: When it comes to 3D gameplay, we haven't done anything daring yet. When you've got a 2D fighting game, everything's really digital. I think of 3D as having analog elements, so we haven't incorporated anything involving a 3D plane. On the other hand, on the production side, we still have to do things that show off the 3D.
-- When your characters are made using 3D models, it must become easier to dress them up, like to change accessories, don't you think?
Ishiwatari: Compared to 2D it definitely has some advantages that make things like that a lot easier to realize in 3D. However, well, I think a lot of the time it's only somewhat easier to do, relatively... you still need to do fine tuning by hand. (Laughs)
-- Can we expect some more information in the future?
Ishiwatari: I can't say anything right now. I think we're going to keep our secrets for the time being, so you'll have to just imagine for now. (Laughs)
-- Why did you choose seven characters for this location test?
Ishiwatari: It was the order they were finished in. (Laughs) Honestly, part of it is that we wanted to have a good variety available for people to choose from today.
-- Are you trying to balance characters that are easy to control and others that are for experts?
Ishiwatari: We want to reduce the gap between beginners and veterans, and we also want players to be able to choose their favorite characters.
Secret Behind the Evolution of the Roman Cancel:
--When you play, you get the feeling that it's not exactly simpler than before, but it's easier to play. Was that an intentional game design?
Ishiwatari: That's part of it. I think the convention is to introduce more and more new systems with each iteration, making it more difficult for new players to start, and I guess to an extent it becomes too difficult. Although there are definitely good reasons for keeping everything in a game the same, we wanted to make it feel new again. I want to be able to play with a new generation of gamers, so that was the intent behind the revisions.
However, we have a strong understanding of the older generation that have been around up until now. We wanted these people to also experience something fresh and new, so we decided to evolve the Roman Cancel. That way everyone can feel like there's something new they've never experienced before while playing.
Rather than adding more and more new elements, the idea was to improve something we already had.
--So the Roman Cancel has evolved. Please tell us some of the finer points.
Ishiwatari: Well, I can only talk about a small part of the system for now, but you can now Roman Cancel in pretty much any situation. To avoid problems with balance it uses NG points (?), but you can basically use Roman Cancel whenever you want. Then, depending on the situation, the color of the effect will change.
Pachi: For example, when you watch someone play, if they Roman Cancel out of a projectile attack, or if they Roman Cancel after an attack hits, the color will be different.
Ishiwatari: There are different properties depending on the colors, but I can't really talk about that yet. Suffice it to say, they'll become important.
--Are the familiar Instant Kills going to be included?
Ishiwatari: We didn't finish them in time for this location test, but they'll be implemented by the time we have an official launch.
--Pachi, you've worked on both the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series, but do you feel like they have a different development process?
Pachi: They're definitely different, and Mori and Ishiwatari, who are the directors and creators for BlazBlue and Guilty Gear, have different ideas and ways of thinking. Like, when using powerful attacks, the start up time is different in Guilty Gear. When it comes to the flow and quality of gameplay, there are a lot of unwritten rules, and whether they're talked about or not, you need to keep them in mind, even when developing new systems.
--Where did you come up with the "Xrd" title?
Ishiwatari: Well, I made "X (Zex)", and I also made "2", and I wanted to show that this title is a descendant of both of them. Since this time the gameplay system is part of the "X (Zex)" lineage, and it's the "3rd (third)" in that series, I came up with the word "Xrd (Igzird)".
--When does this story occur in the timeline?
Ishiwatari: The stories for the games aren't parallel worlds or anything, basically all of the stories that have happened in this world are connected. Xrd takes place after the home console game, Guilty Gear 2.
--So is Sin, who appeared in Guilty Gear 2, going to show up in this?
Ishiwatari: Well... we're still in the early stages of location testing, so... no comment. (Laughs)
-- This may be hasty, but have you started developing for a home console yet?
Ishiwatari: Hmm. Well, I wouldn't dare say "no!" but there's really not anything I can say about that. (Laughs)
-- The flow of new arcade games has decreased in recent years, but do you think that releasing new titles like this will boost the the arcade game industry?
Extremely long responses from both Ishiwatari and Pachi about the atmosphere of arcades, meeting friends, and the importance of making not just games but fostering the communities that play them.
