Taro Yoko doesn’t often enjoy interviews, but he and other key developers talk Drakengard with Dengeki Online staff members, while enjoying some drinks, during a lively get-together at a bar.
It’s a well known fact that Taro hates doing actual interviews, as often stated on his personal blog, but he agreed to a different style of meeting with Dengeki, which ended up being a more relaxed gathering with co-workers to discuss Drakengard. As Yoko stated: “I’ll do anything as long as there’s beer!”
The gathering consisted of Drakengard 3 creative director Taro Yoko, promotional manager Ryutaro Sasaki and three staff members of Dengeki Online. Yoko also invited Akira Yasui, director of Drakengard 2, as a surprise last-minute guest.
After sharing their first round of beers and some laughter, Yoko is quick to start talking Drakengard 3. When asked about how far along in development the game is, Yoko says that it was reported that development is 60% complete. However, it’s actually closer to 80%.
Yoko also states his dislike for Drakengard 1’s camera, as he believes that it wasn’t exactly fitting for the time it was released. Rather than saying “The past was great and I’ll make something better next time,” Yoko wanted to let this be known as part of his brutal honesty, as he believes that fans deserve truth and honesty above all.
Aside from the talk at the bar, Dengeki’s staff had also prepared a few questions for Yoko, to which he provided answers on pamphlets. Here’s a couple:
How did Drakengard come to be? Please tell us the secret story of its development.
It was during a drinking session with Cavia’s producer, Takuya Iwasaki, and Square Enix’s Shiba-san. At the time we had a developer who worked on Ace Combat and we asked Square Enix: “How about something involving flying on dragons?” Dynasty Warriors was popular at the time and it was Shiba that insisted on implementing Dynasty Warriors features.
What’s the reason behind including immoral features such as forbidden love between siblings?
If I make something half-hearted or normal, I don’t think it’ll beat the likes of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. I believe that it is what led to the wild pitch result of what we have. At the time, there was a popular anime that featured 12 sisters (Sister Princess) so I borrowed from that and made an ending with many sisters. However, the involved staff didn’t agree with the idea, so we had to kill off certain elements.
