Blade Dancer Q&A: Interviews - The Armchair Empire

As a new game platform slowly gets some legs, and has been on the market for a while, gamers inevitably start to ask where the RPGs are for it. They take a while to make, so it isn't all that surprising that they aren't the quickest out of the gate when a new system comes along. Now that the PSP has been out for a while, we're starting to see role-playing games trickle out for it, one such title being Blade Dancer, from Hitmaker, and NIS America. Recently we had a chance to pick the brain of the game's director, Bob Timbello, about some of what is planned for Blade Dancer. A big thank you goes out to both Mr. Timbello, and Jack Niida of NIS America for taking time out to do this interview.

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Blade Dancer Q&A

Conducted by Mr. Nash

May 3, 2006

Armchair Empire (AE): Can you give a brief history of your company, Hit Maker, since some gamers may be confused as to just who you are. You are a new company formed from former Sega employees, none of who worked for Sega’s HitMaker development studio. Correct?

Bob Timbello (BT): Actually, we’re not a new company. My boss, Hojo, had the company up and running in 1998, whereas Sega’s Hitmaker arrived on the scene two years later. Since our establishment, our policy has been focused on developing products aimed at the initial launch of console formats such as GBC, PS2, XBOX, and PSP.

Other than Hojo and myself being former Sega employees, each member of our veteran staff has a different track record working on a wide range of titles for various console formats. Regarding the confusion, that’s something that I think will be cleared up over time.

AE: Why did you decide to make this game for the PSP as opposed to a home console like the PlayStation 2?

BT: We wanted to do an RPG with high-end graphics and specs that you could carry around in your pocket. When you take that into account, I think you’ll agree that the PSP was the ideal handheld format.

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AE: There’s a distinct anime flair to the presentation in Blade Dancer. Does the game have any influences from the medium?

BT: There are no specific influences other than the fact that we’re Japanese – in my case, half-Japanese – and that we’ve been brought up on anime.

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AE: The basic premise behind Blade Dancer is that a young warrior is trying to defeat an evil knight who emerges every 100 years. Are there any underlying themes that you hope to emphasize through the narrative while this is going on?

BT: The theme is nothing more complicated than that history repeats itself, and that there will always be a struggle between good and evil although the boundary between the two may not always be clear-cut. That unclear line is the point we will constantly address in the course of the Blade Dancer saga.

AE: The game’s main story can only be advanced through Blade Dancer’s single player mode. That in mind, does the game’s multiplayer mode take place in the same game world as the single player game, or are there unique dungeons?

BT: As you mentioned, the multiplayer mode is played on a set of unique dungeons that are designed for short-term team play.

AE: RPGs are usually fairly involved games, that can demand a lot of time from those who play them, yet handheld games are known for allowing people to play games in short bursts while they’re away from their home. How has the gameplay been tailored in Blade Dancer so that it still feels like an RPG, but reflects the stop-and-go nature of handheld gaming?

BT: With respect to length, the important consideration was saving. As you say, an RPG demands a lot of time – like a novel. With a novel, a reader decides how much he or she wants to read and then places a bookmarker wherever it might be desirable.

In an RPG, this would usually mean a save-anywhere feature. However, we didn’t want to go that route as we felt such a feature tends to encourage “cheating the system” by saving and reloading the game to avoid any undesirable outcome – something that takes away from the role-playing experience.

Hence, we settled on a hardware/software combination. The former is the PSP’s built-in RESUME feature, which is an ideal bookmarker for temporarily suspending the game. For the latter, we positioned several save points prior to entering any new area, providing players with the means to “dog-ear” specific points in the game.

As for the tendency of handheld users Another point we considered was maintaining tension throughout the game. As you mentioned, handheld users tend to play in short bursts. For us, that meant repeatedly introducing enough challenges as well as audio and visual stimulation within a relatively short play session.

In most RPGs, a large amount of time is spent on the field traveling between towns and dungeons, as well as battling monsters. Blade Dancer is no exception to this. In a handheld format, we felt that this could become repetitious. To avoid that, we populated the fields and dungeons with visible enemies that could attack you at any time. We also employed a seamless battle system that requires well-timed decisions on the part of the player. Putting it simply, we wanted to ensure that there is plenty to occupy the player within a single session of play.

AE: Blade Dancer has an interesting take on the use of magic in an RPG through its Luna Meter. Where did the idea to make this system come from? Does the meter reset to zero after every battle?

BT: Answering your last question first, yes, the Luna Meter resets after every battle. Full credit for the idea of using the life force released in battle to fuel spells goes to our development director, Maruhama. He threw it on the table, and we jumped on it.

AE: Can you describe the item creation system in Blade Dancer? How does it work? Is it similar in concept to the item crafting one might find in a MMORPG?

BT: There are two ways to create an item you can combine materials and get lucky, or you can take an item that you obtained either through battle or purchase, and have it stripped down to its bare materials at a shop. A successful combination or shop analysis will yield a “recipe” for that particular item. The recipe allows you to make that particular item as many times as you like as long as you have the necessary materials.

In MMORPG terms, I’d say it’s a bit different in that you don’t have to go through any kind of levelling to create what you want. Basically, if you have the raw materials, you can craft it.

AE: Weapons that wear down, and break in RPGs can be a contentious issue among fans of the genre, but Blade Dancer will have this feature. Why did you decide to go this route?

We felt it introduced an additional layer of tension to the combat system. It’s our version of “accidents happen”. In an actual battle – not that I’ve actually faced any monsters recently – you might slip or drop your weapon. The breaking weapon represents this aspect of combat. Accidents usually occur out of carelessness. In Blade Dancer, that would be the equivalent of not keeping track of your weapon’s endurance, or not being prepared with spare weapons or crafting materials.

AE: Are there any plans for downloadable content in the future for Blade Dancer?

BT: In Japan, you can download wallpapers for the PSP’s OMD screen. As for the U.S…. Um, Jack?

Jack Niida (NIS America): Hi there! For the U.S. downloadable contents, we are planning to release wallpapers, movie files, as well as various other exciting media contents. All the files will be available at www.nisamerica.com, and we will update frequently, so please visit our website periodically. Thank you!


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