It’s been a year since TooKyo Games launched its inaugural visual novel TRPG The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, and to mark the occasion, the studio has unveiled several exciting developments for the series, including an official manga adaptation and an original stage play featuring multiple endings. Reflecting on the first year since the release of this rather ambitious project in a recent interview with Denfaminicogamer, director Kazutaka Kodaka discussed his vision for the franchise, as well as the future trajectory of the narrative adventure game genre, commonly known as visual novels in the West.
With the genre’s recent surge in popularity, fueled by hit titles such as Urban Myth Dissolution Center, the Paranormasight series, and Magical Girl Witch Trials, Denfaminicogamer inquired about Kodaka’s perspective on the current wave of modern adventure games.
“To be honest, I haven’t played that many adventure games. I explore a variety of different game genres, and I also enjoy reading novels. That being said, I believe exceptional adventure games are those that leverage game mechanics effectively. When it comes to story-driven adventure games, I honestly think novels offer higher quality reading experiences. After all, works by renowned authors are simply more engaging,” Kodaka remarks.
According to Kodaka, if you’re aiming to craft a truly compelling story, you’re essentially competing against literary giants like Keigo Higashino (famous for his mystery novels). And to outshine them as a developer, you’ll need to harness the unique systems and expressive tools inherent to the video game medium, evoking emotion in players through the narrative.
“For instance, the act of flipping pages itself can be considered a gameplay element, and I believe works that truly embrace these aspects can be classified as outstanding adventure games,” Kodaka adds. While acknowledging the genre’s recent flourishing, particularly in the indie space, he also expresses that he feels the genre is experiencing systemic stagnation in terms of game design.
Similarly, creator of 428: Shibuya Scramble, Jiro Ishii, echoed this sentiment in a recent interview, noting that visual novels and story-driven adventure games may have reached an “evolutionary dead end” in the last decade. However, he clarifies that titles like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, the Zero Escape Series, and Gnosia (which he labels “open-world” and “roguelike” visual novels) have opened doors for potential innovations in the genre.
Along the same lines, Kodaka hopes that upcoming creators from Japan will produce something that can liberate the story-driven adventure genre from stagnation. “I truly hope that a groundbreaking work showcasing a completely new storytelling approach will emerge from Japan. Everyone has their own preferences, but personally, I’d love to see Japanese developers create something akin to Return of the Obra Dinn or No Case Should Remain Unsolved.”
When asked about his thoughts on some of the recent successful indie games heavily inspired by Danganronpa, Kodaka expressed relief that his flagship title remains relevant even 15 years post-release. “But if I actually play them, I’m going to end up wanting to critique them. I don’t want to become a grumbly old man, so I avoid playing them altogether (laughs).”