SKY THE SCRAPER: A Game Inspired By Delaying Adulthood!? [Award Winner Documentary #2] Part 2
■Ryo Kobuchi
Ryo Kobuchi’s main occupation is as game designer.He has worked for several major gaming companies and currently works at Toydium Inc. Kobuchi started developing indie games around two years ago, and spends his days immersed in game development, both as a company employee and as an independent developer.
SKY THE SCRAPER is a roguelike action game that centers around cleaning skyscrapers and delaying adulthood. We spoke with Ryo Kobuchi about the production of SKY THE SCRAPER in the first part of this interview.
This is Part 2 of the interview.
■What creating games looks like from a designer’s point of view: Trimming down the unnecessary to create proposals, breaking down user opinions.
―― What did you find challenging about creating SKY THE SCRAPER?
🔸Kobuchi: I suppose it was whether I could create something that’s up to par with the general expectations for a game as someone who is neither a programmer nor an artist. Because I’m not a programmer, I took the time to learn how to use Unity on the internet. Similarly, I researched how and where to gather assets from, since I’m not an artist either. I’m extremely conscious of whether what I’ve created in this way reaches the standard of a marketable product.
―― Did you face any difficulties when applying to the contest?
🔸Kobuchi: The fact that there were only two months between the contest being announced and the application deadline. A build of your game and a proposal is required in order to apply. However, I hadn’t written a proposal before I started building my game, so I spent the second month working on the proposal and capturing screenshots of the game.
―― The fact that you hadn’t written a proposal yet speaks to that fact that the game is an independent production. You would be expected to start with a proposal if you were making a game for a company.
🔸Kobuchi: I also took great care in the wording of my proposal. Despite being one of the award winners, I’m not sure which parts of my proposal were well-received and wonder if it could have been better. I may have done things differently if a presentation had been required.
―― Your proposal can be as elaborate as you want it to be in terms of its wording and aesthetic. Did you struggle to make up your mind on when to finish it and let it go?
🔸Kobuchi: It’s best to minimize anything excessive and only leave the most important information. I believe it’s better to focus on visuals that properly convey what you want to express rather than ones that are aesthetically pleasing. It would be confusing to the reader if the actual game is different from how it’s described in the proposal. Moreover, the judges probably don’t have much time to look over each application. So you should imagine you’re being told to be upfront about what you want to say and write your proposal so that it gets across with a quick read.
―― Trim away anything unnecessary, and only keep what’s absolutely required. You would have to be confident in your game to do this effectively.
🔸Kobuchi: People often exaggerate when they’re anxious. They worry about being misunderstood for giving an inadequate explanation and become increasingly descriptive. If this happens, I consider the possibility that the issue isn’t the wording, but in the concept of the game itself. I try my best to make games that can be described in just a few words. For example, SKY THE SCRAPER is “a window-cleaning action game”. From there I’d hoped to explain in the proposal how my game differs from others that already exist.
―― If there happens to be an issue with the concept itself, you would have to return to the beginning of the process. What would you do in this situation?
🔸Kobuchi: I would still submit my game to the contest if the issue was only a slight shortcoming since it would be a waste not to apply at all. Even if I got away with that, I’d have to brace myself for some challenges later on since I would be creating something with an unclear selling point. In contrast, if that core appeal has been established, it’s crucial to clearly state what other aspects of the game shouldn’t be counted on.
―― It’s better to write an honest proposal than to bluff your way through.
🔸Kobuchi: Exactly. That way, you won’t need to work as hard on any parts that you know you won’t excel in. I also think you’ll be more at ease when making the game.
―― You held an exhibit as an individual developer in July this year, at the indie game event BitSummit Let’s Go!! in Kyoto. Did you get the response you were hoping for?
🔸Kobuchi: All of the games were of really high quality. Many of the participants had also competed in teams. I didn’t want to use being on my own as an excuse though, so I went in with the attitude that I’d done well for a one-man show. My strength lies in providing a comprehensive experience, and I felt that I could compete well in that area.
―― What was it like to directly see people play your game?
🔸Kobuchi: The action sequences are fairly difficult since the game is designed to be played through repeated failures. I was concerned about whether people would be open to that, so it was great to see people playing it firsthand.
―― What kind of feedback did you receive from attendees?
🔸Kobuchi: In the action sequences players must keep an eye on the Adhesive Force gauge to keep Sky from falling off the skyscraper. Some people considered this aspect fun, while others expressed that they would prefer it to be easier. Either way, it needs to be improved.
―― How do you react to receiving conflicting opinions like the ones you’ve mentioned above when the game was intentionally designed to be challenging?
🔸Kobuchi: I contemplate whether the comment meant they didn’t like the game, or whether they just want to share their personal preferences. I also consider whether they feel a certain way because a certain part of the game didn’t come across as intended due to a poor explanation on my part or if they felt the way they do despite it being conveyed as intended. I try to it break down in this way and think about how to address the issues from there. There are a myriad of reasons why someone might think the game is difficult, like a poorly made UI, or the way in which the difficulty increases in-game.
―― Determining the difficulty of a game does sound complicated. This is especially true with SKY THE SCRAPER, since it centers around Sky figuring out his aspirations in the midst of hardship. If things progress too smoothly for him, the core theme would falter. On the other hand, it would also be an issue if people gave up on the game before they get to discover how interesting it is.
🔸Kobuchi: With SKY THE SCRAPER, it’s essential to consider whether people want to play the game again if they get a game over during the first week. The key lies in whether I can design the game in a way where players feel that they came close to succeeding, or that things would have worked out had they done something differently.
■Utilizing the support offered to winners to communicate with fellow comrades and move development along
―― Is there anything that stands out to you in terms of the support you have been receiving from GYAAR Studio?
🔸Kobuchi: Bandai Namco Studios works on a diverse range of titles, and I am incredibly grateful to everyone there for looking over my game, playtesting it, and giving me advice on it. It’s reassuring to know that they accepted SKY THE SCRAPER as a game.
―― What do you mean by “accepted it as a game”?
🔸Kobuchi: I was worried that the game might come off as too much of an art piece, but I’m relieved that it doesn’t seem to be that way. It was also great to receive support for the event exhibitions. I exhibited my game at PAX West in Seattle in early September this year and am looking forward to receiving feedback from outside of Japan.
―― Holding an exhibit overseas isn’t an easy feat to achieve due to travel expenses, time needed, and language barriers, so being able to receive support for that is quite invaluable. Did you organize the English localization of the game yourself?
🔸Kobuchi: The representatives from Phoenixx who provide PR-related support made arrangements for the game to be localized. I was initially using machine-translated text, but received feedback from people overseas that it should be properly translated. I’m thankful that we were able to do that.
―― As you know, there are eight award winners for the first GYAAR Contest. Have you had a chance to socialize with the other winners?
🔸Kobuchi: Demo sessions for all of our games are held around once a month, and we tend to have discussions there. There’s also an exclusive Slack channel where we can observe each other’s progress and allows us to keep in touch without getting in each other’s way. Since we all differ in terms of our circumstances, development phases, and the games we’re creating, it feels like we’re fellow comrades rather than downright competitors. It’s great to be in an environment full of rivalry.
―― Maintaining a balanced relationship is essential.
🔸Kobuchi: It’s an interesting community and I’m enjoying being a part of it. People further along in their development might teach others something, and then that knowledge will be passed on to the next person, which is akin to being in a team. There’s also another Slack channel called the times_channel where daily reports are made, and each team posts a variety of content. People from Bandai Namco Studios might like or comment on those posts. It’s a rather laid-back community.
―― As an award winner, is there any further support you would like to receive (from GYAAR Studio)?
🔸Kobuchi: I think we would benefit from getting more feedback on our games. Indie game creators tend to have a limited perspective and don’t have many opportunities to receive substantial feedback. An environment where that can be provided is highly valuable, so being able to consult with those at GYAAR Studio on a variety of topics would be a huge asset.
―― It seems that all developers have trouble receiving feedback and have implemented various strategies, such as disclosing their production process on social media and asking their friends to try out their game.
🔸Kobuchi: It’s one thing to express your opinions about a game to the development team at your workplace, but doing so in an external environment is quite different. Since GYAAR Studio is affiliated with Bandai Namco Studios, a broad range of game developers can advise us on our games. They know where to draw the line when giving advice too, which I also think is noteworthy.
―― What advice would you give to someone that is thinking about applying for the second GYAAR Studio Indie Game Contest?
🔸Kobuchi: I don’t feel qualified to be giving advice since I’m still learning myself but…in the end, knowing what you want to create is the key to everything. The clearer you are about that, the easier it will be to leave a lasting impression. Your game may go unnoticed if it can be found elsewhere. If you can show off the traits that are unique to you, your chances of winning will increase, and the amount of interesting things you can create is also likely to increase.
―― Knowing what you want to create. When coming up with ideas, should decisions be made after analyzing the market and its needs, or should there be an emphasis on following your instincts?
🔸Kobuchi: I think the only way to get started is to follow your own instincts. However, leaving everything to instinct alone when fleshing things out is like climbing a mountain blind. Instinct and analysis are both important. If you don’t know what to create, it may also be useful to analyze yourself since many clues can be found through introspection.
―― Always be on the lookout, and seek out the ideal game that lies within you. Thank you very much for your time.
▼SKY THE SCRAPER
You are the young cleaner of a skyscraper who dreams of a better future, in this roguelike action game. Savor the thrill of working at new heights, while basking in the satisfaction of removing grime. Make full use of the diverse range of actions and equipment to efficiently clean the skyscraper. Spend your days making money and muster up the motivation to determine the course of your future within two months.Will you be able to break free from these mundane days?
Steam Store: SKY THE SCRAPER (steampowered.com)
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