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This Is the Final Majora’s Mask Discussion — ZELDA STAFF INTERVIEW ENCORE!

Continuing from last month’s issue, all the development staff were kind enough to talk about Majora’s Mask with us. We’re sharing discussions we weren’t able to present last month, on the inside of the Moon, Anju’s wedding ceremony, the Fierce Deity Mask, and more… Please enjoy these secret stories from development, which are all the more fun to read because you’ve played the game!

Participants

Yoshiaki Koizumi
Game System Director
Born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1968

Mitsuhiro Takano
Script Director
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1967

Takaya Imamura
Art Director
Born in Nara Prefecture in 1966

The Anju’s Wedding Ceremony Event, Dreamed Up at a Staff Wedding Banquet

Koizumi: The wedding ceremony event came to us at the reception hall when one of our staff members (at the Entertainment Analysis & Development Division) was getting married.

Takano: The groom had a hairstyle like Kafei’s. When we saw that, we were like, “Hey, we can use this!” We were mostly ignoring the wedding, saying, “This is game material right here.” (Laughing)

Koizumi: Right around that time, there was a commotion about North Korea’s Taepodong missiles*, so Takano, Aonuma, and I were joking, “It sounds like a missile’s going to fall on us today. Should we really be having a wedding?” and getting excited, saying, “This plotline could actually work!”

*Translator’s Note: According to a Japanese government report, on August 31, 1998, shortly after midnight (JST), North Korea carried out a test that involved firing a ballistic missile towards the sea of Japan. The launch was carried out without any prior warning, and made it clear that North Korean possessed the technology to manufacture missiles capable of reaching Japan, provoking much anxiety.

All while ignoring the wedding? (Laughing)

Koizumi: You got it. Right as a missile could’ve been falling towards us. (Laughing)

Imamura: Right as I was trying my hardest to practice my performance for the banquet. (Laughing)

Koizumi: Our jokes, like, “Should we really be putting on happy faces and having a wedding ceremony? Isn’t a missile going to fall on us?” and the setting with the moon falling down were a perfect match.

Takano: You never know where stories will fall. (Laughing)

Imamura: Exactly. Takano’s getting married soon, you know!

Anju and Kafei’s Wedding

Congratulations! Please be careful that it doesn’t get turned into a plotline. (Laughing) Incidentally, I feel like the wedding ceremony during the ending can be interpreted in multiple ways. Was Kafei able to return to his adult form?

Koizumi: I’ll leave that up to your imagination. Maybe he turned back into an adult, maybe he’s still a kid… When I mentioned that I wanted to do a scene that could be taken either way in that sense, everyone agreed that it would be better.

Assuming that the position of the camera represents Kafei’s point of view, then I feel like he was able to become an adult again…

Koizumi: Or maybe he’s just wearing high-heeled boots! (Laughing)

*Translator’s Note: One might be tempted to think that they didn’t want to create a model for Adult Kafei, but it seems like they did. Remember the young man who works at the Kakariko Potion Shop in the Child Era of Ocarina of Time? An updated object for him goes unused in Majora’s Mask. In addition, the actor for this object is loaded in the room where Kafei and Anju meet to exchange masks. Coincidence?

The Secret Story of Toto’s Creation

Koizumi: Originally, the Indigo-Go stuff was a setting in Aonuma’s scenario. If the band was that famous in Termina, though, we felt that it would be weird for them not to perform at the carnival, and decided on a setting where they’d put on a performance. Then, that turned into a setting where there were plans for a performance, but the manager would come by to say no. This meant that we suddenly needed to create a manager. At first, he was just going to be a regular guy in the business, but when we left it with the designers, they came back with this strange, portly guy. So, then, it was like, “Well, this wasn’t anything like what we were thinking of, but he’s interesting, so why not?” I guess most characters were created like that, going from “Let’s do it this way,” to “It’s like this now,” to “I guess that’ll do.”

Majora’s Wrath, a Scene From a Staff Member’s Dream Recreated in the Game

Imamura: At the beginning, when I created Odolwa, I asked Morita, the boss programmer, whether we wouldn’t be able to give him a whip. At the time, he told me, “That would be kind of difficult.” However, at the end, when I created Majora’s Wrath, Morita had made a really great whip, and I was like, “This is awesome. Can you give him one for each hand?” and then it was like, “Oh, that’s even better!” Plus, Morita told me that he’d had a dream where a demon* was spinning a top, so in the end, we decided, “Oh, in that case, let’s put a top in too!”

*Translator’s Note: The Japanese name of Majora’s Wrath is ムジュラの魔人 (Mujura no Majin), which can translate to Majora’s Demon.

Koizumi: By the end of development, everyone was dreaming about game characters.

Link Is Hounded by Houseplants

Takano: Also, the cutscene at the beginning where Link’s attacked by Deku Scrubs was created by (cinema scene director Takumi) Kawagoe with no particular reasoning behind it, but when Aonuma saw it…

Imamura: He made a huge deal about that, didn’t he! Saying, “This happened in my dream!” (Laughing)

The Vanishing Adult Link Mask and the Two Types of Giantifying Masks

Koizumi: The mask that let you become Adult Link stuck around till the middle of development. Being able to switch between child and adult forms was a plot point in the last game, which wasn’t the case this time; we’d decided that Majora’s Mask was a game in which you could transform from Child Link into various races. For that reason, even if you could turn into Adult Link, our intention was just to have it as a bonus feature. Those were our thoughts, anyway, but then I said to Imamura that it’d be boring if all you could do was turn into Adult Link, and he wouldn’t actually be powerful…

So, was the Fierce Deity Mask an expansion on the Adult Link material?

Imamura: The Fierce Deity’s Mask was originally Giant’s Mask material. We’d only decided on 19 masks, and we were told to create one more. It was right around then that Morita and I had been discussing how maybe it would be cool if Link turned into a giant and battled. That gigantified Link and Fierce Deity Link were the same material. When we created the Giant Fierce Deity Mask Link and were testing him out, we realized that he was too big and strong, which wouldn’t make for a good game, so we separated the two.

Why is it that just these two masks can only be used in boss rooms?

Imamura: Hey. (Laughing) When we were done with that, we proposed to Aonuma that since we’d gone to so much trouble, we should make them usable in the field, too. But when we did, he got mad at us and said, “What are you talking about?! Do you really think we’ll be able to pull that off now?” (Laughing) I didn’t know the situation with the schedule, so I was like, “I wonder why…?” (Laughing)

It seems like, with Giant Link, you wouldn’t even be able to enter Clock Town. (Laughing)

Koizumi: Fierce Deity Link would at least need an action for going through doors. Doors correspond to Adult Link’s height, but Fierce Deity Link is taller than Adult Link, so…

Translator’s Note: Fierce Deity Link gets crunched down at the knees when going through doors and performing other animations that require him to be smaller than his regular size. Some unused content hinting at a bigger role for Adult Link remains in the final game, such as messages (1, 2) that only display in the Japanese version if you’re Fierce Deity Link and soft-lock the other versions, a spawn point for him in the Town Shooting Gallery, and non-boss enemy reactivity to his beam attack.

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As you may have noticed, I haven’t updated my site in years and years. Plus, it looks pretty broken. Due to various reasons, I stopped publishing things on here for a long time. However, I’ve continued doing similar work behind the scenes, and I’d like to get back to sharing my game translations, discoveries, and analysis, documentation work with all of you.

One caveat – I’ve been away for so long that I can barely remember anything I used to know about web editing, and a lot of my knowledge is deprecated. That means I’m going to have to do a lot of studying to catch up! The site will continue to look rough while I gradually try to restore the organization and functionality that existed when it was still actively updated, and work towards reimplementing an appealing design. There are also unfinished articles that remain password protected, and articles that contain contain broken links and images, as well as out-of-date info. I hope you’ll bear with me!

I’ve recently been having fun digging around in the source code of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, so I’ll probably be posting about that soon. I also have some other stuff up my sleeve that I hope you’ll enjoy!

Thanks for visiting!

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Because the Spaceworld ’97 demo predated the games’ Japanese release by exactly two years, Kouichi’s detailed account is a fascinating time capsule that gives fans a peek at how they looked at this point in development.

In addition to translating his writeup, I went ahead and added some commentary with the help of a friend named Sanqui. Without Sanqui’s insight, knowledge, and input, this article wouldn’t be nearly as rich. Kouichi’s account is in green, while my observations are in black. I also interspersed images, video, and formatting throughout the text to make for a more engaging viewing experience.

^{A Japanese fan’s recreation of the Rival and title screen.}

Note: Among the images are several Japanese fan recreations of early Pokémon designs, the source for which I haven’t been able to track down. A number of English fan pages erroneously claim that they’re official art. While the images do not seem to be connected to or originate from Kouichi, the accuracy and level of detail suggests that they may have been created by another Japanese fan who recreated the designs from memory shortly after attending Spaceworld. Because their origin is unknown, I can’t guarantee their authenticity. However, they do largely line up with Kouichi’s descriptions.

Introduction

I visited Nintendo Spaceworld on November 22nd.

Spaceworld ’97 ran from November 21st to 23rd and was held at Tokyo’s Makuhari Messe convention center.

I arrived around 8:20 AM. The doors opened ahead of schedule, at about 8:30, but due to the congestion, I didn’t get in till around 8:50. The wait time was 20 minutes, and you could play the demo for about 10 minutes at a time. There was still some space, so I played Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver once each. Afterwards, I left around noon to get Mew, before coming back and staying till the end of the show. Just before it closed for the day, the kiosks freed up again, so I got to play Silver twice more.

^{People lined up around the block for the Mew giveaway.}

The 1997 trade show featured a 100,000-Mew giveaway sponsored by Nintendo. Pokémon fans who attended Spaceworld queued up for the opportunity to insert their Gen I cartridge into a machine that would upload the legendary Pokémon into an empty slot in their party.

When I wasn’t busy playing, I gathered information by watching others play and viewing the promotional video. The N64 titles were really supposed to be the main attraction for me, but Gold and Silver caught my interest, which meant I had to line up for both, so I spent lots of time doing recon. I didn’t really understand what was different between the two versions.

Specifications

The games are apparently 80% complete, and will be released in March, 1998 for ¥3,500.

Gold & Silver didn’t end up being released in Japan until November 21st, 1999. The American version was even more delayed, hitting U.S. shelves on October 11th, 2000.

Game Intro

The opening movie had a similar feel to the one in the previous games. It went like this:

Game Freak Logo

︎

Lapras Surfing

︎

Jigglypuff Singing & Pikachu Giving Chase on All Fours

︎

Something I Forget & Charizard Using Flamethrower

︎

Title Screen with Ho-Oh

As usual, you could skip the intro by button-mashing.

Seems like the intro movie’s design was already pretty much finalized by this point. The title screen, however, differed from the final:

While very little footage of the Spaceworld ’97 demo has been discovered to date, a short clip of the title screen is available on YouTube in the form of an excerpt from a Polish television program.

Beginning the Game

Like in the previous games, when you chose “New Game”, Professor Oak would appear and explain the game to you. Before this, you could use the settings to change the message speed to “Fast”. This is normally where the name entry screen would appear, but since it was a demo version and not an actual version of the game, my character ended up being named Satoshi.

Satoshi, known to English fans as Ash, is the name of the main character in the Pokémon anime. The default names in the Japanese games are Gold, Hiroki, Tetsuo, and Takashi in Gold, and Silver, Kamon, Tooru, and Masao in Silver. However, Satoshi and Ash are default names in the remakes.

The game started inside the player’s house. At this time, you already had a level 8 Pokémon (which might mean that the event where you receive a Pokémon from Professor Oak was removed for the demo). This could be one of three Pokémon, depending on the ROM:

^{A Japanese fan’s recreation of Honooguma.}

Honooguma

• Type: Fire
• Moves: Scratch, Leer

Honooguma, which translates to “Fire Bear”, appears to have been either replaced by or converted into Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil starts out knowing Leer, but can’t learn Scratch.

^{A Japanese fan’s recreation of Kurusu.}

Kurusu

• Type: Water
• Moves: Tackle, Growl, Water Gun
• Notes: This one looked like a seal.

Likewise, Kurusu, whose name can translate to “Cross”, appears to have been either replaced by or converted into Totodile. Totodile can’t learn Tackle or Growl, but it does learn Water Gun at level 13. (It actually starts out knowing Leer and Scratch, making its moveset closer to Honooguma’s than Kurusu’s.)

^{A Japanese fan’s recreation of Happa.}

Happa

• Type: Grass
• Moves: Tackle, Growth, Leech Seed
• Notes: This one looked kind of like a radish…?

Happa, which translates to “Leaf”, seems to be an early name for the grass starter Chikorita. Chikorita starts out knowing Tackle, but it can only learn Leech Seed via breeding, and it never learns Growth.

No official artwork or screenshots of these original starter Pokémon are known to exist, save for one exception: In October 2013, a Japanese user by the name of Katsu_Nagao uploaded the photograph above to Twitter. In answer to a question from a foreign fan regarding the authenticity of the image, Nagao had this to say:

“This is a photo I took of the Pokémon Gold & Silver demo that was being exhibited at the 7th annual Next-Gen World Hobby Fair, which was held at Makuhari Messe beginning in January 1998. The Pokémon you see from behind is Honooguma, and the Pokémon it’s fighting is a Metapod.”

In any case, let’s return to Kouichi’s account.

The Pokémon you got came equipped with a Berry. When its health dipped below 50%, it would automatically use the Berry to heal itself at the end of its turn. (I believe the amount of HP that Berries heal is fixed, but because my max HP was pretty low to begin with, using one always brought my Pokémon back to full health.)

You also started off with 5 Pokéballs, 10 Potions, 10 Full Heals, 1 Stimulus Orb, and 1 Fire-Up Orb. (When equipped by a Pokémon, the Stimulus Orb would occasionally prevent it from falling asleep, and the Fire-Up Orb would occasionally prevent it from fainting.) Pokémon could equip one item at a time.

There’s actually unused Held Item code that corroborates the existence of the Stimulus Orb.

It’s possible that there was once a full set of Orbs that corresponded to these unused effects. However, it’s interesting that no “prevent fainting” effect is present.

The Special stat, which was kind of confusing in the last games, has been split into two separate stats: Special Attack and Special Defense. Instead of types being divided into Type 1 and Type 2, there’s only a Type category, with some Pokémon being dual-type. Maybe there are even some tri-types!

Alas, no tri-type Pokémon yet.

The player’s room featured stuff like an Nintendo 64, a radio, a PC, and a doll. The news was playing on the radio. It went something like this:

Professor Oak has disappeared from Kanto. Some say he left in search of new Pokémon, while others suggest that he may have become embroiled in something. Regardless, there is some concern for his well-being.

That might mean that the new games are set in the area where Oak ended up.

There’s no mystery behind Professor Oak’s departure from Kanto in the final games. He’s just visiting his friend Mr. Pokémon at his home on Johto’s Route 30, where the player first encounters him and obtains the Pokédex.

^{The player’s bedroom doesn’t start with an N64, but Red’s does!}

Additionally, at the start of the game, the player’s bedroom is sparsely furnished, holding only a radio and a PC. Other decorations, such as the Nintendo 64 and various dolls, are obtained by using the Mystery Gift function, linking your game to Pokémon Stadium 2, or opting to send half your battle earnings to Mom, who will occasionally buy things for you with your own money. (Isn’t she sweet?)

The PC was open to a webpage that said the following:

A new Pokémon called Yoroidori has been discovered. Its type is Flying/Metal.

^{Official art of Skarmory.}

This Pokémon, whose name translates to “Armor Bird”, was likely an early version of Skarmory. Skarmory’s Japanese name is エアームド (Eāmudo), but it’s classified in the Pokédex as an “Armor Bird Pokémon”. The Metal type is now known as はがね (Hagane), meaning “Steel”.

The protagonist and the rival are different from the previous games.

In the demo version, it wasn’t possible to enter Oak’s Lab in the starting town. You also couldn’t rest at the Pokémon Center, which was staffed by a character who looked like Nurse Joy from the anime.

Early	Final

An earlier version of New Bark Town still exists among Gold & Silver’s unused maps. As you can see, it actually did once contain a Pokémon Center. In the final games, the lab in New Bark Town belongs to Professor Elm, not Professor Oak. Unfortunately, all that remains of the early New Bark Town is graphical data, so it’s unclear what the sign in front of the lab read at this point in time.

Heading Out of Town

When you left town via the western exit, you found some tall grass.

The route west of New Bark Town is Route 29, but the list of wild Pokémon our narrator provides doesn’t match up particularly well with the present-day encounter list for this area, nor the encounter list for any other location in the final games.

I ran into a number of wild Pokémon, including Pidgey, Rattata, and Pikachu. Below are the new ones I found:

^{A Japanese fan’s recreation of an early Marill.}

Marill

• Number: 179
• Notes: A water mouse.

Marrill is, indeed, classified as an “Aqua Mouse” in the Pokédex. However, its regional Pokédex number is #130, and its national Pokédex number is #183.

^{A Japanese fan’s recreation of an early Girafarig.}

Girafarig

• Type: Dark/Normal
• Moves: Double Kick
• Notes: Like the name suggests, its body resembled a double giraffe, with a head at each end and no tail.

Girafarig’s type is Normal/Psychic, not Normal/Dark. It can’t learn Double Kick.

^{Official art of Sunflora.}

Sunny

• Notes: A flower.

Sunny may have been an early name for Sunflora, whose Japanese name is Kimawari.

^{Official art of Hoppip.}

Haneko

• Number: 214
• Type: Grass/Flying
• Notes: This one looked like a small mouse, with ears like radish leaves.

Haneko seems to have been an early name for Hoppip, whose Japanese name is Hanekko. Hoppip’s regional Pokédex number is #067, and its national Pokédex number is #187.

^{A Japanese fan’s recreation of an early Ledyba.}

Ledyba

• Number: 202
• Notes: A ladybug.

Ledyba’s regional Pokédex number is #030, and its national Pokédex number is #165.

When I caught a Pokémon, it was registered in my Pokédex, but it seemed like this feature wasn’t finished yet. Pokédex entries for Pokémon that appeared in the previous games used descriptions taken from Blue, while entries for new Pokémon read “This Pokémon has just been discovered. It’s currently under investigation.”

The early screenshot above depicts this generic description being used in the Pokédex entry for Slowking.

When you encountered an opponent, a big Pokéball would appear on the screen, which would be covered by a series of patterns, turn black, and change over to the battle screen.

There are actually quite a few variations on this Pokéball effect, as exemplified in the video above.

The character and move graphics were totally new. In the last games, the backsprite for your Pokémon was zoomed-in. In contrast, this time, the backsprite had the same resolution as the sprite of the Pokémon you’re battling. There was a gauge below your Pokémon’s HP bar that seemed like a progress bar indicating how much EXP it needed to reach the next level. Earning EXP caused the gauge to increase. When you threw a Pokéball, the ball would split into two, and an animation would play that made it look like the wild Pokémon was getting wrapped up. This part lasted a bit longer than in the previous games. Some wild Pokémon held Berries, which made trying to catch them annoying. Also, wild Pokémon would sometimes flee after performing an action. (At the end of their turn?)

In the retail version, if a wild Pokémon is set to flee, that’s the only action it can perform. None of the Pokémon that the player encounters in the demo flee of their own accord. The moves Roar and Whirlwind can also be used to escape from a battle, but the Pokémon mentioned aren’t capable of learning them.

To the west of this area was a plateau, and in the middle was a dungeon that resembled Viridian Forest from the previous games, containing tall grass and trainers. The wild Pokémon I encountered here were Caterpie and Metapod. The trainers had Paras, Venonat, Clefairy, Meowth, and Slowking. It seems like trainers’ Pokémon now have PP, which gets depleted. (Maybe wild ones, too?) The trainers in this area had names like Bug Catcher Junichi, Lass Hidzuki, and Beauty Megumi.

^{Ilex Forest}

The only “forest dungeon” that exists in Johto is Ilex Forest, which has a grand total of one trainer: A Bug Catcher named Kenichi (Wayne). All three trainer names appear in the final games, but their classes and locations differ from the demo:

At the end of the forest dungeon was a gate, where your rival was waiting for you. However, in the demo version, talking to him would cause the game to end.

You first encounter your rival acting shady by peering into the windows of Professor Elm’s laboratory. He soon steals one of Elm’s remaining starter Pokémon, and you subsequently encounter him in the wild standing before the gate to Cherrygrove City. That being said, there’s some unused loss and win text that could be construed as evidence that the rival would have originally chosen a Pokémon from the starters at the laboratory, rather than resorting to theft:

On the topic of attributes, Gust is now a Flying-type move. Also, it seems like Normal is strong against Dark. The move Stun Spore had no effect on Honooguma or Caterpie. (I don’t know if this was due to an attribute, or something else.)

Gust did indeed become a Flying-type move, but the hallmark of the Normal type is that it isn’t super effective against anything. It’s unclear why Stun Spore wouldn’t have been effective against these two Pokémon.

I also got to experience something akin to a clock function. The overworld began to get dark around 4 PM, and in the plateau dungeon, I started encountering Pokémon I hadn’t seen before, despite my previous careful observations:

Night doesn’t fall until 6 PM, and the transition from day to night is instant.

^{Official art of Hoothoot.}

Hoothoot

• Type: Flying
• Notes: An owl.

Hoothoot’s type is Normal/Flying.

^{Official art of Sentret.}

Pukuu

• Notes: A flying squirrel?

The description of this Pokémon suggests it refers to Sentret. However, Sentret’s Japanese name is Otachi, and it doesn’t appear at night.

There might have been others, too. Maybe Schoolboy trainers would also start to appear there around this time.

Schoolboys are known as ジュクガエリ (Jukugaeri) in Japanese, which translates to “coming home from cram school”. This is the reason that our narrator speculates that these trainers might begin to appear around 4 PM, on their way home from school.

The Promo Video

^{Official art of Smeargle.}

In the promo video, I saw Yoroidori, Painter, Buruu (a fairy Pokémon, but maybe a Dark one), and a Poliwhirl using a new move called Rain Dance. It sounds like the new version of the Pokédex will allow you to search Pokémon by type. The Pokédex in the video confirmed the existence of the following Pokémon, albeit in name only: Aqua, Aquaria, Animon, Unown, and Ikari.

As mentioned above, Yoroidori was likely an early name for Skarmory. Painter may have been an early name for Smeargle, whose final Japanese name is Dooburu. Buruu is the Japanese name for Snubbull, which was a Normal-type Pokémon until it became Fairy-type in Gen IV.

^{Official art of Unown.}

Unown has an important role in the games, but there have never been Pokémon named Aqua, Aquaria, Animon, or Ikari. The last name is somewhat curious, however: First off, Ikari is the Japanese name for the move known as Rage, which was introduced back in Gen I. Secondly, the word also appears in the Japanese name for the Lake of Rage – いかりのみずうみ (Ikari no Mizuumi).

Also, Professor Oak mentioned the existence of eggs in the video. As for gender, you could view whether a Pokémon was or by checking its status after you caught it, but I didn’t really understand what it was about.

While gender is displayed next to Pokémon names in the final games, it’s not visible on the battle screen in early screenshots.

Conclusion

That’s all for now! My apologies once again for the sporadic updates. These articles always take a ridiculously long time to do!

If you’d like to read more about Pokémon Gold & Silver, I recommend the links below:

Prerelease Info

• TCRF’s Prerelease Article (In-Progress)
• My Translations & Articles

Unused & Debug Content

• TCRF’s Page on the Games

Code Disassembly

• pret’s Crystal Disassembly (On-Going)
• PikalaxALT’s Gold Disassembly (On-Going)

As usual, you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates! If you’re interested in supporting my work, I can also be found on Patreon.

If you’d like to commission or hire me, check out my work profile. I’m currently seeking employment!

Till next time!

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Remember the “Nintendo Playstation” prototype that was unearthed in late 2015? My friend einstein95 is preparing an article on the development process of this Super NES CD-ROM, from its birth to its cancellation, and I thought I’d help him out by translating some old Japanese magazine articles that have been archived around the web.

The article featured in this post was originally published in the January, 1992 issue of Famitsu magazine. It was scanned and posted to a Japanese site called Game Jouhou & Blog in 2008.

Page 1	Page 2

Once again, there’s more to come, so I hope you enjoy!

Zelda and Mario to be first on the CD-ROM?!

At last, the Super Famicom CD-ROM Adapter has been unveiled. The Famitsu news crew tracked down Shigeru Miyamoto at the CES convention centre in America and tried for an on-the-spot interview. What happened next…?! Read on to find out…!

Now that the specs have been revealed, game development will be easier.

At last, the Super Famicom CD-ROM Adapter has been officially unveiled. It had a simultaneous announcement in America, which took place within Nintendo of America’s pavilion at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There, Famitsu’s team of American correspondents tried for an on-the-spot interview with the one-and-only Shigeru Miyamoto. Could we get anything notable out of him?!

^{The ’92 Winter CES was held at a convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. This biannual celebration of consumer electronics is also a game console carnival.}

Famitsu: Let us jump right in by asking you a few questions about Nintendo’s newly-announced CD-ROM adapter.

Miyamoto: Basically, everything is hush-hush right now. To be honest with you, I’ve been forbidden to say anything but “No comment,” in response to questions about the CD-ROM… So, no matter what I’m asked, there won’t be any new information about the console’s abilities. On top of that, I’ve been busy since the moment I arrived in the U.S., so I don’t even know how much Nintendo has revealed about the CD-ROM’s specs. If I’m not careful about what I say, it’s possible that I’ll accidentally tell you something that hasn’t been announced yet. Just how much did they actually reveal about it, anyway? [Miyamoto looks puzzled.]

*Note: The reversal of the situation caught the Famitsu team a bit off guard. Now we had Miyamoto asking us about the CD-ROM’s official presentation!

Famitsu: According to the announcement, it will go on sale in January of next year, and the price will be ¥27,000. They said that the buffer capacity is 8 Mbits, and they talked about the dimensions of the console, even though the design itself hasn’t been revealed yet. Also, it will attach to the bottom of the Super Famicom… Were the specs at all influenced by your aspirations?

Miyamoto: Well, console development and game development are two different beasts. There was some tentative back-and-forth between me and the console developers, though. Now that we’ve decided on a 1993 release, it will be easier to solve some of the issues that come up during game development, as it means the specs have been finalized. On that note, what else can I answer for you that isn’t related to the console specs? [He laughs.]

Games themselves will be improved by the expanding market!

Famitsu: Don’t worry, we’re well aware that you can’t tell us anything about the console specs. [We laugh.] How about commenting from the perspective of a Nintendo game designer?

^{Nintendo of America had their own exhibit. This is where the announcement of the Super Famicom CD-ROM Adapter took place. It’s also where we did our interview with Miyamoto.}

Miyamoto: Fair enough. So, the price has been announced. I think that the capabilities we’re offering for that price guarantee that the console will satisfy. If that information has been revealed, then I think it’s safe for me to talk a little about the games we have planned for it. I’d like to say something first, though. Well, really, I’m always saying this, but…

When the Super Famicom appeared on the market, it changed the world of gaming. I don’t mean that hardware itself changes gaming, but advances in technology certainly do. For example, at this year’s CES, we’re seeing a lot of smaller PC software developers entering the 16-bit market. [Referring to the Super Famicom and the Sega Genesis]. Back in the days of 8-bit consoles [such as the Famicom and the Master System], developers of computer software couldn’t realize the ideas they wanted to implement on consoles due to their low capabilities. As a result, they weren’t entering the market. With the advent of 16-bit consoles, however, they were able to do the things they wanted to do.

So, the more software companies that we have putting out titles, the greater the chances are that we’ll see some interesting games.

What’s a good fit for the CD-ROM?

Famitsu: So, can you give us some specifics on what kind of interesting games we can expect to play on the CD-ROM?

Miyamoto: Hmmm… Well, let’s just say that the word “interesting” comes with its own set of problems. The industry has oversized dreams for the CD-ROM. Illusions, you could say. We’re going to run into trouble if people think that any genre of game will be enjoyable, just because it’s on the CD-ROM. I believe that some game genres will suit the system, while others won’t be a good fit at all. If we say that there are a hundred genres of video games, I think only 15~30 of them will be a good match for the CD-ROM.

Famitsu: And what would you say those genres would be?

Miyamoto: Actually, you could say I’m still looking into that… [He laughs.] Or you could say that it’s not something I can tell you. [He laughs again.] I do think I can tell you this, however: Imagine there’s a game. Originally, the plan is to release it on cartridge, but then a new system called the CD-ROM comes out, so it gets released on CD, instead. Something like that would make me sad. If developers release CD games that don’t actually need to be on CD, will consumers really be happy to buy them? For example, a Mario game with 1000 stages would just be cruel. I’d like creators to take some time to think these things through.

A 1000-level Mario game would be cruel.

Famitsu: So, you’re saying that you’ve narrowed your focus down to certain genres, and completed development on a CD title?! That means there’s going to be brand-new launch titles for the CD-ROM, though!

Miyamoto: Yes, that’s why I mentioned a Mario game with 1000 stages… [He laughs.] I’m kidding, obviously. Naturally, launch titles for the system are currently in development.

Famitsu: Hmm… Well, knowing Nintendo, we can probably expect the first title to be a Mario game. Can you tell us a bit about it, for the sake of our 5,000,000 readers nationwide?

Miyamoto: Uhm… [He lets out a strained laugh, looking flummoxed.] Well, alright. But only a little! We’ve got plans for a game with Mario in it. We want it to be a “Mario” that players can only experience on the CD-ROM, but what that might actually look like is a difficult question. [He chuckles.] If we can’t develop something like that, maybe we should just release a 1000-level Mario game. [He laughs.]

Famitsu: That’s awesome that we’ll be able to look forward to a Mario game for the CD-ROM!! But one Mario game isn’t all you’ll be releasing, right?

Miyamoto: Uhmmmm… [He really drew this one out.] Let’s just say that you’ll be seeing Mario and Zelda…

Famitsu: Heh heh, so that means that there are currently two titles in the lineup. By the way [Aren’t we persistent!], when the Super Famicom was released, Nintendo unveiled F-Zero as the ace up their sleeve. Naturally, this time around, there’s sure to be another secret weapon in development that will really make use of the console’s capabilities… We’d assume, anyway…

Miyamoto: Yes, of course; there’s sure to be a game like that. It’s just something you’ll have to look forward to… Maybe we should leave things at that, for now.

Famitsu: Right… Perhaps we should. Bit of a shame, though. Thank you very much for talking with us for so long!

What kind of title is it that will make full use of the system specs, and rival F-Zero, the launch title for the Super Famicom? And what can we expect from Mario and Zelda games that leverage the 540 Mbit capacity of the console? There’s no way we’ll be able to tear our eyes away from the goings-on at Nintendo now!!

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Remember the “Nintendo Playstation” prototype that was unearthed in late 2015? My friend einstein95 is preparing an article on the development process of this Super NES CD-ROM, from its birth to its cancellation, and I thought I’d help him out by translating some old Japanese magazine articles that have been archived around the web.

The article featured in this post was originally published in an unspecified volume of Family Computer Magazine. It was scanned and posted to a Japanese blog called Game Tsumitate Meijin in 2012.

There’s more to come, so I hope you enjoy!

New Chip-Equipped Cartridges

• New 8 Mbit cartridges!

There are two aspects to the CD-ROM: an adapter that reads CDs (the CD drive), and a new type of cartridge. Data read from the CD is streamed to the cartridge, allowing it to function on the Super Famicom like a ROM cart. With an 8 Mbit storage capacity, ROM carts just can’t compete.

• Plus, battery backup!

In addition, the new cartridges come equipped with 1 Mbit of backup memory for games that utilize save data, like RPGs. That’s enough to store 16 files in Final Fantasy IV (initially released as Final Fantasy II in North America), or 4 files in SimCity.

• A co-processor? What’s that?

What’s more, the carts also feature a brand-new chip called the co-processor that boosts the Super Famicom’s processing capabilities. That means a variety of image processing potential: from giant, swiftly-moving bosses, to 3D displays that rival arcade machines, to the utilization of the CD-ROM’s capacity for animations that run at 20 frames per second, and beyond.

• So, it goes under the console?

A look at the adapter’s measurements reveals that it’s the same size as the Super Famicom itself. With that in mind, it appears that the console will sit on top of the adapter, as depicted in our artistic interpretation. Naturally, this means that you’ll insert CDs from the front.

You mean, it connects to the bottom of the system?

• Will it connect neatly?

You won’t use cables to connect the CD-ROM adapter to the Super Famicom. Instead, it appears that the systems will connect via extension ports at the bottom of the console. Unlike a disk drive, the RAM adapter will never get in the way. As long as you insert and remove cartridges like usual, you’ll be OK.

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For those unfamiliar, Jewelry Master Twinkle is a puzzle game.

Jewelry Master Twinkle Series – Special Interview

Today, we present a special interview in commemoration of the release of an indie game for the Xbox 360 known as Jewelry Master Twinkle – Jewelry Master Twinkle Light.

This game is Arika’s first self-marketed Xbox 360 title. We put a variety of questions to the development staff.

Why don’t you start by telling us the events that lead up to the development of Jewelry Master Twinkle (JMT) and Jewelry Master Twinkle Light (JMTL)?

The original version (Jewelry Master, a download game for PC published on Arika’s homepage)* was released as a web game targeted towards the international market.

Its game system was solid, but, unfortunately, the rules were too difficult. Therefore, we started planning the game by trying to arrange it in a modern style.

This time around, we developed the interface simultaneously, so it was decided that we would add characters.

It was around that time that we were investigating in-house whether or not we could make a game that used character assets from Netto de Ron. Koike put his hand up and said “Let my team handle it!”, and he let us use his characters.

At the time of the new version’s release, it was presented as an XNA (indie game). Why was that?

We’d previously been requested by the company’s sales department to do periodic releases of game software overseas in order to acquire and preserve the Arika trademark outside of Japan.

It would’ve been a big project for us to do a regular packaged product, something we wouldn’t have been able to realize. However, it was suggested that using an XNA system that players all over the world would be able to download would allow us to do periodic software releases. That’s how it became what it is today.

What points did you fuss over during the development of the new game?

Regarding the arrangement of the game system, we had trouble devising rules that would be easy for the majority of players to understand while preserving the synthesis of gemstones according to the trichromatic light rule found in the original game.

Rules are the core of puzzle games. You can’t just make compromises on them, can you. What else?

Regarding the character and scenario system, in early development, we received a request from Nishitani, the president of the company. “Since we’re going to the trouble of using characters, I want you to put in variations in gameplay based on the character chosen.” It would be boring if all they did was change expressions, so we put in a system that diverged to match the girls’ moods.

We put a huge amount of fuss into creating a system that unfolded from Normal mode to Hard mode to Another mode, which involved several hundred lines from the girls while making sure we had no inconsistencies.

I’m sure there were a lot of things you fussed over and had trouble with, but if there was anything in particular that caused you a ton of headaches, please share it with us!

Like I mentioned above, adjusting the scenarios and game system caused us some trouble, naturally. As for something you wouldn’t expect, it was hell doing the appearance tests for each character’s hidden scenario.

We introduced the hidden scenarios in Normal mode during the sales campaign, so I’m sure there were a lot of people who knew about them already. Actually, we also did hidden scenarios for Hard and Another mode. That being said, getting them to appear is outrageously difficult. When I finally got them to appear after hours upon hours of playtime, I immediately locked the replay data so I wouldn’t accidentally screw up and delete it.

…In any case, the requirements for getting them are really tough, so we encourage truly dedicated players to give it a try.

There are three female characters that appear in JMT. Which did you like in particular?

I loved how ruthless Naoko was.

I see. [Laughs] Next, why don’t you tell us about some other tidbits from development?

When we were doing in-house play tests, we kept getting people who were crazy about cultivating giant gemstones, with no understanding of the rules. “Whoa! Putting them together and making them bigger is really fun. But how do we make them disappear?!”, they’d say.

I’d love to see the scenarios you really fussed over. Please share some tricks to getting better!

New players should be aware of the technique of placing red and green stones vertically. It will make things much better once gemstones disappear.

How about techniques for getting high scores?

Even if you make sliding long gem clusters, it will be difficult to get a high score.

You should try making large square clusters, around 5×5, and stringing them together. Try breaking 1,000,000 points in Normal mode.

Earlier, you mentioned some hidden scenarios. Can you tell us how to get them?

I’ll give you a little hint…

On Normal mode, if you try to get better, one will naturally appear.

On Hard mode and Another mode, there’s one that won’t appear if you don’t deviate completely from regular gameplay. The rest are secret!

Too bad! I’ll have to give those a try later. By the way, what would you say is the game’s chief selling point?

The fact that it’s a beautiful puzzle game.

Puzzle games tend to have gameplay that stoically follows theories to their logical conclusions, but in JMT, you can also enjoy the evil [laughs] goals of progressing the storyline and changing the characters’ costumes.

What’s the difference between the regular version and the light version?

As the name suggests, the light version’s rules are geared towards beginners. We hope that the players who find the game interesting will give the regular version (Twinkle) a shot.

What reactions did you see from players?

Koike’s characters had a big influence. It seems like people were crazier about progressing the storyline than the game itself.

This title is an indie game, and I’m sure it has players all over the world. Did you notice a difference in the reactions of Japanese players and foreign players?

I feel that the sense of difficulty greatly differs between the Japanese and international versions.

People have said the same thing since the days of arcade games, but the international audience are more permissive to greater levels of difficulty…

We heard a number of complaints from Japanese players regarding the difficulty of JMT, while on the other hand, we hardly had any from foreign players. This made us worry.

It’s not that our only goal is to make a difficult game, of course, but if all goes well, we do want a game that players feel they can sink their teeth into.

Thank you for answering all of our questions. How about we finish off with a message to the players?

Once you become proficient at the scenarios, please try to get a high score! The game will gradually become more interesting as you play through for additional challenge!

(C)ARIKA CO.,LTD. 2009,2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Illustrations: Teimichi Koike

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