Trek to Yomi is almost upon us. Published by Devolver Digital, the adventure caught the public’s attention thanks to its style and distinctly independent character. We already played in the preview, but we are not happy to bother the creator of the project and ask him about ten questions. Ready to explore some details and background on this Interview with game designer Leonard Menchiari?
In the labyrinth of feudal Japan
A love of a certain kind of Japanese cinematography is fundamental to the style of Trek to Yomi. Where did this passion come from and how did it fit into the creative process of the business?
Exactly! Growing up with Sergio Leone’s masterpieces, strongly influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s work, the cinematic style impressed me the first time I watched one of the films of the time, Seven Samurai. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of being able to go on an adventure with the shoes of a character inspired by the samurai of the time, and that’s why I decided to realize this project.
Trek to Yomi is part rejuvenation novel, part a hero’s journey. How did you approach the expression of such a classical archetype, but also looking for originality?
The first idea began with a journey through the world of the dead to face an evil enemy and take revenge to protect a loved one. be a story Inspired by Japanese cinemaI tried to preserve a very traditional structure without deviating too much from a plot present in the typical samurai narrative of the time. Evolution almost continued on its own when I joined forces with Alec Meer, one of the authors of epic games like Warhammer. Thus the idea of a world of the dead combined with the symbolism of the Mitama spirits was born, the number Seven was used as a reference at all levels, the path of a hero seeking his own inner balance, these were all the main aspects. That we have in mind and that the player will travel along the path of this story.
Trek to Yomi’s gameplay is at the service of the game’s stylistic code, but that doesn’t mean it puts quality and a pinch of depth aside. How difficult was it to match the video game needs with the needs of the staging?
The biggest challenge was communicating with the design team remotely and how to get ideas across to them throughout the entire pandemic period. In terms of gameplay, ludo-narrative mismatch Having to communicate with a team with well-defined and absolutely disconnected divisions was a very difficult aspect to stay away from. Given that all these obstacles are not easy to overcome, the game offers a balanced rhythm between moments of exploration and other moments of “focus”, resulting in a good direct and dynamic experience.
playing with design
Choosing to create this special style work that blends two-dimensional and three-dimensional progress is just a choice due to budgetary needs, or, on the contrary, did the entire creative phase begin with this desire?
My initial idea was to drastically reduce the amount of work; That’s why I decided to create this style. The fixed camera, side shots were tricks to focus attention on something specific without having to recreate every single detail in the scene. As with a movie set, this made the world much easier to build and budget not a little! The dynamics of two-dimensional progression was a limitation of the development team and game design team, who, despite the use of these tricks, had not yet developed the technical skills to achieve three-dimensional motion in the time at hand. . In the end, we were able to break through these limits and balance the style with what we had, resulting in a direct and linear experience (with alternate endings).
Are there any other video games in the past that you think were real inspiration for Trek to Yomi?
Probably some of Limbo and Inside and perhaps the first Prince of Persia will be the games that most closely resemble the final outcome of this project. This question is difficult to answer because instead of drawing inspiration from games, we’ve drawn a lot of attention to Japanese samurai films of the 1950s and 1960s as references. For example, the decision not to jump, as in typical platform games, where we consciously make it to preserve more realism. Despite game structure very similar to an unblocked indie platform, the resulting game is more similar to those movies than any other game.
Feudal Japan is a big trend in recent years. How much competition can be good or bad for those trying to make their mark in this “genre”?
To be honest, this aspect has never touched me personally. As soon as we started developing this game, eight months after creating the demo, writing everything and pre-production, the “Kurosawa Mode” was added to Ghost of Tsushima, which attracted a lot of people. Idea rather than thinking myself. even when we decide to use Toshiro Mifune A character in the play was not allowed because another samurai play used his image as an outstanding film actor of those years. I can say that it is not easy to leave a mark, but this has never been our goal. The development team and I aimed to push as hard as possible to create a high-quality project and evoke strong feelings, rather than focusing on this particular “genre”.
Past, present and future
Can we consider Trek to Yomi an isolated case, or is there room to continue the universe you’ve created?
At the moment, I have no intention of continuing this project with a sequel: The project started as a tribute to Akira Kurosawa’s films; Developing another project related to this is not something I am currently considering doing.
In Trek to Yomi, choices certainly matter from an emotional standpoint. In addition to the four different endings, does choosing one path over the other change the events and chapters of the game?
The gameplay differences are very subtle, not something the player will necessarily notice. Music, some dialogues, minor events are aspects that will take a slightly different emotional path, more calibrated for the first time that the player will complete the game rather than noticing the difference in the various narrative sequences. This endings they will be very different and I think they will all be equally valid. Players’ choices will never be right or wrong, only what suits them best.
How was the transition from the initial prototype to the choice to build a full game?
It’s not easy to babble this question in a few lines, but I’ll try to give the idea a series of events: I start with the idea and build a prototype with a friend while learning to use it. unreal engine 4. A month later I finish the prototype – one boss level – and send the images to the publishers. Publishers show interest and ask them to wait while making a decision. During the waiting months, you can see their level, budget, assets, etc. I prepare a production schedule that includes Publishers acknowledge and entrust an author and development team to assist me. In the months I waited while the contracts were coordinated, I devoted myself to developing the story in detail with the author. Contracts continue to be signed as I develop storyboards, characters, settings, and world map designs. The project starts eight or nine months after the demo. The first months are devoted to pre-production (sketch, concept, design, etc.). A few months to create another demo with the assigned team. At this point, the project is officially accepted and production begins with a calendar. During the pandemic, I lead the team through chat and video calls, even remotely directed motion capture with players via webcams and cell phones.
The first version of the game is complete with basic gameplay and non-detailed levels. Next comes the beta version of the game, complete with episode details, cinematics, Japanese dubbing, more balanced gameplay and everything you need. It starts with testing, then more testing, bugfixing, more bugfixing, and finally the marketing phase. I’ve obviously skipped a lot of details, but I hope at least this shortlist has given the process some insight into what’s behind such a project.
Do you want the possibility of expanding Trek’s universe even outside of the video game, perhaps with a comic book or an animated series to Yomi?
I never thought of that, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea at all! If anyone is willing to cooperate, feel free to contact me! I’ve always had a passion for comics, movies, and animation, and although I currently have other projects in the pipeline, I would definitely be willing to reproduce this adventure using any other art form besides video games.
Source: Multiplayer
