Yuji Horii, the creator of the Dragon Quest series, recently had an interview with the Japanese media outlet Denfaminico alongside Katsura Hashino, the director of Atlus’ game Metaphor: ReFantazio, as well as the director of Persona 3-5.
When these two titans of the JRPG industry converged, discussions veered into contrasting approaches to RPG game design. Horii revealed that his game development career stemmed from a dream of becoming a cartoonist, but upon encountering interactive computers, he delved into creating the game Portopia Serial Murder Case, driven by a fascination with the drama of storytelling. This fascination carried over to why Dragon Quest is propelled by its narrative and character dialogues throughout the game.
Hashino posed a question regarding the necessity of a manga or anime protagonist embodying distinct personalities, principles, and goals. In contrast, Dragon Quest’s protagonist is deliberately designed as a silent protagonist, prompting Hashino to inquire whether crafting a compelling player character posed difficulties.
Horii clarified that the Dragon Quest protagonist serves as a player’s representative, with their reactions mirroring the player’s responses. If the protagonist’s reactions diverge too much, players may feel disconnected from their in-game avatar.
Nevertheless, as game graphics evolve, the static and unresponsive nature of the Dragon Quest protagonist may become alienating. Horii acknowledges the need to address this potential disconnect in the future.
Source: Denfaminico via Automaton
TLDR: Yuji Horii and Katsura Hashino discuss contrasting RPG design philosophies, with Horii explaining the player-centric nature of the Dragon Quest protagonist while acknowledging potential challenges posed by evolving game graphics.
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