Junichi Masuda and Hironobu Yoshida Discuss Pokémon X and Y, Mega Evolutions and the 2DS

Posted Fri 20th Sep 2013 12:00 by Katy Ellis - Original Link

Nintendo Life: It's lovely to meet you both today. Thank you very much for letting us play X & Y, we really enjoyed our time with the game. Let’s have a quick ice-breaker question, out of the three new starter Pokémon (Fennekin, Chespin and Froakie) which one would you pick?

Junichi Masuda: The one I pick the most is Fennekin. During my play-testing I found myself always picking Fennekin as my first Pokémon. It’s just so cute and you feel like you really want to take care of it!

Hironobu Yoshida: Well... I like frogs, so Froakie is the one I always pick. [Laughs] I choose you!

NL: We're big Froakie fans too! Sorry Chespin, no love for you here today. So, why did you decide to name this generation ‘X’ and ‘Y’? Do they hold any significance beyond the design of legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yvetal?

Junichi Masuda: We actually came up with the titles before we even had the legendary Pokémon designs. The ‘X’ and ‘Y’ titles come from the X and Y axis and we used these as ways to represent different ways of thought, different opinions, but also where these axis overlap. The message that we wanted to send and the theme we had in mind was finding that common ground that we all share.

Hironobu Yoshida: When it came to the legendary Pokémon design we knew that when viewed from far away we wanted them to look kind of like an X or a Y, so that was the main direction we went for.

NL: In Pokémon Black and White 2 there was a key system, which helped you catch the Regis and gave you access to version exclusive content, such as the Black City and the White Forest. Will there be a similar feature in X and Y?

Junichi Masuda: In regards to the key system that existed in Black and White 2 that was something that we implemented after we had the balance right in Pokémon Black and White, so we put that in to add in some more options as a sequel to the game. But as X and Y is a totally new entry we have added a lot of new changes, and completely rebalanced the game, so we didn’t really think about putting in a similar system this time around.

NL: The look and feel of Kalos is inspired by France; are there other countries which you’d like to base future Pokémon games on?

Junichi Masuda: We’re always thinking about places in the real world to get ideas and inspiration from. This time with Pokémon X and Y we focused on the theme of ‘beauty’ and we really felt that France matched that. The name ‘Kalos’ is actually an ancient Greek word that means ‘beauty’, so that ties in with the theme too. So inspiration for future regions really depends on what kind of theme we’re going for and finding a place in the real world that matches that.

The theme of X and Y is 'beauty' and France matches that. 'Kalos' is actually an ancient Greek word that means 'beauty'.

NL: We loved all of the little cafes dotted around Vaniville Town and Luminose City selling 'chocolat chaud' and 'café au lait’, the French inspiration is very clear![/b]

Hironobu Yoshida: I think that with Pokémon X and Y, even people who have never been to France will maybe play the games, and possibly later on go to France and recognise some of the locations – that would be quite fun! [laughs]

NL: What has it been like moving into fully 3D environments when you've spent so long making the core series in a top-down viewpoint?

Junichi Masuda: This time with the move to full 3D you can freely manipulate the camera angles, which you couldn’t do before. Being able to move cameras around freely and frame the scene just how we wanted added a lot of new possibilities, but at the same time a few challenges. It was difficult trying to get that right. For example, we can show scenes from any angle, but due to hardware limitations we can’t show things that are really far away, the rendering power isn’t quite there so there’s a drop in performance. Because of this we had to find ways around this, for example if we wanted to show a town from far away we can do that camera angle but we have to maybe use a lower polygon model for the background. So there’s a lot of new challenges that we have to deal with by having this new freedom with the camera angles.

NL: Has the move to 3D and increased challenges meant that you’ve had to increase the size of your development team at Game Freak?

We had around 200 people working on the development of X and Y, as well as localisation staff. In the credits around 500 names that appear!

Junichi Masuda: Yes, definitely, we have a much larger group of people working on the games this time around. On the actual development of the game we have around 200 people working on X and Y, and then with the global simultaneous release of the titles we have more localisation staff and other people to make that possible. I think in the credits there is around 500 names that appear. And even outside of those people, there are some involved in the development of the game in some way!

NL: In X and Y there are a new group of villains called Team Flare – could you tell us a little bit about them?

Junichi Masuda: So this time around I think that the villainous team are a bit more charming, and funny than maybe other groups in past games. But with the global simultaneous release of X and Y I really want people to experience Team Flare for themselves, and find out exactly what they’re up to.

NL: [laughs] Okay, let's try to keep this spoiler-free then! We absolutely love the roller-skating and how you can ride about on Pokémon in the new game! What are your personal favourite aspects of X & Y?

Junichi Masuda: Ever since the development of Black and White finished and even before it went on sale, I wanted to focus on the concept of beauty this time around, and I really like the world we managed to create. But when it comes to a favourite specific element I think it has to be Pokémon Amie mode. I’ve always wanted to be able to reach out and pet Pokémon, and with Pokémon Amie I’ve finally been able to make that possible, as you can can also play with them. For example you can do little copying mini-games, where you tilt your head and your Pokémon copy you, or maybe you close your eyes and they close their eyes too – of course you can’t see them, you’ve got your eyes shut, but they’re doing it! [laughs]

NL: Are there any battle or stat benefits to regularly using Pokémon Amie mode?

Junichi Masuda: Yes, by doing this you build a more personal relationship with your Pokémon, and it has some gameplay benefits. The better friends you become, the more your Pokémon might start dodging moves in battle, or landing more critical hits.

Hironobu Yoshida: From a graphics designer perspective I was in charge of creating the Pokédex for X and Y, so this is my favourite element of X and Y. This time we’ve been able to move into 3D so the actual Pokémon model will appear on the Pokédex screen and you can freely move it around, and look at the Pokémon from any angle.

NL: Were there any extra features that you wanted to put in X & Y that didn’t quite make the final cut?

Junichi Masuda: Of course I have a lot of ideas every time around, so quite a few of them didn’t make it into the final game. It really comes down to balancing the ease of implementation and whether or not people will really enjoy that feature.

NL: Is there an example you could give us?

Junichi Masuda: Well… Now I have to think of something that, you know, won’t be used by competitors! [laughs] But one thing that I wanted to put in that didn’t quite make it was a translating machine for Pokémon cries, to find out what they’re saying. So you have this machine, and when a Pokémon cries out something, text would appear telling you exactly what that Pokémon is saying.

Hironobu Yoshida: Really? I never knew!

Junichi Masuda: Yes, I really wanted to put that in, but then thinking about the amount of text that we would have to include, with now over 600 Pokémon, it would be a really big task. This could be something that might appear in future games, but it sadly didn’t make X and Y.

NL: Nintendo’s new 2DS console is launching on the same day as Pokémon X & Y, was this always planned?

Junichi Masuda: This was actually something that Nintendo decided. We had heard about the 2DS from Mr. Iwata at Nintendo and he told us that he wanted to release the console on the same day as X and Y. We were really happy to hear that actually! [laughs] It’s obviously going to be very beneficial to us, and also allows younger players to pick up a handheld and Pokémon X and Y more easily. They even created Red and Blue colour variations, which is a great match for X and Y! [laughs]

NL: That is rather handy! Let’s talk about new Pokémon. When designing new Pokémon, do you take into consideration what they would look like in the real world or let physics influence your designs?

Hironobu Yoshida: Every time we create a new Pokémon we always focus on whether it would make sense for them to exist in their environment. One time I remember I was creating a rabbit based Pokémon with a flower on its nose and someone said to me “Why are you doing that? It doesn't make any sense!” so now I always now think about Pokémon that would make sense in the context of their environment.

Junichi Masuda: Of course Pokémon don't exist in real life, they come from our imaginations [laughs] but we want to make creatures that are believable enough that could exist in real life! There needs to be a reason behind the element that’s attached to it. For example, does a Pokémon need a mouth? Does it eat? How does it breathe? We always think about all these different aspects when creating new Pokémon.

NL: Speaking of new Pokémon, the new Fairy type is the first new Pokémon type addition since Pokémon Gold & Silver. Was it challenging creating and inserting a new type into the game?

Junichi Masuda: Oh yes! The most difficult thing about adding a new type of Pokémon is that it completely changes the balance of Pokémon battles. We have a team over at Game Freak that focuses solely on getting this balance right, so when adding fairy type they were looking at each individual Pokémon and thinking of all the different combinations of moves in battle and how the balance of the fight would change because of that. They even hosted internal competitions at Game Freak to battle amongst each other and check that everything was perfect! [laughs] Getting that balance right was really important, but also very difficult.

The most difficult thing about adding a new type of Pokémon is that it completely changes the balance of Pokémon battles.

NL: We're really looking forward to training up some new Fairy type Pokémon, and taking down those pesky Dragon types! Moving on to Mega Evolutions, why did you decide to include a new form of temporary evolution in X and Y? Are they significant to the storyline?

Junichi Masuda: So really there were three key themes for the game this time around, I mentioned 'beauty' as one, one of the others is the bonds between people and Pokémon which is represented in the Pokémon Amie mode, and the third is evolution. Evolution is one of the key defining characteristics of Pokémon games and we wanted to bring it to the next level and really generate a surprise when people see their Pokémon evolve into a new form. We didn't just want to add another evolution level that was permanent and just makes the Pokémon more powerful, and so by making Mega Evolutions a temporary experience just for battles it adds a new dynamic to the battle. If you want to Mega Evolve your Pokémon can't hold any other items, so you have to really think about your strategy.

NL: It's amazing to see some of our old favourite Generation I Pokémon in a new form. Mega Kangaskhan and baby Kangaskahn are adorable! In Pokemon X & Y there are also two Mega forms of Mewtwo, Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y. Was there a reason why you chose to create two special, version exclusive forms of this particular Pokemon?

Junichi Masuda: Mewtwo is a Pokémon for which GameFreak has a special fondness. We came up with Mega Mewtwo X and Y because we thought that by having a two different types of Mewtwo, Pokémon battles would become more strategic and at the same time it would encourage trading. We think it will create a nice surprise to the fans.

NL: We noticed when playing Pokémon X and Y that older Pokémon from previous generations are everywhere in the Kalos region, and pop up as often as newer Pokémon. What influenced the decision to give the player one of the original Pokémon Red and Green starters as well as Kalos starter Pokémon? Are you looking to entice fans of the original games who may not have tried the newer Pokémon titles?

Junichi Masuda: One of the themes in Pokémon X and Y is evolution and one of the player’s missions is to discover more about Mega Evolution. Initially we didn’t come up with the idea of being given Pokémon from Pokémon Red and Green Version, but we had to think of a way to obtain the three Generation I starter Pokémon in order to get the users to experience Mega Evolution of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. This led to the idea that they are given as a present by Professor Sycamore. We’d like a lot of people to play Pokémon X and Y - new fans as well as returning players who played Pokémon in the past.

NL: The Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter sound like great apps, and something series fans have wanted for a long time now. Could you give us a detailed explanation of how the accounts work? For example, will siblings or friends be able to share one Pokémon bank account so that they could trade Pokémon without both having to be available at the same time? Or, will you be able to have a second account if you're crazy enough to fill it with 3,000 Pokémon?

Junichi Masuda: You can now transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Black and White Version and Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 by using the Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter and you can store as many as 3,000 Pokémon in the Pokémon Bank. Because the Pokémon Bank is linked to each Nintendo 3DS console, it is possible to download your Pokémon stored in your Pokémon Bank and move it to your friend’s Pokémon X and Pokémon Y by inserting your friend’s Pokémon X and PokémonY cartridge into your Nintendo 3DS. The European release of Pokémon Bank is December 27th, but we will be announcing more details and mechanisms at a later date.

NL: Fantastic, I'm sure fans will be pleased to hear that they can access their friend's Pokémon Bank account easily for trading. One final question: we’ve spotted a certain video on the internet from an event in Japan showing a short clip of Lucario fighting Blaziken on a street scene, which looks suspiciously like Wii U graphics... Was this a teaser for a true Pokémon title for the Wii U?

Junichi Masuda: [smiles] Ooh, I wonder what it was... I'm not sure... [laughs]

NL: Oh go on! Don't dash our dreams!

Junichi Masuda: That was actually a video which was shown at the Pokémon Games Show, an event in Tokyo last month and it was showing the history of Pokémon games as well as the future. It was kind of a concept about what the future of Pokemon may look like...

NL: It sure looked interesting whatever it was! Thank you very much for your time, it was lovely to speak to the both of you.