Naka read up on the well-respected Hero's Journey theory to study storytelling. I always emphasize how the game feels and the action, while the story may be a bit weak. 'To be honest, I'm not really the type of developer who focuses on a game’s script.

'Square Enix's management philosophy is 'to contribute to the wellbeing of people all over the world by providing the best stories.' When I joined the company and heard that, I was like 'Stories, huh.'' Naka said. However, in the end, the planning stage's goal of 80 was achieved.īalan Wonderworld looks to be a must-see title for platform game fans, but it also features strong storytelling, which is characteristic of Square Enix. 'During the proposal stage I wrote down that it would have 80 different types of action, but I thought that once I actually started making the game, I would run out of steam at around 40,' said Naka, who confessed that he exaggerated a bit in his proposal. But while that's an easy statement to make, it should be a pretty high hurdle to clear. It's tempting to declare a game like Balan Wonderworld a culmination of platform games, as this one title contains 80 varieties of action abilities. 'Such is my enthusiasm for continuing to make action games,' he said. Naka is confident, however even though there is no guarantee that there will be another title, he has launched a new brand called Balan Company. Of course, nothing would make fans happier than more Naka platform games, but whether there's another game is likely dependent on the popularity of Balan Wonderworld. Therefore, he received permission from the company president to make a full-scale platform game with the condition that it was his 'one chance'. However, the genre he feels he is most skilled at is still platform games. 'I think Square Enix has an RPG image,' Naka said, 'but I don't think I'd be good at making RPGs.' Of course, Naka has made RPGs, such as Phantasy Star and Phantasy Star Online. 'I think players will be really surprised by it,' Naka said.įor Naka, who joined Square Enix in 2018, Balan Wonderworld will be his first full-scale platform game in quite some time. Adaptive Triggers have been introduced as a new sensation unique to PS5 that allows players to feel resistance in some PS5 titles, and Naka said that for Balan Wonderworld all 80 abilities will feel distinct in players’ hands thanks to those adaptive triggers. Balan Wonderworld also utilizes the adaptive triggers that are a feature of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller.

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