This is a collection of Chrono Trigger interviews from early 1995, originally featured in Japanese magazines Famicon Tsuushin, Dengeki SFC, and Haou. Because they feature very similar questions and answers, I’ve compiled them all together for better readability. In addition to all the neat design details and anecdotes, these interviews really show how Chrono Trigger was a turning point for the way Square made RPGs.
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Chronicles of Mystara – 2013 Developer Interview
Chronicles of Mystara, released for the PS3 in 2013, combines the two acclaimed CPS2 arcade beat em ups Shadow over Mystara and Tower of Doom. This short interview with developer Kenji Kataoka was published at Capcom’s official site as part of a “Dungeons and Dragons” themed interview series. It was conducted by Zenji Ishii, a former editor of the famed arcade magazine Gamest in the 90s.
ChoRenSha68k Development Notes (2001)
ChoRenSha68k is a famous doujin STG originally released for the X68000, and later ported to Windows. Slightly manic but not a bullet hell, it has a traditional yet original style of gameplay, and is often recommended to new players. In this unique document, developer yosshin shares his design process, his thoughts on shmups generally, and his memories of the world of arcade and doujin STG in 90s Japan.
A Special Message from Kouji Hayama (2012)
This short message originally appeared in Shooting Gameside #4, and was published alongside a list of Hayama’s numerous cd releases. Among STG fans Hayama is most well-known for his work on the Cho Aniki, but he has also written the music for Front Mission 3, Ape Escape 2, Rockman ZX Advent, and Gran Chaser.
Chippoke Ralph no Daibouken – 1997 Interview
This Chippoke Ralph interview with some of the main developers at New Corp. goes over their design ideas, plus thoughts about platforming and 2D games generally. New Corp was originally formed by a young group of friends (average age ~20) from the game center community in Kashiwazaki. Their arcade background comes through in their comments here on game development.
Chaos Seed – 2010 Developer Interview
This interview (originally featured in PLANETS magazine vol. 7) with former Neverland developer Junichi Kashiwagi explores the inspirations of Chaos Seed, a little-known but critically acclaimed action / rpg / simulation genre hybrid from 1996. Kashiwagi (who today works for game developer Pyramid) goes into good detail about the mechanics and story of Chaos Seed, while the interviewer makes the case for Chaos Seed as a hidden gem truly ahead-of-its-time.
Cave Shooting History Interview Collection
These ten interviews first appeared in the Cave Shooting History book, which was sold directly by Cave in 2010 to commemorate their 16 years of STG development. In addition to interviews, it also contains an extensive collection of design art and annotated photos from their various matsuri events. The book is long since out of print now, but used copies still appear on ebay from time to time.
Cave STG – 15th Anniversary Interview
This interview first appeared in the March 2010 edition of Arcadia magazine. While the machinations of Cave have been covered exhaustively on shmuplations, this interview still manages to have some new, meaty conversation about the design of Dodonpachi, Esp.ra.de, and Ikeda’s early days at Toaplan. Be sure to check out the short game-by-game commentary from Ikeda at the end!
Symphony of the Night – 1997 Developer Interview
Released in 1997, Symphony of the Night forever changed the direction of Castlevania (for better or worse, depending on who you ask). These two interviews contain facts and details about the development that I’ve not read elsewhere, such as an intriguing alignment system that was dropped early on. The first interview is from the official Konami guide book; the second is from an unknown source, but most likely one of the contemporary Japanese gaming magazines.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood – 1993 Developer Interview
Lead programmer “Nyajiou” discusses the development of this PC Engine masterpiece in this brief interview, taken from the official strategy guide by Shogakukan. Thought short, the questions are more serious than the joking around found in the OST liner notes interview. Incidentally, the beautiful cover image here was done by artist Oliver Barret in 2016, for a Rondo of Blood vinyl release.