Silhouette Mirage Interview

Known for Yuke Yuke Troublemakers!! (for N64) and Gunstar Heroes - regarded by some to be the best Genesis title ever - Japanese game developer Treasure releases its new title, Silhouette Mirage, this week in Japan.

We spoke with the game's lead designer in Tokyo over the weekend. Here's what he had to say.

GS News: First off, would you like to see Silhouette Mirage sold in America?Kimura: Yes, I believe Treasure would most definitely like to sell the game in America.

GS News: When developing Silhouette Mirage, how did the game progress? Did the character come first and then the story and gameplay grew around that, or vice-versa? The story is a little strange, and the gameplay is typical Treasure.Kimura: (laughter) We started with the basic left/right gameplay concept and built the character and story up from that.

GS News: Does Treasure plan on making N64 games in the future?Kimura: I'm not sure. Our goal is to make fun games, and if we think we can make a fun game on the N64, we will do just that.

GS News: Did Yuke Yuke Troublemakers sell well in Japan?Kimura: It did okay. Not as many as we had hoped. I think it's a good game, still.

GS News: Was Yuke Yuke Troublemakers such a short game because of the limited size of the cartridge?Kimura: Yes, but that was only one of the reasons.

GS News: Will Silhouette Mirage be a longer game than Yuke Yuke?Kimura: They're about the same in terms of total play time, I think. However, it's hard to say since Silhouette Mirage is meant to played through in one sitting while Yuke Yuke uses a save feature.

GS News: What games have you yourself made in the past?Kimura: I made Dynamite Headdy for the Genesis.

GS News: Another excellent game, really. The story was a little strange though.Kimura: (laughing) Just a little?

GS News: Treasure has always worked very closely with Sega. Is Treasure interested in developing for the new Dural system? How about the PlayStation?Kimura: Yes, we are interested in developing for the Dural as well as the PlayStation. However, we don't choose hardware for the games, we usually let the games choose the hardware, depending on what we want to do with the game and how it fits our vision of the game.

GS News: Now that Silhouette Mirage is finished, what's your next project going to be?Kimura: I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Sorry. I imagine we'll start talking about it next summer.

GS News: Treasure has yet to take the step into 3-D, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but do you think Treasure will only ever make 2-D games?Kimura: That 's a hard question. When we make games, we just come up with ideas that we think will make fun games. So far, all of those ideas have been for 2-D games, mostly since we've been confined to 2-D hardware until fairly recently. If we have a good idea for a 3-D game, we will probably make it.

GS News: Are there plans for a Treasure compilation disc? Many of Treasure's games are rare and expensive to buy in Japan. It would be a shame to see them disappear forever.Kimura: Right now there are no plans for a such a compilation, unfortunately, but it's not something we're ruling out for the future.

GS News: What would you say are Treasure's favorite genres to produce?Kimura: At the top would be action, of course. Then shooting, RPG, and adventure, with puzzle last.

GS News: I'm guessing a TokiMeki Memorial-type simulation is even below puzzle?Kimura: (laughing) Yes, definitely.

GS News: What are your favorite games by other companies?Kimura: I'd have to say Sonic 1. It's followed by NiGHTS. Then the other Sonic games.

GS News: Well, thank you very much for your time. I look forward to playing Silhouette Mirage soon.Kimura: You're welcome, and please tell me what you think about the game.