What with Nier: Automata finally released, I thought it worth talking with Taro Yoko about his involvement with the series over the years.
“I was born in the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. I entered into the Nagoya Women’s University Kindergarten and then (skipping ahead) enrolled into the Department of Visual Information at the Kobe Design University. The courses entailed learning about visual expression and CG but the reason I decided to enter this department was that English was not included in their entrance exam and I was not good at English at that time.
“I have liked games for a very long time but when I saw Gradius at the arcade as a junior high student, I became certain that in the future all forms of entertainment will be taken over by video games. This is why I started working for the gaming company Namco after I graduated college. However, I am quite disappointed that my predictions were off and films and TV still dominate the world as usual.
“As for my favorite games growing up, if I were to mention a game other than Gradius, it would have to be Xevious. I was shocked by how they were able to integrate light and shadow using pixel art with a limited number of colors and how the left-right color arrangement was asymmetric.
“I am also definitely a fan of Panzer Dragoon. I found it was brilliant with good taste, especially how they had Mœbius create the package design for the original release.”
Talking of Panzer Dragoon, it’s here where we got onto the subject of the Dragon-On Dragoon or Drakengard as the games are known in the West.
“It started when I was in limbo after being fired from Sony Computer Entertainment. My friend Mr. Iwasaki, who was the producer, invited me asking, 'Won’t you be the art director for this project I just started?' The original plan was for Iwasaki-san to be the director but I took up that role mid-project since he became too busy.”
“I only directed the first Drakengard title but Square Enix had told me “create a game like Dynasty Warriors with a medieval setting. And, include dragons while you’re at it.” I remember thinking “there’s no way we can win against the Warriors series by just following suit” as I developed the game.
“At the time, Square Enix was not particularly interested in the story, so I did whatever I felt like doing. I have fond memories of getting many complaints from them after the fact. Well, they aren’t really 'fond' memories…Yep.”
The original Nier followed on from the Drakengard games and was especially renowned for its soundtrack.
“I instructed Okabe-san from MONACA, who composes the music for us, on the desired direction by sending him MP3s and YouTube links of songs that I want him to use as reference. Normally, it’s rude to do this to a composer but I’ve known Okabe-san for a very long time, so I can ask for favors like this. He actually might not have been happy about it though.”
While the original Nier was a big shift away in terms of how the Drakengard games worked, the games are still connected in a narrative sense to the recently release Nier: Automata.
“The Drakengard and Nier series are within the same world but this game takes place more than 10,000 years apart from the others. Please do not worry about having to play them all, as you can enjoy this without having any knowledge of the others. Actually, I think you’ll become more confused if you know all of those games.
“The first thing I mentioned to Platinum Games when we started working together was that, 'I don’t want to make Nier: Automata a sequel of the series, but rather create it as if it were a new title. This is why I won’t number the title. Let’s create something new together.' I still feel the same way, so the answer to the question on how it fits into the overall narrative of the series would be that 'it doesn’t fit in.'”
What is also slightly different about Nier: Automata is how it is being developed by Platinum Games and how Yoko was involved in the process. This is because the original studio behind these games, that of Cavia, was shut down in 2010.
“In order to develop this game, I had temporarily stationed myself in Osaka (where Platinum Games is located), away from my family. I reign over the team as the director but I’m actually just drinking beer and loafing around. So, the young staff there had created the game in its entirety.
“Since Platinum Games is the developer for the latest installment, the action sequences are very sophisticated. However, it also retains elements from the previous title, such as the unique changes in gameplay. This was made possible because the staff at Platinum liked and respected the previous title.
“In any case, Nier: Automata is not a perfect game. But I am proud of everything in it.”
Now that Nier: Automata’s development has come to an end, I was also curious as to what Yoko would be up to next.
“As for the future, I am thinking of returning to being unemployed. I get bored very fast, so I would like to do something new. Something like a restaurant is attractive. It does seem to be a very tough job though.”
Nier: Automata is now released globally on PS4 and PC.
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and do toy reviews over at hobbylink.tv.
Read my Forbes blog here.
