The interview - part 1 (English)

neXGam: First of all, please introduce yourself.

Saru: Hi! I’m Saru. I’m an artist that loves retro video games. I love to draw and get many of my influences from video games and anime. I’ve worked on some other projects like Osu! (an online music game) as well as some mascot designs for some other things. Right now, I am working with a group of talented individuals on Henshin Engine: The Game.

neXGam: For those unfamiliar with the web comic, what is Henshin Engine about?

Saru: Henshin Engine is the story of gaming-gal Yuki Shirokawa who just started an apprenticeship for the Jipang Electronics Corporation (JEC). Her favorite gaming console is the FX Engine (based on the PC Engine), a product of JEC. She stumbles upon a special FX Engine prototype that allows her to make a nuerological connection with and is transported into the gaming world.

neXGam: Now you are taking it to the next level producing an actual PC Engine CD game based on the character. How did that come about? Coding on old systems is not an easy task.

Saru: The idea to make the game was always something that was in the back of my mind since the creation of the comic but did not have anyone to program the game when the idea came about. Fortunately, we now have a very talented programmer by the name of Nodtveidt who has also programmed a released homebrew by the name of Mysterious Song and is currently doing the PC Engine programming of our game. We are fortunate to have him helping us and we have made great progress with the PC Engine version thanks to him.

neXGam: Tell us something about the gameplay. From what I have seen it seems like a classic action platformer.

Saru: The gameplay is something that is based on the kinds of games you would see during the time of the golden days of the PC Engine. The main inspirations for the game are titles such as Valis, Shubibinman (Shockman) and to some extent, the Wonder Boy series and classics like PC Genjin (Bonk).

neXGam: How do you balance difficulty? Will it be tough as nails as was often the case in the PC Engine's lifespan, or do you take into account modern gaming habits. For example savegames and the likes.

Saru: As it stands, many people who've played the game at shows or who've downloaded the demo state that the game is hard, but not totally unforgiving. It really depends on the player, we have some people who blast through the 3-stage demo with little to no trouble, and some individuals who claim it's one of the hardest games they have ever played (haha). So it's a mixed bag ;) - As far as saving goes, we may take advantage of the backup RAM.