Exclusive Interview With Atlus' Izuna: Legend of The Umemployed Ninja Project Lead
Posted by Shawn Struck on 03.21.2007
411 Mania talks with Atlus USA's James Kuroki about the new old-school dungeon RPG with a new-school attitude.
Shawn Struck, for 411 Mania.com Games: What kind of game is Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja? Action RPG? Dungeon Crawler?
James Kuroki: Definitely a dungeon crawler. It takes on the traditional mysterious dungeon formula. And though it can get downright brutal at times, it's still a lot more forgiving then most of the genre. Some may want to call it an Action RPG, since you directly control Izuna, but the enemy only moves when you do, so it's not completely action-oriented.
411 Mania: Are DS Features like the touchscreen, microphone, or the Nintendo WiFi connection used?
James Kuroki: Nope. This time it's using the tried-and-true control pad. The game wouldn't really benefit from the touch screen or mic, in my opinion, but of course it's not our decision to make: it's the developer's. A WiFi feature is something I'd be interested in seeing in the future, though.
411Mania: What can we expect the battles and magic system to be like?
James Kuroki: The battles are very strategic: when you move, so do the enemies. Every step you take counts, and you would not want to be trapped in the corner. You really have to think with magic, too. Your physical attack power is directly tied in with how much SP you have, so you're confronted with the
choice of using magic to get yourself out of a pinch, or conserve it for the long run.
411Mania: many of the screenshots, it looks like Izuna can choose how she responds to questions and NPC dialogue. Will these choices have a major effect on the game, or are they mostly there for flavor?
James Kuroki: Most of the choices in the game don't have a major impact on the outcome of the story. A lot, however, have functional purposes, allowing you to skip fighting bosses you've already defeated, etc. There's also a lot of comedy in them, which helps bring out the flavor of the game.
