Tetsuya Mizuguchi Interview 2005

We sit down for a comprehensive new interview with one of gaming's most acclaimed developers. Discover more about Mizuguchi's career, Lumines 2, working with Sega again in future, and much more.

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With Rez, it was really tough to present to Sega's management, because it's hard to tell by words how fun it is. I said, "it's a shooter" and they said "shooter? That's old!" But I said, "no, this is a new shooter, it's a music shooter", and once they tried it they understood it. It looked like a shooter with wire-frame graphics, a very old, primitive game - games these days use a lot of high quality graphics - so everyone was scared with Rez, and it was really tough to make a sale with it.

Kikizo: What made you use the "Swinging Sixties" style for the look and sound of Space Channel 5?

Mizuguchi: Well, it's like Star Wars. George Lucas used classic music with sci-fi movie, so if we chose some techno or dance music, with a future theme, it seems too simple and too boring. So it's kind of a future style but with jazzy, classical and hip style as well.

Kikizo: Why did you change from pre-rendered background to real-time graphics in Space Channel 5 Part 2?

Mizuguchi: It was really tough to make the game with pre-rendered backgrounds, so it was a technical decision. We wanted to make a gorgeous looking title, like a movie, so we chose that instead.

Rez

Kikizo: Do you believe that the concept of Synaesthesia you used for Rez and other games might simply be a bit too abstract for the average videogamer?

Mizuguchi: Yeah, it might be a little too difficult for them, but we should only have a little bit of it. There's a small message about it, and the people who understand that kind of thing are the ones who study arts.

Kikizo: Speaking of Synaesthesia, do you envision including other things like smelling, tasting or touching in future games?

Mizuguchi: Yeah, probably. Lumines was kind of on the same line, but if I make an RPG or an action game, it could have it too.

Kikizo: Rez was dedicated to Kandinsky. Can you imagine doing games based on other influential artists and painters? What would such a game possibly be like?

Mizuguchi: Rez was definitely dedicated to Kandinsky, but it was a personal dedication. I understand his concepts, and not only him, but also artists at the beginning of the twentieth century. Not only painters, but actors or musicians too, and they always discuss in a café about what is the future style of expressing yourself.

At the time they had no technology at all, only a canvas. But I think they had a big dream, and the concept and dream is not getting old, and it's always the same. So my first impression and inspiration was if those artists lived now, with all these tools, what kind of things would they make, in entertainment or art?

Kikizo: The sound of Rez and Lumines is strongly characterized by electronic music. Is this your favorite music style?

Mizuguchi: No, not right now. I actually like all kinds of music, but I'm always watching and finding new music styles. Recently, I like listening to Chemical Brothers, Mondo Grosso as well. They bring about a new, digital kind of experience.

Games and Art

Kikizo: Many of your recent games have had a heavy musical emphasis. Do you plan to continue with this trend? Are you looking at different types of music to work with?

Mizuguchi: If we don't have sounds in a game, you can still play it, but this is really boring! I don't think my games are music-based, but I'm always watching music styles and music elements to put into the game. I'd put any type of music into a game.

Kikizo: Why did you choose to combine quite basic gameplay concepts with such extravagant presentation?

Mizuguchi: The music and the visuals are like the muscles of the game, so that means if you make gorgeous music or gorgeous visuals, but the game design is shit, then the entire game is still garbage.

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