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INTERVIEW: Yojiro Ogawa
The director of Sonic and the Secret Rings has a chat with TSS!
By: Dreadknux, 12th May 2008 (04:20)
Following our coverage at the Wii House last month, The Sonic Stadium managed to have a talk with Yojiro Ogawa, director of the latest release, Sonic and the Secret Rings. That's him to the right there. Look at his cheeky smile. Why, he's just happy to be here.
Ogawa-san has quite a pedigree under his belt, having previously worked on the Saturn classic Panzer Dragoon Saga before working on Sonic Adventure with Yuji Naka's crew. As well as ChuChu Rocket! and Phantasy Star Online too. Don't forget them. So when it was discovered he was heading "Sonic's last chance" we held out a little hope here at TSS Towers. See if the game is actually any good by reading our review and read on for an insight to the game with the man himself...
TSS: Ogawa-san, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. What inspired you to create such a unique control system for Sonic and the Secret Rings on Wii?
YO: Well, since we already had the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 versions being developed, I looked at the Wii hardware and decided to create something very different for Sonic, exclusively for the Wii. We realised that the controller was unique and different, but we also wanted to differentiate from the 360 and PS3 versions. As you can see, Sonic The Hedgehog is more of a classical and general type of Sonic game, but since the keyword Nintendo was using for the Wii hardware was ‘revolution’, the team thought it would be a good chance to revolutionise Sonic as well.
TSS: Using on-rails gameplay and the demands of a magic camera appears to bring Sonic closer in line to his 2D titles. Is it difficult to introduce new concepts while also paying respect to old titles in the series?
YO: Most Sonic fans are familiar with, and like the Sonic Adventure series, so to change Sonic was a very challenging thing for us to do. For Sonic and the Secret Rings, because of the Wii controls being so unique, we tried to change the system in terms of how the camera was being represented and the way we express speed in the game.
TSS: We have seen deserts, jungles and other stages that represent the Arabian Nights theme, but there is a great level of creativity in the game with regards to stages in outer space and featuring dinosaurs. How were these aspects effectively brought into the story?
YO: Since this game strays completely from the PS3 and XBOX 360 versions, I probably got inspiration from games I was playing at the time, such as God of War. The ideas of magic and fantasy, big creatures in stories of the Arabian Nights…
I had a discussion with the team on how to express Sonic inside these kinds of environments. The reason there is a jungle stage is because in the Arabian Nights story, Sinbad goes on an adventure in the forest. But a lot of people ask us why we included dinosaurs, as they do not appear in the Arabian Nights story. I thought it would be very exciting to have big creatures, and big creatures equalled dinosaurs in my concept!
TSS: Sonic and the Secret Rings has been created in a relatively short time for the Wii. What are your first thoughts for developing for the console and what kind of avenues do you feel it creates for those working on it?
YO: Yes, usually for Sonic titles we have two years to develop, but this time we only had one year. Since we had two different game modes – Adventure and Party – we had separate teams working on each mode and the number of team members we had were three times the usual number. The size of the game means it is essentially two games in one, so it was a very big project. Directing the teams as a developer and as a director was very challenging, but I enjoyed it very much.
Particularly developing for the Wii I found interesting because for the first time I was able to design the whole game style. Usually when people develop games they only develop the game. They don’t really think about how players will use the controller or what kind of style they will use for gameplay. But this time we had to think about all these things so it was a very interesting experience.
Also, depending on the player, you might get some people who play games with their controllers naturally leaning forward the whole time, or with the pad towards them, close to their body. So the timing and actions of how to execute the commands in the game was also something I had to keep in mind.
TSS: How challenging was it to design stages that Sonic fans had never experienced before?
YO: As the Wii remote was very unique, it was hard to design a new gameplay experience. One of the things the team had as a goal was to have players being able to play the game for a very long time. To do that we had to design a method of gameplay where the players wouldn’t get tired. This is why we used this control system: for example, if you were driving a car for a long time you would have to keep your foot on the accelerator.
For Sonic if you wanted to keep running we would have probably had to keep pressing a button, but that would have made players very tired, so that’s why Sonic moves automatically. From the outside Sonic is Sonic as you’ve always known him, but on the inside the system is completely different to what we have seen before.
TSS: You’ve talked a lot about the Wii remote, beyond that do any of the other console features, such as WiiConnect24 and Nintendo DS compatibility interest you for further titles?
YO: I see a lot of opportunities in WiiConnect24, so I would like to have the feature implemented in the next title. For this title we had prepared some things but we could not move on them, so they are unfortunately not present in the game. But I think it’s a very interesting aspect of the console and it would be great to use it.
TSS: Sonic’s design has reformed somewhat in Sonic and the Secret Rings – he looks a lot closer to his classic Mega Drive design. It’s obvious you also had a lot of fun creating the world and the story surrounding it. Was this the intention with this game, to bring the series’ game design back to the drawing board and focus on a more lighthearted storyline and atmosphere?
YO: I didn’t intentionally try to create something similar to the Mega Drive Sonics, but Sonic titles usually should have a very simple gameplay mechanic, maybe just by pressing one button to control. To have players feel the speed would be something Sonic titles should have too, and these were my basic concepts behind this particular game.
TSS: Some of the recent Sonic titles have been met with some negative criticism. What are your thoughts about this and are you happy with Sonic’s near future?
YO: With regards to the opinions and feedback we got for Sonic 360 and PS3, we know some people are talking about the long loading times and other things, but for future games Sonic Team will try their best, so people will look at Sonic and perhaps feel more positive about it.
We also feel we had the PS3 launch coming up and we had to work on the XBOX 360 version in parallel so there were a lot of challenges that the team had to face and maybe that is why we ended up with what we see today.
TSS: Regarding that, one of the big surprises recently was the news of Yuji Naka leaving Sonic Team to form Prope. How did this impact any of the studio’s projects during that time, including Sonic The Hedgehog?
YO: Internally, of course, everyone got concerned and worried, since Naka-san is Sonic Team, and Sonic Team is Naka-san. We had to face a lot of challenges after he left and maybe we would have had a different result if Naka-san was here for the 360 and PS3 versions, who knows? With the Wii specifically, the team and I have worked very hard so I feel that Sonic and Secret Rings has become a good game.
TSS: Finally, with the Wii’s interface, do you think there would be interest for a new version of Space Channel 5 or Samba de Amigo perhaps? The interface would be perfect.
YO: Sunaga-san (points to Emiko Sunaga, Designer for Sonic and the Secret Rings, who is standing just behind us) was more to do with Space Channel 5 than I was but… a lot of people come up to us and say ‘we need this title for the Wii’ so the team might take it into consideration and start development. Some people have been saying Samba de Amigo might be good for the hardware as well so you never know.
The reason Sonic is still here today though is because of the fans, and there are more Sonic games made as a result. So if the fans request (a particular title enough) then we might see those games coming out as well.
Thanks to Ogawa-san for his generous time. Svend also likes to brag to the other staff that the man signed his copy of Dreamcast Sonic Adventure too, the cheeky swine. Adam is currently plotting his secret demise.
The director of Sonic and the Secret Rings has a chat with TSS!
By: Dreadknux, 12th May 2008 (04:20)
Ogawa-san has quite a pedigree under his belt, having previously worked on the Saturn classic Panzer Dragoon Saga before working on Sonic Adventure with Yuji Naka's crew. As well as ChuChu Rocket! and Phantasy Star Online too. Don't forget them. So when it was discovered he was heading "Sonic's last chance" we held out a little hope here at TSS Towers. See if the game is actually any good by reading our review and read on for an insight to the game with the man himself...
TSS: Ogawa-san, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. What inspired you to create such a unique control system for Sonic and the Secret Rings on Wii?
YO: Well, since we already had the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 versions being developed, I looked at the Wii hardware and decided to create something very different for Sonic, exclusively for the Wii. We realised that the controller was unique and different, but we also wanted to differentiate from the 360 and PS3 versions. As you can see, Sonic The Hedgehog is more of a classical and general type of Sonic game, but since the keyword Nintendo was using for the Wii hardware was ‘revolution’, the team thought it would be a good chance to revolutionise Sonic as well.
TSS: Using on-rails gameplay and the demands of a magic camera appears to bring Sonic closer in line to his 2D titles. Is it difficult to introduce new concepts while also paying respect to old titles in the series?
YO: Most Sonic fans are familiar with, and like the Sonic Adventure series, so to change Sonic was a very challenging thing for us to do. For Sonic and the Secret Rings, because of the Wii controls being so unique, we tried to change the system in terms of how the camera was being represented and the way we express speed in the game.
TSS: We have seen deserts, jungles and other stages that represent the Arabian Nights theme, but there is a great level of creativity in the game with regards to stages in outer space and featuring dinosaurs. How were these aspects effectively brought into the story?
YO: Since this game strays completely from the PS3 and XBOX 360 versions, I probably got inspiration from games I was playing at the time, such as God of War. The ideas of magic and fantasy, big creatures in stories of the Arabian Nights…
I had a discussion with the team on how to express Sonic inside these kinds of environments. The reason there is a jungle stage is because in the Arabian Nights story, Sinbad goes on an adventure in the forest. But a lot of people ask us why we included dinosaurs, as they do not appear in the Arabian Nights story. I thought it would be very exciting to have big creatures, and big creatures equalled dinosaurs in my concept!
TSS: Sonic and the Secret Rings has been created in a relatively short time for the Wii. What are your first thoughts for developing for the console and what kind of avenues do you feel it creates for those working on it?
YO: Yes, usually for Sonic titles we have two years to develop, but this time we only had one year. Since we had two different game modes – Adventure and Party – we had separate teams working on each mode and the number of team members we had were three times the usual number. The size of the game means it is essentially two games in one, so it was a very big project. Directing the teams as a developer and as a director was very challenging, but I enjoyed it very much.
Particularly developing for the Wii I found interesting because for the first time I was able to design the whole game style. Usually when people develop games they only develop the game. They don’t really think about how players will use the controller or what kind of style they will use for gameplay. But this time we had to think about all these things so it was a very interesting experience.
Also, depending on the player, you might get some people who play games with their controllers naturally leaning forward the whole time, or with the pad towards them, close to their body. So the timing and actions of how to execute the commands in the game was also something I had to keep in mind.
TSS: How challenging was it to design stages that Sonic fans had never experienced before?
YO: As the Wii remote was very unique, it was hard to design a new gameplay experience. One of the things the team had as a goal was to have players being able to play the game for a very long time. To do that we had to design a method of gameplay where the players wouldn’t get tired. This is why we used this control system: for example, if you were driving a car for a long time you would have to keep your foot on the accelerator.
For Sonic if you wanted to keep running we would have probably had to keep pressing a button, but that would have made players very tired, so that’s why Sonic moves automatically. From the outside Sonic is Sonic as you’ve always known him, but on the inside the system is completely different to what we have seen before.
TSS: You’ve talked a lot about the Wii remote, beyond that do any of the other console features, such as WiiConnect24 and Nintendo DS compatibility interest you for further titles?
YO: I see a lot of opportunities in WiiConnect24, so I would like to have the feature implemented in the next title. For this title we had prepared some things but we could not move on them, so they are unfortunately not present in the game. But I think it’s a very interesting aspect of the console and it would be great to use it.
TSS: Sonic’s design has reformed somewhat in Sonic and the Secret Rings – he looks a lot closer to his classic Mega Drive design. It’s obvious you also had a lot of fun creating the world and the story surrounding it. Was this the intention with this game, to bring the series’ game design back to the drawing board and focus on a more lighthearted storyline and atmosphere?
YO: I didn’t intentionally try to create something similar to the Mega Drive Sonics, but Sonic titles usually should have a very simple gameplay mechanic, maybe just by pressing one button to control. To have players feel the speed would be something Sonic titles should have too, and these were my basic concepts behind this particular game.
TSS: Some of the recent Sonic titles have been met with some negative criticism. What are your thoughts about this and are you happy with Sonic’s near future?
YO: With regards to the opinions and feedback we got for Sonic 360 and PS3, we know some people are talking about the long loading times and other things, but for future games Sonic Team will try their best, so people will look at Sonic and perhaps feel more positive about it.
We also feel we had the PS3 launch coming up and we had to work on the XBOX 360 version in parallel so there were a lot of challenges that the team had to face and maybe that is why we ended up with what we see today.
TSS: Regarding that, one of the big surprises recently was the news of Yuji Naka leaving Sonic Team to form Prope. How did this impact any of the studio’s projects during that time, including Sonic The Hedgehog?
YO: Internally, of course, everyone got concerned and worried, since Naka-san is Sonic Team, and Sonic Team is Naka-san. We had to face a lot of challenges after he left and maybe we would have had a different result if Naka-san was here for the 360 and PS3 versions, who knows? With the Wii specifically, the team and I have worked very hard so I feel that Sonic and Secret Rings has become a good game.
TSS: Finally, with the Wii’s interface, do you think there would be interest for a new version of Space Channel 5 or Samba de Amigo perhaps? The interface would be perfect.
YO: Sunaga-san (points to Emiko Sunaga, Designer for Sonic and the Secret Rings, who is standing just behind us) was more to do with Space Channel 5 than I was but… a lot of people come up to us and say ‘we need this title for the Wii’ so the team might take it into consideration and start development. Some people have been saying Samba de Amigo might be good for the hardware as well so you never know.
The reason Sonic is still here today though is because of the fans, and there are more Sonic games made as a result. So if the fans request (a particular title enough) then we might see those games coming out as well.
Thanks to Ogawa-san for his generous time. Svend also likes to brag to the other staff that the man signed his copy of Dreamcast Sonic Adventure too, the cheeky swine. Adam is currently plotting his secret demise.
