Adam Riley, an editor of Cubed³, interviews Yuki Yokoyama, the producer of Chocobo Dungeon that was shown this year at Tokyo Game Show.

Adam Riley, Cubed³ Deputy Editor: First of all, could you please introduce yourself and explain what your role is on this project?

Yuki Yokoyama, Producer of Chocobo Tales: I’m Yuki Yokoyama, and I served as producer on Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales. I will also be the producer for Chocobo’s Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyu, which was announced in May for the Nintendo Wii.

AR: How large was the team that worked on Chocobo Tales and how long was it in development for?

YY: The team consisted of about 25 members, and it took us a year to develop the title.

AR: What was the decision behind mixing different styles of gameplay together?

YY: We mixed different gameplay styles together to cater to the diverse demographics of Nintendo DS users. This includes casual gamers, younger players, and of course Final Fantasy series fans.

We thought the minigames and microgames would appeal to casual gamers, and the RPG elements to our Final Fantasy fans. The pop-up duels were designed to appeal to younger players who are interested in card games.

AR: And how come Chocobo was chosen as a lead character?

YY: We thought a chocobo would be the most suitable considering the wide range of players described above. I mean, who doesn’t like chocobos?!

AR: Is there any particular aspect of the game you would have liked to have developed further if you had more time?

YY: We struggled to implement multiplayer functionality for the minigames using one Game Card. Even though we worked on this feature right up until master submission, we were sadly forced to give up on the idea.

AR: What are your thoughts on the game’s sales in Japan so far? Did you think that the European audience would be likely to accept the game more?

YY: The game has been well received beyond our expectations in Japan. As for European gamers, I believe they will enjoy Chocobo Tales even more than players in Japan. The reason lies in the fables that appear throughout the game. Many of these are based on stories that originated in the West. We had our sights set on a European release from the early stages of development, so we were sure to include themes that would appeal to players across the globe.

AR: What were some of the biggest obstacles during the development process? And what are your thoughts on the DS hardware overall?

YY: Incorporating wireless play and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was more difficult than we could have ever imagined! Creating the framework wasn’t too tricky a hurdle, but debugging and passing Nintendo’s standards were enormous tasks. But we have no regrets. At this very moment, players across the world are battling each other in pop-up duels. That feeling of satisfaction makes it all worthwhile.

As I alluded to above, the Nintendo DS allows players from all over to interact with one another via Wi-Fi. The handheld system provides this in a small package that is far more accessible than other formats. The stylus functionality provides many new types of interaction as well. It’s a fantastic piece of hardware.

AR: Could you please tell our readers the multiplayer aspects of Final Fantasy Fables?

YY: Chocobo Tales has 16 minigames that can be played by up to four players at once. You can also use the cards that you collect in story mode in pop-up duels against other players.

AR: Were there any restrictions involved in getting the online Wi-Fi service to work smoothly?

YY: We made efforts to ensure that the amount of data being transferred would stay low since not every player’s connection is stable.

AR: Are we likely to see more ‘Final Fantasy Fables’ in the future – either on Wii and/or DS?

YY: I can’t comment too much on that now, but if anything develops, I’ll let you know!

AR: Regarding the Wii, what are your thoughts about it so far? And how does it compare to the competition?

YY: From a developer’s point of view, the Wii’s controller represents quite a challenge. Creating a game that utilises swinging or pointing of the controller isn’t a problem, but it’s difficult to decide how a more traditional type of game should be developed for the system. That is where it becomes challenging.

As for how the Wii stacks up to its two competitors, the system’s concrete concept and enticing price tag make it quite formidable. I believe it will continue to lead the competition.

AR: Hiromichi Tanaka told Cubed³ previously that Square Enix was discussing the issue of Friends Codes for online play with Nintendo. Has any progress been made on this subject to allow Square Enix to use the Wi-Fi service in the best possible way (for games like FFXI)?

YY: No comment.

AR: There seems to be some confusion regarding Square Enix games on Virtual Console. The impression people have is that none of the old Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy games will appear on the download service. But with Actraiser already available, will other non-FF or non-DQ games appear?

YY: No comment.

AR: Finally, what games have taken your interest lately?

YY: I’ve been playing Forza Motorsport 2 from Microsoft. The degree of customisation offered when painting your car allows for a level of artistry that has never been available before. It was also exciting to upload replay videos featuring my car and receive comments. It was astounding how something outside of the standard gameplay could be so exciting. It was something I had never experienced before!

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