As one of the oldest console and PC game studios, Nihon Falcom has--consciously or otherwise--made games that have drawn different age groups. It has devotees who were around for the first Ys game in 1987, and newer fans who discovered the studio through Trails In The Sky, a series with DNA that can be traced back to one of Falcom`s earliest games, Dragon Slayer. It`s a developer that embraces its RPG and action RPG heritage but isn`t afraid to evolve their properties in its sequels and spin-offs. Their forward-thinking approach is further personified through their president, Toshihiro Kondo, who was a fan of the studio before he joined, and was only seven years-old when Falcom released their first game, Galactic Wars. He met with GameSpot recently to share his thoughts about the western release Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and about Falcom`s approach to development.Gamespot: What was your favorite Falcom game before you joined the company?Toshihiro Kondo: The reason I wanted to join Falcom was because of one game: The Legend of Heroes III: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch.What do you personally think is the aspect of Ys VIII that`s going to make it stand out among other chapters of the series?One thing I definitely think people will bring up is the fact that the gameplay and the story are really well-integrated. Another major part of what makes Ys VIII special and unique is the additional main character, Dana. Once Adol gets to the island near the beginning of the game, he begins to have dreams of Dana. Not only do you see Dana, you`re able to play as her. You have a whole separate story going on within Adol`s dreams. Eventually, those two separate tales converge, and the player gets to see what happened.A lot of fans of the series who try to describe Ys to the uninitiated call it one of the better Zelda clones out there. How do you feel about this comparison?People in Japan do compare the series to Zelda and Xenoblade for some reason, especially Zelda. I see it a ...
|
