At this year's Anime Expo, Square Enix's mobile game producer Takaaki Kai told us with Star Ocean: Anamnesis, there were a lot of challenges involved to make sure that the game was still fun and intuitive on a mobile device. We got in touch with Kai and Star Ocean's character designer, Akiman, to talk about their involvement with Anamnesis, the direction of the Star Ocean franchise, and more. Read on for the full interview!

^{Akiman & Takaaki Kai}

T-ONO: What is your impression of Anime Expo so far? Did you get to walk around and interact with your fans?

Takaaki Kai: I haven't been able to walk around too much, mainly just at the Square Enix booth in the West Hall and a little bit around the entrances. I was, however; able to see quite a number of fans who are cosplaying and they are really energetic and excited. Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun and showing a lot of energy.

T-ONO: For people who don’t know about Star Ocean, how would you describe it’s universe throughout all of its games?

TK: Star Ocean is a Japanese created sci-fi world or story, but it also incorporates elements of fantasy with mystical dragons and things among that nature. Because it incorporates those two elements together, it's quite unique in that respect.

T-ONO: Obviously, Star Ocean is a long-running series. This time Star Ocean: Anamnesis will take place right after the events of Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, making this more of a proper numbered title rather than a spin-off. Was there any reason behind that?

TK: With Star Ocean: Anamnesis, we realized that it's really important not only to our fans but for the story to actually fit into the existing timeline. We really wanted to show that it does have a place in the current timeline.

 

T-ONO: Star Ocean has traditionally been a home console game that you are translating to iOS and Android. Can you tell us what that's like porting a home console game over to a mobile platform?

TK: There were a lot of challenges in regards to the fact that the console version uses a controller versus the mobile version uses the touchscreen. The team over at tri-Ace who worked on the console games really thought hard and put a lot of effort into making sure the console battle system would be able to be experienced in the mobile version as well. It was quite a difficult challenge, but we were able to achieve that.

In particular, tri-Ace really put a lot of effort into what they were able to achieve with that system. As a result, it has become really fun to play on the mobile platform and intuitive; They were able to achieve the best results possible.

T-ONO: Probably one of the biggest draws to Star Ocean: Anamnesis is how it features all the characters from previous Star Ocean games. How did you balance the difficulty between these different characters?

TK: The past characters have been adjusted and made sure to be perfect for Anamnesis. In terms of the difficulty balance, there has been a lot of effort into striking that perfect balance.

T-ONO: With the game being two years old in Japan, Will there be a gradual push to expedite content for the English release to eventually catch up with the latest content on the Japanese servers such as QoL improvements, UI adjustments, and character buffs?

TK: In terms of quality of life updates, the English version will already be released with the small adjustments that have been made in the Japanese version. If users felt that some elements were a little bit difficult to use, for example, those have already been addressed for the English release.

Additionally, the updates for the global release will be more concentrated. In terms of the content release, it will be going a bit quicker than the Japanese users have experienced.

T-ONO: Given that the Western fan base is different from the Japanese fan base, will the development team take into consideration the feedback from the English players?

TK: The Square Enix support center will be available for the global version as well. Also, the global version will have its own social media pages, like twitter or facebook where fans are more than welcome to leave their feedback that will actually inspire the development team to do their best to respond to those elements.

T-ONO: Will different regions be receiving exclusive items or content?

TK: There aren't any solid plans yet; however, if the game is well received and if the users are really hoping for it and really want it, the possibilities will be there.

T-ONO: Will there be any crossover or collaboration with different games?

TK: You might already be familiar, but in the Japanese version there is a lot of crossover elements already incorporated and so we would like to have those in the global version as well.

 

T-ONO: During a live stream at this years E3, The Square Enix community team showed off a plush version of Coro. Are there any plans to produce and sell physical merchandise to promote the game?

TK: That particular plush of Coro isn't actually sold; however, in Japan, there are other Star Ocean: Anamnesis merchandise. As for the US, we can't really say anything yet for the global version, but I would like to see the release of some merchandise. There are currently no plans at this time.

 

T-ONO: Can you tell us how you got Akiman involved with the Star Ocean franchise?

TK: Actually before Anamnesis and Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, the producer working on Star Ocean V, Wakabayashi-san approached Akiman-san and asked him to design the characters.

T-ONO: In terms of Star Ocean: Anamnesis's character designs, how was it for you to work on those?

Akiman: Actually I did the main visual screen for Star Ocean: Anamnesis as well as some of the other characters. In particular, I designed the character, Eve. I really like the idea of these heroes, coming together from across time and space. I really enjoy that type of genre.

T-ONO: Is there any particular game genre that inspires you?

Akiman: For the last two years, I have been really into Overwatch and I really enjoy the PVP aspect behind the game. In the past, I really enjoyed a lot of RPGs such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. It's interesting because, in the past, games kind of drew from anime or movies. Now games have really developed to the point where they are a very strong genre on their own. I feel that I need to keep a very close eye on all the game scenarios out there so that I am in the know.

T-ONO: Was there any particularly easy or difficult character to design in Star Ocean: Anamnesis?

Akiman: For Anamnesis, I designed Evelysse, with the other characters being from the previous titles. I really knew that Evelysse was going to be well represented for Anamnesis. I wanted to make sure that she was fit for that role. I really wanted her to fit in with all of the past characters as well. I put a lot of thought into her being able to stand with them.

T-ONO: Can you tell us a little bit more about the character's Evelysse and Coro?

TK: First we meet Evelysse on a planet far away from Earth and she has lost her memory. For some reason, she has this power to summon past heroes from Star Ocean, which is almost like this super powerful ability and it's almost kind of like it's cheating. We don't initially know why she was there on that planet by herself, or why she has these powers at all. However, as the game progresses, little by little those mysteries will be unveiled.

TK: As for Coro, in the story, you are the captain of this interstellar ship and Coro is the operation AI robot. Coro's official name is actually, super long and kind of convoluted and hard to remember. The short end version is Coro. He is an AI robot that has human feelings and personality to him. He helps the player navigate and progress through the game. If users could please warmly embrace this character, that would be great!

T-ONO: Where do you see the Star Ocean series in the future?

TK: Currently Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope - 4K & Full HD Remaster is available on PlayStation 4 and Steam. After the release of Star Ocean: Anamnesis, we really hope to continue to explore the Star Ocean series. Please look forward to it!

T-ONO: Lastly, do you have a fan message for our American readers?

First of all, thank you so much for all the Star Ocean fans out there waiting for this new mobile release which covers the next chapter in the story. Within Anamnesis, the battle elements and the fact that it takes place within the Star Ocean series timeline is a major point. tri-Ace and Asuka engine which creates the scenes and battle mechanics in the console version is providing the graphics for the mobile title as well and they are extremely well made. It really is in the spirit of the console versions of the Star Ocean games in that respect. Once Star Ocean: Anamnesis launches in the US we would love it if fans would try it out and keep playing until their eyes can't open anymore.

 

Photos: Nujtxeng Vang