Devil Summoner – 2005 Developer Interview

Kazuma Kaneko - Designer

―To begin, can you tell us how Megami Tensei, the original progenitor series of Devil Summoner, came about?

Kaneko: The very first game was Digital Devil Monogatari Megami Tensei, which Namco published. The concept of "mixed media" was very popular at that time, and the Megami Tensei title comes from Aya Nishitani's novel Digital Devil Story. As I recall the idea was to take his work and develop it for different media forms, including anime, video games, and novels. I was just a player myself then; later when I joined Atlus, I learned they were the ones who had actually created Megami Tensei, so I knew I'd be working on Megami Tensei II.

―So the first title you officially worked on was Megami Tensei II, then?

Kaneko: I liked Megami Tensei, so I persuaded my boss at the time to let me start working on Megami Tensei II. Back then I was in charge of "pixel art", but in reality I was responsible for all the visuals, and that necessarily meant that I was also involved in creating the story. As such, my idea for the world of Megami Tensei II was to avoid the "medieval Europe" setting that was so common back then, and instead opt for a world with a "gendai-geki" and "Tokyo" feeling. The unique worldview and mood that all the Megaten games have started here. Because it was Atlas' first official title, in the spirit of renewal we released Shin Megami Tensei for the Super Famicom, and the series has been going strong ever since.

―Was it decided from the start, then, that Devil Summoner would be more of a detective adventure, and Persona would be a "school" adventure?

Kaneko: We had this idea for Shin Megami Tensei that we ended up cutting because it made the tempo too slow, but originally I wanted the pacing to have a slower, "everyday life" kind of vibe. The hero would go to school and gradually, slowly realize that something was wrong. There were a bunch of scenes I'd planned to that effect, in the beginning. So yeah, I'd had that idea of a school setting for Megaten kicking around in my head for awhile, and that brings us to "Shin Megami Tensei if…". The roots of Persona are found in that game, to be honest.

As for Devil Summoner, the idea there was to take the demon fusion mechanic and really refine and strengthen it, and build a game around it. Then I thought it would be cool to have the plot involve a detective whose business is investigating the supernatural.

―In Shin Megami Tensei the scale of the story is huge: your actions affect the fate of the entire world. In contrast, Persona and Devil Summoner take place in one town, and have a more "everyday life" perspective.

Kaneko: The difference in scale is one factor, but the biggest distinguishing point between them, I believe, is that in Shin Megami Tensei, the player creates the story as the game progresses.

―Why did you choose a detective story format for Devil Summoner?

Kaneko: I love those novels, movies, and TV dramas where you have a detective or cop as the main character, someone whose personality really stands out, and I wanted to try and create something with that kind of flow. In RPGs, you know… for example, look at Dragon Quest. You get the Watergate Key to open the Watergate. In essence that's not much different than finding "the proof" in a mystery… if we just change the nuance a little it could work as a detective story, right? It's just a different aesthetic presentation. So Devil Summoner is basically an RPG, but with an heavy "mystery" vibe, where you figure out who the culprit is as you go.

However, in RPGs, ultimately if you don't set the stakes high enough players will find it rather boring. I mean, if the conclusion to the story was something as innocuous as your local neighborhood gossip, it'd be a huge letdown, right? (laughs) I think you have to reveal all these small incidents one by one, and though they may seem insignificant, gradually the awful truth becomes clear. I was betting that this approach would really suck people in.

―So what would you say makes a Devil Summoner game?

Kaneko: The unique worldview… the world has a "lived-in" feeling and it's fun to experience being there. In your real life, there's no way to experience a dangerous-but-stylish world like this. I think being able to step into the shoes of the protagonist and the extraordinary events he encounters is what makes the Devil Summoner games unique.

―What was the concept behind Soul Hackers and Raidou Kuzunoha?

Kaneko: At the time we were planning Soul Hackers, the internet was just starting to really take off. Everyone was communicating on these huge messageboards. In essence they were designed for convenience, and they were perfect tools to facilitate efficient, direct communication between people. But while lots discussion could be had on those messageboards, in the end they merely amounted to a place to blow of steam and reduce your stress; all you were doing was discussing events that had already happened in reality. The theme of Soul Hackers is the fear that we will become more and more dependent on the internet as a society.

In Raidou, the Kuzunoha clan takes center stage. In the lore the Kuzunoha clan has existed for generations throughout the history of Japan, so at first I was unsure of what era to set the story in. The Taisho era stood out to me though. It may have only lasted for 15 years, but it was an extremely energetic era. At the same time, it was a transitional era for Japan in which the country was rapidly industrializing, and I saw a lot of parallels between that and the rapid digitalization happening today. I felt that it offered a good setting for exploring and satirizing various modern themes and problems.

―That setting also brings to mind the keyword "jounetsu" (passion)

Kaneko: Whatever else they might be, I think the people back then were definitely enterprising and passionate. Society was changing and many people held out a lot of hope for that future, and while that included an element of extremism for some, it was in any event a very lively time. On the flipside, however, I have also heard that there were those who could not keep up with the rapid pace of change, and were left behind. I think that is extremely similar to the circumstances we are all facing today. That's what I'm trying to explore with the theme of "passion" in Raidou.

―What would you say makes Raidou a Devil Summoner game?

Kaneko: When you summon the demons in Devil Summoner, I originally wanted them to be able to serve you in more varied ways, but with the hardware at the time it would have been difficult. I wanted to be able to have the demons do investigative work for you: "go take those fingerprints", "seize that evidence", that kind of stuff. But now, it's possible to do all that, and solving the mysteries requires you to control the demons in a more personalized way. That's where Raidou fits into the franchise―it's really a fulfillment of the original vision I had for Devil Summoner.

―How does it feel now looking back on 10 years of Devil Summoner?

Kaneko: I think I'm most struck by the changes in the character design. It's funny, when I watch those 70s era dramas now, it's like we've come full-circle and those designs are cool again. I guess after a decade those changes in fashion are to be expected! In any event, I want to put out Devil Summoner games more regularly going forward, so please continue to show us your support. I really can't believe it's been 10 years already!

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