Bayonetta 3 creator says “JRPG” is a term worth celebrating
In a current Interview with Chronicle of Video Games, Bayonetta And Devil May Cry Creator Hideki Kamiya spoke Criticism of the term “JRPG,“Japanese developers should actually be very proud of the associated award.”
JRPG, meaning Japanese role-playing game, was a term popularized in the 90’s to distinguish console RPGs made in Japan final fantasy of more PC-style RPGs developed by western studios. Although this distinction was accepted as harmless in the West, it was a lot of luggage for some Japanese developers, like Final Fantasy XVI Producer Naoki Yoshida, who has described how the term might feel different. in a (n Interview with improve yourselfYoshida revealed he never liked the term because it categorized her work into a “JRPG box.”
“For us as developers [in Japan]”When we first heard it, it was like a discriminatory term,” Yoshida said improve yourself. “[It felt] like we’re being made fun of for making these games and so the term JRPG can be something for some developers that might evoke bad feelings because of its history.”
Continue reading: Final Fantasy XVI Producer doesn’t seem to like the term “JRPG”.
Kamiya is proud of the JRPG term and believes other developers should do the same
When discussing the cultural differences between Bayonetta And God of Waris Kratos with VGCKamiya said he disagrees with Yoshida’s views and sees the term JRPG in a “more positive light” that “should be celebrated going forward”.
“If you look God of War“You have Kratos,” Kamiya said. “He’s muscular, he’s huge, he’s bald, he’s basically really gorgeous. So we thought, ‘okay, we have games like this that are growing in popularity around the world. From a Japanese point of view, could we create something similar?”
We discussed this internally and came to the conclusion that of course we can’t because this is something that doesn’t just apply to us as Japanese creators. So in order to create an outstanding action game, we had to create something that would express our unique sensibilities as Japanese developers Bayonetta was a result of it. If you look Bayonetta As a character she doesn’t look as strong as Kratos, she doesn’t look like she could take on those massive demons, but she was very unique in the way she was created, in the way she was created we action game heroes see from the beginning unique Japanese point of view.
So, when it comes to the term “JRPG,” it’s something that ties into it – they’re RPG games that, in a way, only Japanese developers can create with their unique sensibilities in creating these experiences. I think it’s definitely something that should be celebrated in the future, and someone should actually aim to make a “King of the JRPGs” game to reflect that. As Japanese game developers, we are very proud of the actual term JRPG.
Continue reading: We need to start pushing Japanese RPGs to higher standards
However, Kamiya hates it when people call an old game “Retro”.
While Kamiya has no qualms about the term ‘JRPG’, he does have a problem with players calling a title ‘retro’ because “hearing the word ‘retro’ from a Japanese perspective suggests more of a ‘fad’ brought back from a bygone era and remade for the current time.” Basically, he thinks the term is disrespectful and would prefer to refer to older games just like that or as “classic games”.
“I love games of all generations and just because the game is ‘retro’ doesn’t mean it’s retro, it’s the same game that was years or decades ago – it still exists and it still is playable and it’s still a very unique experience.” “Unique in its own right – so there’s really no need to call it ‘retro’ as it still holds special memories and experiences that stick in your mind even after all these years stay,” Kamiya said. “That’s why I like to use the term ‘classic games’.”
