Steambot Chronicles: Interviews - The Armchair Empire

There are certain developers out there whose games simply scream of originality. Market research, and focus groups be damned. These places are not afraid to try something new. One company that has established themselves as such is IREM, thanks to games like Disaster Report, Sub Rebellion, and Yoyo's Puzzle Park. Now the studio is preparing to add another unique feather to their cap with Steambot Chronicles (PS2). In this interview, we talk with the game's producer, and long-time IREM game design mastermind Kazuma Kujo about this new title. We would like to thank Mr. Kujo for his time, as well as Zach Meston over at Atlus for helping to arrange this interview.

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Steambot Chronicles Interview

Conducted by Mr. Nash

March 15, 2006

AE: Usually, when people think of games that feature robots or music, they’re seen as distinct entities; in Steambot Chronicles, the two are combined. How did IREM combine the two so that they felt natural together?

Kazuma Kujo: For this game, we did not intentionally seek to combine separate games into one. Our first thought in creating this title was to have the player pilot a robot and travel across the world. We wanted to bring out a feel for daily life.

AE: Steambot Chronicles exudes a feeling reminiscent of Miyazaki movies, with a laid-back paradise mixed with fantastic robots. Were his movies an inspiration during the creation of the game?

KK: Mr. Miyazaki’s films fuse mechs and nostalgia very brilliantly. We didn’t aim to incorporate aspects from his films in particular, but when we went ahead with our production, we did so with confidence that mechs and nostalgic worlds mesh well, as Mr. Miyazaki’s films showed us.

AE: Are there certain emotions that IREM wants gamers to feel as they experience Steambot Chronicles?

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KK: By playing this game, we feel that you can get the experience of traveling in an unknown land. The player becomes the main character, allowing him to go about exploring this world on his own. We would like players to feel the satisfaction of mastering the controls of their robots. Users may be frustrated with the complexity of piloting a robot at first, but mastering the controls becomes very satisfying.

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Once they get used to the robots, users will realize that they aren’t merely weapons for combat, but are actually their partners that give them the means to travel in this world.

Besides the robots, we have focused on the people living there, and how you meet and interact with them. Interactions with the people you meet not only affect yourself, but also the people and the surrounding area as well. There may be sad and tragic episodes that are triggered by your actions.

Also, by joining the Garland Globetrotters, players can experience the pressure and experience of performing in front of a live audience.

In these ways, we would like the player to feel that they are a part of this world.

AE: The gameplay in Steambot Chronicles is very open-ended, giving players the freedom to do as they please. How did IREM create this open-ended gameplay?

KK: From the early stages of production, we assumed that creating a game with a high level of freedom would allow us to incorporate many types of gameplay, but it is not that we planned everything at the beginning. Even during production, more time was spent on creating the base game system we call IAGS (IREM Adventure Game System), which allows for adding new features easier, and that took roughly one-third of the overall development cycle. This system enabled us to provide the player with a level of freedom and incorporate different styles of gameplay comparatively easier than other games.

IAGS allows for smooth incorporation of map placement, character movement and behavior (including all NPCs), and dialogue content including story branching. The game planner can easily incorporate many of his ideas, even without the help of a programmer, using this system.

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