TGS: Marvelous' Hashimoto: '2D Requires Sacrifice'

Vanillaware is the company behind such games as Princess Crown, and recent media darling Odin Sphere, and is currently developing Oboro Muramasa, a 16:9 high-res (480p) 2D action game for the Wii. Gamasutra spoke with Yoshifumi Hashimoto, the producer from Marvelous, the game’s publisher, about the resurgence of 2D console games in recent months -- three high-res 2D games are currently in development from different companies (Nintendo, Marvelous, and SNK Playmore). "Because it’s high-res," says Hashimoto, "making those high-res dot graphics are really difficult. We have to put our lives and sacrifice into making this game." Hashimoto went on to admit that the game might not be a huge seller, certainly targeted at the core market -- but that the developers are trying to make it playable for casual audiences as well. "As for why we’re doing this, it’s really because I play these games myself for fun, and just like them," he says. "Really, for all of us, we’re making a 2D game because we love them." Gamasutra will have a larger interview with Hashimoto at a later date, dealing with topics such as the difficulty of making a 2D game playable in both 16:9 and 4:3 formats, and the creation of high-res 2D.