Talk:December 2, 2005 - 1UP Yuuji Horii Interview

Should the original vanish:

We recently chatted with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii about his billion-dollar baby, the series' second chance in America, and the future of everyone's favorite slime-slaying RPGs.

1UP: It wasn't until recently that Square Enix was able to use the "Dragon Quest" name in the U.S. (for years before it was known as Dragon Warrior). How did you feel when the series was finally a universal name worldwide? Did you feel proud that you finally had a universal brand?

Yuji Horii: I was really happy when the series was finally branded with a collective name worldwide. I think it's very important to keep the consistency of the title as we step forward into targeting the markets globally.

1UP: The Dragon Quest series was never as popular in the U.S. as it was in Japan. Why do you think that was?

YH: I believe that the feeling of enjoying a game is universal where ever you are and I'm sure that the previous Dragon Quest titles must have been enjoyable to the North American gamers as well. But due to the graphical limitations of the hardware, characters used to look like icons. I believe it was hard for the users to emotionally attach to the game and the story.

1UP: Dragon Quest series is still the biggest in Japan. Do you feel a lot of pressure to uphold a certain level of quality with each installment?

YH: Of course! (laughs) When continuing a series, the previous title becomes the standard for how fun the series must be. In order for the users to think that the next title is as fun as the previous one, we have to make the new title to be twice more interesting. To be honest, there's a lot of pressure.

1UP: How do you feel that Dragon Quest VIII is finally getting the attention that it deserves in the U.S. with lots of marketing, publicity, and coverage in the press?

YH: With Level-5 on board for development I was able to create a brand new Dragon Quest. With the major leaps made in the visuals in DQ8, I felt that the North American gamers can also enjoy this title. So, for them to enjoy the title even more, I added various changes for the North American market. Square Enix aggressively made their marketing and publicity campaign like never before. I feel that all of these elements and efforts have finally paid off.

1UP: Dragon Quest VIII is the first truly 3D game in the Dragon Quest series. Was it hard to make the game 3D? Do you think that having 3D graphics will help make it appeal to North American gamers?

YH: It may sound repetitive, but I think the transition to the 3D graphics will help North American gamers to feel more accessible to this franchise. I must admit that creating a complete 3D world was more difficult than anything that I had imagined. However, because of all the hard work put into the project, users can freely venture through the DQ8 world as though they themselves were actually in this animated world.

1UP: With Final Fantasy XI and now XII, the Final Fantasy series has moved away from random battles. The Dragon Quest series is deeply rooted in tradition, so does this preclude you from perhaps doing the same in the future?

YH: Actually, in Dragon Quest VIII, monsters that the player can befriend into their monster team can be found on the field from the beginning of the game. Whenever I come up with an idea that would add more fun to Dragon Quest, I would incorporate them into the game. It's not that I'm sticking to a style based on the traditional feel, I just want to naturally incorporate the new styles.

1UP: Do you know if the Dragon Quest off-shoot games like Torneko or Slime Morimori will ever come to the U.S.? Or how about the PS2 remake of Dragon Quest V?

YH: Since the spin-off games are also a lot of fun, if Dragon Quest VIII were to make a huge break in the North American market, I'd love to think about the possibilities.

1UP: What is next for Dragon Quest? It seems every other major RPG series - Final Fantasy, Grandia, Warcraft, etc. - has gone online. Do you think Dragon Quest will do the same at some point? Level 5 were working on an online game at one point....

YH: I do enjoy online games including FINAL FANTASY XI and can definitely see the benefit of this element. However, I do not think every game has to have an online element to keep up with the next generation. Since the goal is to create a game that is fun and interesting, I'm not too hung up on if it will be online or offline, having said that I'm certainly not close-minded about creating an online game myself.

1UP: What do you think of Nintendo's Revolution controller? Would you personally like to do a game that makes use of it? It could be an interesting peripheral for sword slashing or other similar attacks in an RPG.

YH: Not only the Revolution controller, but I think the Nintendo DS's touch screen is very Nintendo like. It's built with a stress on the sense of touch and it seems like a controller that anyone can learn how to use it before they even realize it. I agree that many interesting games that can be created using this controller, but I still think that Nintendo would probably make the best games.

1UP: Dragon Quest I through III were remade for GBC, do you ever foresee doing IV through VI (or even VII) on the Nintendo DS?

YH: Since I believe that all the fun titles should be enjoyed by all generations, if the opportunity arises I would love the past titles to be played on new platforms. But I don't necessarily feel that it needs to be created for a specific platform. In Japan, currently the most widely used portable is the cellular phone where people can enjoy Dragon Quest I and II on it. I think there are plenty of options to explore.

1UP: A lot of fans are still asking for a proper sequel to Chrono Trigger, which was a game you worked on. Would you ever want to work on a sequel? Or would you ever want to see a sequel?

YH: Since everything I would like to do can be done in a Dragon Quest title, the chances of me making a sequel to Chrono Trigger are unlikely. Although as long as the title is interesting I'd definitely love to check it out and play it, even if it's not Chrono Trigger.

1UP: You originally got your start at Enix by winning a programming contest. Do you ever find talent nowadays by using similar means? Do you think you'll someday stumble upon the next Yuji Horii?

YH: Back then I created the game's design, graphics, and programming myself. On top of that it was a time when that game passed as a retail product. These days, in order to create a game that would be sold as a product requires the strengths of many people, and not just one's abilities. At the very least I believe it would be extremely difficult to create a wonderful game with only one's abilities like in the past. Thus I believe that finding a gifted person through a contest would be extremely difficult.

1UP: Finally, to those U.S. gamers that still haven't tried Dragon Quest VIII, what would you tell them about the game? There are a lot of RPGs on the market - why should they play this one?

YH: I believe that the feeling one can get from walking across to the ends of a vast field is an experience that can rarely be found in other RPGs. The Dragon Quest VIII world was created with a lot of detail in mind, so if the user were told to head east yet purposely went west; they may find a treasure chest or a little shack that can not be found on the map. I can say with pride that the game is made so that each player can have an experience different from anyone else. There are various ways to enjoy the battles with approaching strong enemies with by psyching up the characters and creating your own monster team by befriending various monsters and having them fight for you in battle. There are also a slew of fun elements including alchemizing two items to create a completely different item, collecting the Tiny Medals scattered around the world, and the casino. I believe that if there are a 100 people playing the game, each of the 100 can enjoy the game in their own way. It would be great if many people as possible can enjoy this experience.