Why Game? 1 - TextFiles.com

what goes into a video game is not merely work,
but that a game has to be molded into a certain
shape to provoke feeling. They understand the
basics of game mechanics and use this knowl-
edge to create games as uncomplicated as pos-
sible while still stretching the imagination and
strategic thinking of the gamer. And, most of all,
they know about the ethereal factor known as
“fun,” and the art of producing it in games.
ker-cha.
And thus I fell asleep, dreaming of Makai
Kingdom, Nippon Ichi’s latest game. I slept
horribly — I woke up at three in the morning
to play it and didn’t put it down until 10. Makai
Kingdom contains the very best elements of Dis-
gaea and Phantom Brave in a fusion of immense
proportions. Nippon Ichi adhered to the adage
“keep it simple, stupid” and removed individual
character turns, à la Disgaea, while keeping the
freeform gridless gameplay of Phantom Brave.
The usual multitude of options and ways to play
are further extended in Makai Kingdom, with a
greater variety of different character classes and
weapons to fool around with. More importantly,
the addition of facilities, each with their own bo-
nuses, to the mix further refines the formula, as
opposed to simply re-hashing the gameplay of
previous installments. Finally, the random map
generator gives us a practically infinite number
of stages to play in; many with a “theme” or
special condition that allows the game to con-
tinue to be fresh and interesting.
Yet even with all these new improvements,
Nippon Ichi stays true to their own artistry. The
game remains fine-tuned to the point that feels
like it was thoroughly inspected with a micro-
scope to detect any flaws in the inner mechan-
ics. Each new feature feels like it was added only
after many days’ thought; every new character
class has fills a key niche instead of being in-
utile. Every new feature has a role in the whole
of the experience, so that the game demands
to be viewed as a cohesive identity instead of a
composition of isolated elements in order to gain
true cognizance of it. Makai Kingdom continues
Nippon Ichi’s tradition of understanding the
answer to the question “what makes a game?”
With these three games — Disgaea, Phan-
tom Brave and Makai Kingdom — as evidence,
we know that Nippon Ichi’s mastery of the art
form of “the video game” is near perfect. Each
of these games by their own would deserve to
be called classics, yet each somehow improves
the formula even further when no improve-
ment was thought possible without disrupting
the whole of the experience. With a light touch,
they prod and poke around for better ways to
extract fun from each game. Truly, Nippon Ichi
are perfectionists, and a master of their artistry.
We can only hope that they continue in their
own tradition, and somehow scale the bar they
themselves have set once again with their next
game.
attention.
ker-cha.
So, what are you waiting for? Art begs for
How Nippon Ichi Saved My Life 7