Interview | Kouichi Yotsui on Nintendo 3DS?

Kouichi Yotsui-san (Isuke): Square Enix assisted by sending one of its producers, as well as his assistant, in order to put in their two cents. However, the majority of the game’s development was done by my group.

AR: Did you want to use any popular Squaresoft or Enix characters in Moon Diver?

Yotsui-san: No, that was never my intention with Moon Diver.

AR: Some people describe the game as a ‘multiplayer Castlevania.’ Do you think that is fair assessment?

Yotsui-san: I am not intimately familiar with the Castlevania series, however I did check Castle Crashers a lot and believe some parallels may be drawn between my game and that.

Yotsui-san: We titled this game Moon Diver for Japan and people said Moon Diver was also better for the overseas markets. According to peopl involved with my team’s various discussions, Necromachina is hard to remember.

AR: Did you have any specific influences when creating the game? Where did the idea of the story come from?

Yotsui-san: Moon Diver can be considered as a sequel to the action games I have made in the past, so influences come from a personal source. All of the ideas included in the final game are original ones of my own.

Yotsui-san: I could not put in even half of what I wanted! I am truly hoping that I can put in everything that I could not do this time into the sequel...if there is to be a sequel, of course!

AR: 2D games sell very well on Wii. Why did you decide to only support PSN and XBLA? Do you think the Wii retail market too weak now?

Yotsui-san: The decision was personal one, purely because I thought Moon Diver would not appeal to Wii players. My decision was made because I felt that PSN and XBLA players would appreciate and enjoy Moon Diver far more.

AR: Are you working full-time with feelplus, or are you doing ‘freelance’ with other companies?

Yotsui-san: I am a freelancer. I go where needed!

AR: How much involvement did you have with Strider in the past?

Yotsui-san: I was the Director and Producer of the original Strider.

Yotsui-san: I was an employee of Capcom when I worked on Strider, therefore, I do not have any rights to use the name directly for any possible future project(s).

AR: You worked with Mitchell Corporation on Cannon Dancer / Osman. Was this your ‘Strider 2’? Will you work with Mitchell again on another similar game?

Yotsui-san: Personally, I consider Cannon Dancer to be my Strider 2. However, the real Strider 2 was released in the coin-op arcades, with the legal rights for it being held solely by Capcom. If Mitchell needs me for a new Cannon Dancer / Osman, then I am now available!

Yotsui-san: I think the Nintendo 3DS is wonderful. I am very interested in it! However, Moon Diver is not the right sort of game for 3DS. I actually already have a far better game idea for 3DS.