Where did the idea for Muramasa originate?
Jyouji Kamitani: I had been warming up to the idea of a Japanese-ish type of game since the arcade-game days. I'd like it to have the same kind of atmosphere as The Legend of Kage and Genpei Toma Den [Namco], two of my favorite games. Muramasa started from the compilation of the fantasy-game project plan that I put together at the end of 2006.
What are your overall goals for the game?
JK: It's a bit of a challenge for us to see how well-received this soy sauce-flavored pure Japanese-style piece of work will be. Either way, I want it to be a very fun game for everyone who picks it up.
Do you consider Muramasa a sequel or spiritual successor to Odin Sphere?
JK: While I was I writing the project idea for it, I called it "Princess Crown 3." Odin Sphere is part two, by the way.
In what ways did you consciously try to make Muramasa different from Odin Sphere?
JK: Vanillaware is a company with very few people, so it's impossible to put all company efforts into a particular thing. For Odin Sphere we gave up on the height-based field construction in order to improve everything else. This time, the main characters will be ninjas of sorts so you can jump around on the field map to explore. Also, let's see...the bathing sequence that was cut out for Odin Sphere will make its way into this game in the form of "hot springs." I fought for this to the bitter end.
I've noticed some speculation online saying that Muramasa will have more action and fewer RPG elements than Odin Sphere. Is that true, and if so, can you offer any examples of how that changes the gameplay?
JK: Fundamentally speaking, even people with no skills can grind their character to the point that they can beat the game. That part as an RPG still hasn't changed. But I suppose it is much more action-oriented than Odin Sphere at the same time. This time around, we increased the agility and mobility of the characters and put a lot of energy into creating the field maps for the player to jump around in. On the other hand, we condensed the dramatic portions of it. This way, we can avoid how we reused bosses in Odin Sphere, like how people pointed out.
What similarities to Odin Sphere can we expect to see? Will there be any character or story connections between the two games?
JK: We're developing it in the same way as Odin Sphere, so there are bound to be a lot of similarities. But there is one difference: You won't be planting seeds this time around.
In what ways does the game use the Wii's motion controls?
JK: We talked about it regarding the controls and concluded that keeping the classic controls for side-scrollers will best fit this game. That's why this game will be using the Classic Controller. Currently, we do not have plans to use the motion sensor, but we are in talks about adding some feature enabling it.
Will there be an option to play the game without using any motion controls?
JK: If we have enough time and energy to do it, we want to add some option where the player can do the poses for drawing a sword.
Apart from the control scheme, are you designing the game any differently because it's on Wii than you would if you were making it for another system?
JK: Not in particular. For better or for worse, this project is not "specialized for the Wii."
What are you planning to show from the game at the Tokyo Game Show?
JK: We have developed a special stage for TGS where the player can fight some of the cannon fodder and a midboss. If you are coming to TGS, please take a look at it. It's also doubling as a beta test, so the staff and I are all nervous about it.
está muito mais nitido (ao lado disto o Odin Sphere parece mais à base de traços largos), mais detalhado... as transições são muito mais subtis/naturais/suaves... O Odin Sphere usava a potencia da PS2 para fazer o que fazia... parece que este usa igualmente a Wii, quando pensavamos que era apenas um pseudo-Odin Sphere 2 a correr "à grande" (que pareceria bem em qualquer equipamento.
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