Project Zero 2: Wii Edition - Iwata Asks summary, more screens
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The Worst Happy Ending Imaginable
- Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen was made to take advantage of the Wiimote
- Iwata showed the Wiimote used as a torch in a video shown at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show
- Kikuchi’s team made something that fit well with the Project Zero series interface, so they felt they should use the Wiimote after coming up with their concept
- During the development of Tsukihami no Kamen, many ideas came about but not all could be included in the game
- There were also ideas that were created after completing work on the game
- Kikuchi: “That’s right. And then there are always those ideas that you only hit upon when work on a title has finished. So the concept for this project was born out of a belief that we could utilise this new control system and rework an existing title to give players a new horror experience that went beyond a mere remake.”
- Crimson Butterfly chosen to be remade because its ending resonated with people and inspired a debate over its pros/cons
- This game stood out within the series and compared to the overall adventure genre
- They had made one ending which “was the worst kind of happy ending imaginable”
- Kikuchi knew they couldn’t get away with this ending by itself, so he told Shibata to make another
- Shibata responded by saying they should have the ultimate bad ending
- No such thing as an ultimate happy ending even with the multiple endings
- The team wanted an ending that lingers on in your mind since it would fit within a horror game
- New endings for the remake, including another happy ending “that isn’t quite as straightforward as it seems”
- Kikuchi considers the remake to be, in one way, a gift to players who experienced the original
- Shibata: “I’d like to pick up on this point about the game having a new flavour. With the action viewed from behind the main character, and the Wii Remote allowing you to look around you, this title has even more of a fresh feel than we imagined it would, given that it uses the same environment as the original. Even from our perspective, as the ones who created the game, it feels like we are walking around a different world.”
- New controls give a new impression on the game, even if it has been played many times before
- Shibata says the feel of performing the same actions is completely different
- Players can peer into rooms, lift things aside, interact with the world dynamically
- This makes the world feel fresh and new when you revisit it
- The team likes to think of this as the “Touch System Plus”
- Improvements to the system include all manner of different levels of shock and surprises
- Element of unpredictability in the game that keeps players on their toes and gives the game a fresh feel
Full summary here
