‘NieR: Automata’ Director Yoko Taro Praises ‘Stellar Blade’ Creative Direction: “The Game’s Graphics, Setting And Characters Are Really A Style I Think Japanese Gamers Love”
Spencer Baculi
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In giving his official, well-cultured stamp of approval to the upcoming ‘curve-heavy’ Korean action game, NieR: Automata director Yoko Taro has praised Stellar Blade’s overall creative direction for how expertly it manages to emulate the Japanese production philosophies that directly influenced its creation.
The moon-helmeted video game icon offered his compliments to Stellar Blade‘s artistic vision during a joint interview given to IGN alongside the game’s director and CEO of its publisher Shift Up Hyung-Tae Kim.
At one point asked by the outlet’s Esra Krabbe if he could elaborate on his belief, as stated earlier in the interview, that he was “amazed” by Stellar Blade‘s graphics, Taro graciously explained, “The graphics are completely next-gen quality and the character design’s direction is amazing.”
“The cool male characters and cute female characters unique to Mr. Kim’s style are really appealing,” he continued. “Shops in RPGs often have a close-up shot of the shopkeeper [Lily Vignette], which I don’t like because I think it feels unnatural. Stellar Blade has a shot like that too, but the shopkeeper was so cute that I didn’t mind! Her cuteness felt more important than any design choices.”
Interjecting at Taro’s mention of the game’s shopkeeper, Kim then admitted, “Actually, this has been a problem for us. Many users say that the girl at that shop is cuter than the main character… I guess we need to make her the main character in our next game.”
In turn, Taro assured his fellow ‘back side’ connoisseur, “It’s just a matter of taste. Stellar Blade’s protagonist EVE is really appealing too.”
“Your art style really appeals to a Japanese audience,” he added. “Stellar Blade’s graphics, setting and characters are really a style I think Japanese gamers love. If you were to show someone that has no prior knowledge NieR: Automata and Stellar Blade, I think almost all of them would pick Stellar Blade. A white-haired character like [NieR: Automata protagonist] 2B is not as conventional.”
Ostensibly finding himself taken aback by the fact that he had received praise for his work from one of his main creative influences, Kim replied, “I guess I would get in trouble if I agreed with that statement. Seriously though, for me, NieR: Automata is like an inviolable holy grace. The visuals and story are so special that it is simply not possible to imitate. Stellar Blade is Shift Up’s first console title. Please see us as a cute new kid on the block.”
To this end, Krabbe then pressed Kim as to why, in his opinion, 2B was such a “special character”, to which the Shift Up CEO opined, “From her white hair to her eye patch and her black clothes with white stitches, everything about her is appealing to me.”
“At the time, her character design was quite different from what was trending, but she still became beloved by many players,” he elaborated, “Now, both her looks and personally have created a new stream. She has become a brand of her own, which is a real achievement.”
Finding himself subsequently asked as to how he was able to “come up with such an unconventional character as 2B”, Taro then detailed to Krabbe, “In a battle action game with a sci-fi setting, a conventional character would be a male character that shoots a gun, wearing clothes reminiscent of the United States Marine Corps. But there’s already Halo and other games like that. It didn’t make sense for me to make something like that.”
“I wouldn’t be able to do that better than Western developers anyway, since we’re further away from that culturally,” he recalled. “I wanted to make a different style of game that has less competition. That’s why we went for a sci-fi battle action game with a female protagonist clad in black and blindfolded. At the time there wasn’t anything like it, but now that Stellar Blade is about to enter the room I feel it will soon become a crowded market!”
Finding an opportunity to return Taro’s previous assurance of his work’s unique quality, as this particular topic of discussion came to a close, Kim ultimately affirmed to his creative idol, “Your games are way too unique to be imitated. I wouldn’t worry.”
At present, Stellar Blade is set to begin its PlayStation 5-exclusive sortie on April 26th.
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