Interview: Nintendo Legend Takaya Imamura Talks Omega 6: The Triangle Stars

Omega 6: Triangle Stars It is a game whose beginnings can be traced 36 years ago when Takaya Imamura entered a job interview with Shiger Miyamoto for the role in Nintendo. Armed with a sketchbook and an artistic passion that resonated with Miyamot, got a job that led to leading to three ten -society, which culminated in some of the most unforgettable designs of Nintendo. Among many examples of Imamura has left playing games with designs such as F-Zero captain, Captain Falcon, title mask from Legend of Zelda: Major's mask and numerous Star Fox characters.

It is remarkable that his first independent project outside Nintendo has links to this fatal work interview in 1989. The publication is now adapted to an authentic, 16 -bit retro adventure game. Omega 6: The Triangle Stars is a light, nostalgic visit in simpler times when games were not so dead when they told spectacular stories or invented increasingly complex mechanics.

Instead, the mission is to give the real retro adventure game with a youthful heart of Saturday morning cartoon. In an interview with Game Rant, Imamura spoke about his approach to Omega 6: Triangle Stars“Playing, retro aesthetic and assortment of extraterrestrial characters, designed as the only artist of the game. He also plunged some light on his career in Nintendo and inspiration of his first game outside the company. This interview has been modified for brevity and clarity.

Inspiration Takaya Imamura for Omega 6: The Triangle Stars

Question: You had a long career in games. Has one of your previous projects inspired especially Omega 6?

AND: Especially nothing to be honest. I played adventure games, but I never wanted to do it.

After I left Nintendo, I created this mango and one of the best genres that tell the story is an adventure game. That's why it's a genre we went with.

Q: While many games have retro aesthetics, Omega 6 looks and feels really 16 -bit. What was your approach to this style? Have you saved any restrictions to be authentic?

AND: I think the biggest limitations I probably kept in mind was the limit to the number of colors I used. Obviously there is no real limit – I could use much, much more – but I wanted to keep this feeling.

Also, when it comes to music, sound and composition, we have tried to keep as close as possible to 16 -bit restrictions.

QUESTION: artistically, where did you draw inspiration for Omega 6? Did there be certain films, games or comics that hit you?

AND: There is nothing that I was inspired directly, but since I was a child, I have always loved SCI -Fi – Star Wars, such things.

I think the closest thing to the source I can give you for Omega 6 has actually been since I went to talk to Nintendo. One of the things I brought with me to show my work was the comic I created, which I showed Miyamoto-San. It was like manga sci -fi and it happened to the roots of Omega 6, as you can see today.

Q: With a creative role in so many games over the years, was there anything you always wanted to see in a game that you could finally include in Omega 6?

AND: To be honest when I was in Nintendo, I really didn't feel so many restrictions. I think they really let me do exactly what I wanted – I wasn't under strict control to say.

If I do something, I would say that the ability to draw manga was not so much relaxed by stress, but it was something I couldn't do until I was in Nintendo. It was my creative edition. Looking back, if you are an internal part of the Mario or Zelda team, you have been doing these games for years and years.

My career continued in many different genres, series and characters. Maybe it was just because I was too much an individual – they couldn't really nail me for one project. I'm not sure.

QUESTION: The game contains over 100 extraterrestrial characters. How did you come up with so many unique patterns and do you have any favorite?

AND: Again, there is no special inspiration – it's just years and watching different SCI movies, reading comics, playing games, etc. Everything is packed and it will only work in the flow as it was.

If I had to choose a character I really like, I think there is a man in the game that looks really unpleasant. This is one of the characters I consider especially interesting.

Q: What do you consider to be Omega 6? Are there functions or concepts that you believe are the core of its identity?

AND: I think probably the biggest difference between Omega 6 And your typical graphic adventure is the fact that you have random meetings between the scenes. The chances of discovering these meetings are like RPG.

And as you mentioned, there are more than 100 different extraterrestrials who can be part of these battle.

Q: Can you discuss the musical direction Omega 6? What types of topics or emotions did you want to express?

AND: As for the direction I have mentioned, I focused on important songs – units bound to the topic of games or key elements of the story. For the rest I tried to give the composer more freedom.

For example, Amayake-San is a jazz singer, so for the bar scene you will meet early, it was really suitable for this kind of track. For them, I usually left it on my own devices and she came up with some great things.

Q: I found that the battle system is very interesting. On the surface it is rock-foam matters, but under it is actually a lot of depth. Can you talk about how this idea happened?

AND: The idea was that even though we had these RPG elements in the game, I didn't want to complicate them – especially battles – because it focuses on enjoying the story more than anything else.

With this in mind, the director Seki-San came up with the idea of ​​using rock paper ranges, because it is a simple concept that many people can understand. From there, the team met and everyone contributed their own ideas on how to simplify things, while adding a little depth without being too complicated. The result is the battle system you see in the game.

Omega 6: Triangle Stars is mainly about nostalgia

QUESTION: Genre of adventure game is an old, turbulent genre with distinctive features. Was there anything you would like to “fix” when you worked on it?

AND: I'm not sure about features, but I really wanted to add another animation to the characters. At the end of the day, however, I was the only artist in the team, so it did not contribute to realization.

Q: The game contains three different planets. Can you talk about how they differ in terms of interaction, characters or meetings? What were your goals to make every planet feel different?

AND: The basis of these three planets comes from the idea that having a number of places to visit the game would be more engaging for players. It's about how to give the game more variations, instead of visiting the same old places again and again.

To make this variation easier to understand, the division of the game into three planets seemed to be the easiest way to do it. At first it was one planet with a few satellites, but as we were approaching the end, we took a step back and thought, “You know, it doesn't seem great from the scale.” So we thought, “What if we strengthen these satellites, these months “And then comes the subtitle from which the stars of the triangles come from – it was added quite at the last minute.

As for the theme of planets, it is quite simple: there is hot, cold and one full of treasure hunters and untrustworthy people. The goal was not necessarily adding a lot of depth, but to make it easier for players to understand and remember where it happened, what happened where and what kind of atmosphere or space was explored.

Question: Interestingly, the bonsai tree is the central point in Omega 6. Can you talk about how you decided to give a prominent role of bonsai trees in the game?

AND: I'm not sure, but there's a sci -fi movie called Quiet run– I think it has been since 1997. They are in the film in space and grow plants.

So the concept for Bonsai specifically came from me and looked back back, I think it is probably a place where the seed was – no intended – intended – set when I watched the movie.

Question: What would you say Omega 6 is “o?” Is there anything you hope that players or mango readers will think after playing or read?

AND: This applies to both comics and to play. In recent years, games, comics and movies really immerse deep into meanings, characters' development, etc. But for me he just wanted to step back. The game looks retro and feels retro, and that's really what I'm about.

If I want the players to take away, it is a feeling of nostalgia – go back to the time when they were younger when they were children when things were easier. Simple pleasure, such things.

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