The interview below has been translated into English from French magazine Chronic’art.
Fumito Ueda and Kenji Kaido, Designer and Producer of Sony’s Shadow of the Colossus answer our questions during an event to promote the game for its European release…
It was at the Dylan Hotel in Amsterdam that we met the unusual couple Ueda / Kaido. Fumito Ueda, Games Designer, artist and genius, charismatic and thinker. On the other hand, Kenji Kaido, Producer, a man in the shadows, reserved. The attention grabber and the quiet mathematician. We can’t say which one of the two is obsessed with saving girls, which one feels worst when slaying colossi or which one feels the most imprisoned between the four walls of the Dylan Hotel…
Chronic’art: Your previous game, ICO, was based on the exploration of an immense castle and the solving of a giant puzzle. In Shadow of the Colossus, every colossus is a level in itself and the player has to find them and slay them. How did you get the idea for this game?
Fumito Ueda: With ICO, we gained some experience with how puzzles work. We took that experience and implemented it in Shadow of the Colossus. We took those puzzles and made them move. We made puzzles which live and die. We transformed those puzzles into something bigger than life and the player himself.
CA: The theme of a hero leading the way and taking care of a damsel in need was used over and over since the release of ICO. How do you see these tributes, which are overall very evident? Which idea in Shadow of the Colossus would you like to see in other games?
Kenji Kaido: We are flattered that ICO influenced so many game creators. It’s one of the biggest rewards we could get.
FU: In Shadow of the Colossus, the thing we’re most proud of is the grabbing system. We needed to find a way which allowed the player to hang on to these giants quite easily. If something from Shadow of the Colossus was ever to be used in another game, I’d love it to be that.
CA: Many players feel the same emotions when they play ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. How do you explain that?
FU: On this comment, I have two points of view. On one hand I’m very happy that our new game created the same effect ICO did. ICO is considered as a cult success because of the emotions it delivered. On the other hand, I’m quite embarrassed about the comparison because ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are totally different games.
CA: How can you describe your method of creation? Did you come up with a story around which the gameplay was built or was it the opposite - you came up with the gameplay and built the story around that?
KK: Many studios start by creating a story and construct the gameplay around that concept. This is not the way we work. In our team we start by defining a series of precise actions. Then we take those actions and build movements to visualize our ideas. We start to build gameplay mechanics based on that. The scenario and setting are added at a later stage.
CA: Neither in ICO, nor in Shadow of the Colossus do we see an entity which could be truly defined as evil. Why are the motivations of the characters so ambiguous, so indefinite?
FU: Creating complex characters is something necessary for the rhythm of a game. It is something we use to build emotions. When the characters are too simple, or even basic - like in Final Fantasy for example - everything becomes expected - there is no sense of suspense. We do the opposite by surprising the player with what is going to happen.
CA: Is this also the reason why your characters always speak in a fictional language?
KK: Yes, exactly. It’s also something which creates a unique atmosphere. A setting which doesn’t resemble any real culture and one that leaves the players with endless possibilities to create their own story.
CA: One of the reasons why ICO and Shadow of the Colossus hit the players emotionally is that you used very long cutscenes to deliver feelings like being upset, love, solitude. Do you try to use these and other emotions so evident in cinema?
FU: It’s difficult to apply emotion engines from cinema to games. And quite frankly, in movies, stories are quite basic. In games the most important thing is to immerse the player in another world.
CA: Metal Gear Solid’s Hideo Kojima and Mario and Zelda’s Shigeru Miyamoto are inspired by their childhood. Did you reflect your own memories into the realization of ICO and Shadow of the Colossus?
FU: I don’t think there is anything in my games directly connected to my childhood. Of course, there are things which have inspired me like the place I lived at with my parents where I used to play surrounded by nature. That place inspired me a lot but I don’t know if I included it in my games. Not directly anyways. I feel much more inspired from the things I see and observe, the books I read and the games I play. If I were to mention a reference I’d say monster films like Godzilla’s are at the very core of Shadow of the Colossus.
