Transcribed
A non-commercial repository dedicated to Japanese retro gaming history. This site features carefully formatted Japanese transcriptions of developer interviews and technical roundtables sourced directly from classic 80s and 90s journals, primarily covering Falcom.
For feedback, collaborations, or takedown requests, contact: vackabox [at] icloud [dot] com.
1984
1985
1986
- Kiya Yoshio, Naito Tokihiro, and Tomi Kazunari lament the pressure of making RPG sequels
- Kiya Yoshio and Xanadu veterans discuss sequence breaking and undocumented mechanics
- Miyamoto Tsuneyuki reveals the ghost writer of Xanadu File
- Tokyo Programmers Summit No. 1: Kiya Yoshio, Sakaguchi Hironobu, and peers debate PC hardware limits and the Famicom pressure
- Kato Masayuki explains Falcom's unique philosophy and his thoughts on industry trends
- Kiya Yoshio and Yamashita Akira discuss Romancia, Xanadu Toolkit, and Famicom rivalry
- Miyamoto Tsuneyuki on his interest in writing, the Xanadu manual, and Asteca II
1987
- Hashimoto Masaya and adventure game creators discuss narrative design and the future of adventure games
- Tokyo Programmers Summit No. 2: Industry programmers go off the rails discussing malicious OS fairies and how gamers actually play RPGs
- Ys Release Promo
- A look at Falcom's 1987 office move and their developer culture
- The original Ys development team reflects on their design philosophy, game creation, and underlying code mechanics
- Ys Liner Notes: Yamashita Akira's reprinted essays for the game and soundtrack
- Horii Yuji and Kiya Yoshio's historic summit on Dragon Quest III and Sorcerian
- Kiya Yoshio discusses his dislike of RNG and the mechanics behind Sorcerian
1988
- The Massive Sorcerian Pre-Release Roundtable
- A page in the history of Sorcerian's development: balancing game mechanics and scenario design
- Director Umezawa Atsutoshi explains his 'non-stop action' approach to the Xanadu anime
- Hashimoto Masaya and Miyazaki Tomoyoshi break down the expanded script and narrative design in Ys II
- Music From Ys II Liner Notes
- Post-Ys II interview with the core development team
- Kiya Yoshio explains the technical wizardry behind the Sorcerian system and his vision for user-made scenarios
- Calling all writers: The official announcement for the Sorcerian Scenario Contest
- Koshiro Yuzo and Matsumae Kimitaka talk video game music and creation process
- Hashimoto Masaya talks Ys III for the first time
- Kiya Yoshio and Igarashi Tetsuya reveal why historical Japan made Sengoku Sorcerian so hard to design
- Hashimoto Masaya teases further Ys III details