Left Alive - Interview @Dualshockers

Giuseppe: Why did you decide not to include the name Front Mission in the title, considering that the game is set in the same universe?

Shinji Hashimoto: We thought it was a way to show the newness of the franchise, and it would help to have a different name to show that it’s a new direction. It’s still very much Front Mission. We know that some know and love Front Mission. All the lore is still very much the Front Mission universe. The names, the Wanzers, the locations, the historical events in the series are all there. People who know Front Mission will get straight away that this is a Front Mission game.

The name Front Mission is very closely tied to the idea of the traditional simulation strategy style of gameplay. To give that impression of a different genre of game, we changed the name.

Giuseppe: Speaking of simulation strategy style of gameplay. Square Enix has been doing very well with old-school-style games lately. I’m thinking about Octopath Traveler for instance. If Left Alive does well, would you be interested in creating a brand new Front Mission game featuring the traditional gameplay?

Shinji Hashimoto: If the director of the project wants to take it in that direction, I’d support him on that.

Giuseppe: I’d buy it. Two copies.

Shinji Hashimoto: [Laughs] If Nabeshima-san wants to try different things like that, it would be very good to give it a try.

[…]

Giuseppe: You worked for a long time at FromSoftware, and the gameplay seems to be a little bit inspired by Dark Souls, especially in the trial and error aspects and the challenge of overcoming superior odds…

Toshifumi Nabeshima: While it may not be directly about Dark Souls, something I learned in many years at FromSoftware is game design revolving about the idea of achievement and overcoming obstacles. That’s also very consistent in games I’ve worked on before like Armored Core, and I want to keep doing it in the future. I’m not saying that’s the absolutely correct way to make games, but simply how I like to make them.

There are many different ways to think about how to make games and what they should give people, and certainly, there are many who think games should have broad appeal and please everyone regardless of skill level and effort. Of course, those games are perfectly valid, but what I like making and want to do is perhaps a bit more niche. Some will like it, and some won’t. I’m making games for people who love this kind of thing. Of course, it would be great if many loved what I make, but even if there are many who aren’t big fans of this kind of approach, it’s still what I enjoy making.