During our time spent on the exclusive preview of tri-Ace's spectacular-looking upcoming RPG, Infinite Undiscovery, we had a chance to chat with the game's (and studio) director, Hiroshi Ogawa. He's got some big ideas and a distinct philosophy behind this studio's approach to making RPGs. Plus, he's just a super nice guy. Read on...

--

Us: In your own words, what’s the story of Infinite Undiscovery?

Ogawa: The tangle of emotions that surface in war… The countless forms of “justice” on proud display… Infinite Undiscovery is a tale that records the growth of a hero, who, burdened with a battle-filled journey, is faced with the harsh reality that a difference in rank denotes a difference in opinion. He must ultimately make a decision on what it is that must be accomplished.



Us: What is it about the story that you felt needed to be told in videogame-form?

Ogawa: This is somewhat of a cliché, but I feel that an “engaging narrative” is one of the key elements of an RPG. Players are placed in the protagonist’s shoes and can experience the story first-hand – this is what sets games apart from movies or novels – games can express the pieces of a story that lie outside of the main plot. What is left “between the lines” in novels is made explicit in RPGs to fulfill a player’s experience. This is the main reason why Infinite Undiscovery is being told in videogame-form.

Us: Which of the characters do you like the most and why?

Ogawa: I feel guilty for admitting this, but my favorite is neither Capel nor Aya. Although yet to be revealed, I would have to say that my favorite is a certain young character of high social standing. This character wields a weapon that Japanese audiences are very familiar with, and I am personally very fond of the unconditional stubbornness with which the character stands by his/her morals.

Us: How does the team come up with characters in any of tri-Ace’s various RPGs?

Ogawa: Generally the team starts with a backbone and works to flesh it out. Story and game-related aspects are the bulk of what goes into creating the foundation, but in the end we always end up fine-tuning a character according to our personal preferences. 

Us: tri-Ace RPGs are known for incorporating unique combat engines – is Infinite Undiscovery following the same pattern? What is the most important aspect of combat that you expect RPG fans to really get excited over? Can you tell us how the team came up with the idea behind the combat system?

Ogawa: The pursuit of a real-time battle experience is definitely a core aspect.  We based development on ideas that surfaced through past projects, and have placed greater emphasis on enemy-ally relations (taking into consideration the number of enemies, their strength or an ally’s situation). I think that RPG fans enjoy the element of balance-control, wherein they can affect a character’s relationship to its enemies through leveling or by customizing equipment.  Players are able to alter the level balance according to their personal play style (and this in turn generates replay value), which is definitely an aspect of RPGs that differentiates it from action-based games.

In devising the battle system, while there have been various methodologies implemented for different titles, we always create a “focal point” of what we want the players to experience. For our past titles, we have always been consciously creating games in which simple commands enable exhilarating gameplay, on top of which players can enjoy the strategic progression inherent to video games.



Us: This is the first RPG that tri-Ace has made for any of the new systems – what do you think has changed from the last generation of system to this new one in terms of gaming, gamers and how RPGs are perceived?

Ogawa: RPGs are often seen as very complicated games that take an extended amount of time to complete. The time that people spend playing games has shifted over the years, and I feel that moving forward it will be increasingly difficult for players to embrace complicated gaming elements. However, I also feel that “depth” is something that cannot be removed from an RPG. With this in mind, one possible direction that RPGs can head toward in the future would be a form in which “simplicity” or “clarity” and “depth” coexist.

Us: So, what do you think is next for console role-playing games? Like, have you had a chance to check out either Oblivion or Mass Effect? What do you think of the different directions both games took from the more classic style of Japanese-developed RPGs?

Ogawa: This is a tough question. These days, fitting games into a specific genre is not a simple task, and RPGs are no exception. However, as mentioned already, I strongly believe that “depth” is a necessary element of the RPG genre. Call it “depth” or a “sense of scope,” but I am sure this is an element that will always be reflected in both the system and scenario of RPGs.

Oblivion and Mass Effect are both very intriguing titles. As a game and product, I think that it is a successful materialization of its underlying concept, and the content is highly concentrated – not in the sense of volume, but direction-wise – making for a very complete and polished finish.

In terms of direction, I don’t feel that there is that great of a gap between these titles and traditional Japanese RPGs – not to say that there are no differences at all. A difference in taste is definitely reflected in aspects such as gameplay-to-cut scene ratio, the playable points and the art style, but I think that those things all pertain to a title’s flavor and are not necessarily dependent on the country or genre within which it is developed. The main difference I see is how focused these games are in terms of development, highly concentrated towards a specific target. I think we have a tendency to get greedy when creating RPGs, and end up taking on more than we bargained for. (laughs)



Us: Infinite Undiscovery aside – what tri-Ace game is your favorite? What RPGs, outside of tri-Ace’s, did you really like?

Ogawa: Star Ocean 4 [tri-Ace’s upcoming RPG*] is my number one recommendation (laughs).

All jokes aside, it’s hard for me to draw on a specific example from our own company, but if I had to choose it would be Valkyrie Profile. In many ways I think we took on a lot of experimental endeavors with this title. There were some rough edges to the final product, but it is definitely one of the most memorable.

Outside of tri-Ace – this one is quite dated – but I’d have to say Xanadu, by Nihon Falcom. It was highly strategic, and had a certain atmosphere about it.

Us: Do you believe that emotion is the most important element in any RPG? What is the one driving emotion that you hope gamers come away from playing Infinite Undiscovery with?

Ogawa: In a broad sense, I think that “emotion” is definitely the most important element. In regards to Infinite Undiscovery, at the risk of sounding unoriginal, we are hoping that users find it “fun” above all else.

Us: Thank you so much for your time!
Ogawa: お時間ありがとうございました

--

[*Edit Note: The destination platform for Star Ocean 4 has not been determined or announced yet. In our first run for this interview, we mistakenly referred to the game as an "upcoming PS3 RPG." It has yet to be announced or confirmed as specific to any platform. Sorry for the confusion! Our bad!]