Eine deutsche Fassung dieses Interviews befindet sich hier.

Although Blue Dragon, the first game of Hironobu Sakaguchis Company is already on sale for a couple of weeks, we talked to the legedary games-developer and asked him a few short questions which he answered.

Thomas Nickel: Blue Dragon feels in many places like a true labor of love. The game seems to be designed to avoid any sort of frustration from the player. How did you approach these aspects? What did you want to avoid?

Hironobu Sakaguchi: The biggest objective was to create the ultimate Akira Toriyama-world in an HD environment. As you can see by reading Doctor Slump or Dragon Ball, his vision is very playful and induces a sense of excitement. The desire to translate that vision into something tangible and interactive was the main impetus behind the game.
In regards to the game-play system, we wanted to create something that is easy to delve into, while also being a game that expands organically and lets users make customizations that broaden and expand the game. I wanted to include this element of growth, along with a combination of skills.

Thomas Nickel: The Basics of the RPG-Genre have remained largely the same since the early Final Fantasy Games. What does a modern RPG need to draw the player in? What is it that makes Blue Dragon so fascinating?

Hironobu Sakaguchi: I think it is about the wonderful footage and imagery. I think the more important thing is how it reacts, interacts, and evolves. It is meaningless unless it’s interactive high-definition footage and imagery. It adds to the enjoyment of a virtual world that makes the gamers think “I want to stay in that world.”
I enjoy that monsters roam and prowl in the field. I gave variety to this area, especially with respect to subtle jockeying, using skills such as “Barrier Master” and “Stealth”, and also the ability to fight with multiple monsters all at once. The game offers many ways of playing when you encounter enemies.

Thomas Nickel: Your games rely heavily on story, but they never neglect the necessary gameplay. Which is more important to you? What comes first? And how do you connect these elements?

Hironobu Sakaguchi: We put an emphasis on “ease of play.” We made it easy to start the game, even for people who have never played RPGs. As they get into the story, they’ll get used to the complex system and their skills will naturally improve.

Thomas Nickel: Shortly after you founded Mistwalker, Nobue Uematsu founded his own company Smile Please, thus making it possible to work together with you on Blue Dragon. Tell us how the two of you work together on the soundtrack.

Hironobu Sakaguchi: I could not think of anyone beside him to work with. The two of us worked on Final Fantasy for 20 years. The melodies he creates are very important to me. Uematsu-san also left Square and set up his own company, so Blue Dragon became the first title after both he and I went independent. I strongly felt appreciation for a friend that shared hardships with me in the past.

Text Copyright Thomas Nickel 2007
Pictures Copyright Mistwalker