Mystic Ark – 1996 Developer Interview
Added 2018-07-17 17:56:28 +0000 UTChttp://shmuplations.com/mysticark/
This thoughtful interview with Mystic Ark director Shinji Imada originally was published in Game Hihyou magazine in 1996. Imada, a former Irem developer, created his own studio “Produce” in 1990, which went on to create a few classic, albeit largely forgotten RPGs for Enix, including Brainlord and Elnard (aka The 7th Saga).
The conversation largely revolves around different conceptions of the idea of an “RPG”, and Imada’s ideas make more sense when considering his arcade background as the planner for R-Type and Image Fight. While his comments on RPGs might not seem strange to western CRPG fans (or players today who are used to roguelike and open-world games), the prevailing attitude in 1990s Japan was that RPGs were mainly vehicles for big, epic stories.
