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Released by Square Enix ("SE") and developed by Platinum Studios, the online action RPG "The Fall of Babylon" is now officially available on the PS4, PS5, and Steam platforms. We took this opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with the main creative team of this game.
*The interview was conducted in early February, and COVID-19 precautions were taken throughout the interview.
SE Producer Junichi Ehara (hereinafter referred to as "Ehara")
Director of Platinum Studio Kenji Saito (hereinafter referred to as "Saito")
Director of Operations, Platinum Studio, Takashi Sugiyama (hereinafter referred to as "Sugiyama")
Platinum Studio Planning Kengishi (hereinafter referred to as "Negishi")
Officially started operations
| Q: This game is about to be officially launched, how are you feeling now?
Jiang Yuan: The development of this game began about 5 years ago, around the release of Neil: The Automatic Humanoid (February 2017), and frankly, I think the development time has been a bit long (laughs). In fact, when I was discussing with Saito (aka Yosuke Saito, who was the producer in The Fall of Babylon and the producer of the Neil series) and which company to go to to work on to develop a hack-and-slash game, there was an alternative development company in addition to Platinum Studios. Of course, since this is our company's inside story, I have not mentioned it to Platinum Studios. We first approached Mr. Inaba of Platinum Studios (a.e., Atsushi Inaba, who became the representative director of Platinum Studio in January 2022) for discussion, and in his second reply, he said, "I've always wanted to try to challenge operational games!" And accepted our invitation, so the current cooperative system was formed.
| Q: Online operation should also be a challenge for Platinum Studio, so how do you feel about the actual development?
Saito: It's a real challenge, this is the first time we've developed a service-oriented game that doesn't have a clear end time, and we're still preparing for a follow-up release, so it's hard to feel like development is over. I'm now looking forward to receiving feedback from players after playing.
Sugiyama: I'm pretty much the same. We're excited to bring this service-oriented game to all gamers, and we're continuing to plan for the next steps in this game." Accepting this interview, to a certain extent, made me feel that the work has been completed, and I have a feeling of relief (laughs).
Negishi: I was also a member of the development from the beginning, and I was very emotional about the twists and turns that came through (laughs). Getting direct feedback from players through social media and other channels is quite new to me. Development teams sometimes feel sorry when a game is released, and the joy of developing a service-oriented game is that it can be continuously updated and upgraded.
| Q: It's nice to have fun developing patches (laughs). You've conducted three closed β tests (CBTs) before, how have players responded?
Saito: The main purpose of our CBT was to test the operation of the server, player matching, etc., so the design of the action part was still relatively weak at that time. But after all, this game is the work of Platinum Studios, so it has received many players' opinions on the action part. Now that the operating feel has been well adjusted, please rest assured.
| Q: Isn't it difficult to develop an online action game with Platinum Studios features?
Saito: Slash and slash games have a "repeatable play" nature, and too intense action gameplay can easily make players feel tired. It's quite difficult to find a balance between the two.
| Q: Then again, is Babylon's Fall targeting hardcore players who like slash-and-slash games? Or is it aimed at a wider audience?
Ehara: Although slash-and-slash games are popular overseas, they are not the case in Japan. We hope that with the excellent story plot and the mode of online action RPG, we can attract more players to play this game and feel the charm of the treasure game.
| Q: Slash and slash games often give the impression that the game doesn't really start until after the main story is over.
SAITO: Yes. We hope that after completing the main story, players will experience the fun of collecting better equipment from various content. The story of this game was carefully crafted by Mr. Iwao (Kenichi Iwao, who wrote in works such as Final Fantasy 11), and I think he created a pretty good story.
| Q: This game adopts the "season system" mode, will the story end with the season?
Sugiyama: The story will continue, but each season will usher in an ending where the player's emotions are released.
Negishi: The story ending of each season will solve the problems faced by the current season, but in the next season, there will probably be new problems, and it will be (laughs).
| Q: How long is a season expected to last?
Jiangyuan: About 3 months. We have already fixed the content of the first 4 seasons. By the way, the equipment obtained by the player can be used across seasons, and there is no need to worry about the hard-won item equipment being lost.
| Q: However, since players can get more powerful equipment in the new season, it is easy to dwarf the equipment that was hard to collect before...
Sugiyama: After the start of the new season, it is natural that more powerful equipment will appear. However, the Forge feature in this game allows players to freely enhance their favorite weapons, and even inherit the attributes of other weapons.
Jiang Yuan: After all, there will be equipment that you definitely don't want to let go.
Sugiyama: If the player collects drawings of a certain piece of equipment, they can make equipment that matches the current strength, so it is important to collect equipment drawings.
| Q: In other words, this game can not only pick up equipment, but also craft powerful equipment?
Negishi: Yes.
| Q: Can the rarest Divine equipment also be crafted?
Negishi: God-level equipment cannot be crafted.
SUGIYAMA: Please try to pick it up (laughs). By the way, the game also provides a system for marking the materials needed to make equipment, which allows players to play more targeted games.
The struggle between platinum style action experience and online gaming action experience
| Q: Is there anything that impressed you during the development process?
Jiang Yuan: What impressed me the most was the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, which forced us to implement remote development. Our SE has little impact because it involves little development work in practice. However, platinum studios are very painful. This is also a big reason why the release time is later than planned.
Sugiyama: Negishi and I belong to Platinum's Tokyo studio, and "The Fall of Babylon" was originally developed simultaneously in Osaka and Tokyo, so in fact, before the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, Tokyo and Osaka had adopted a remote collaborative development model, which is a fortunate thing for us.
Saito: Speaking of which, during the first six months of development, we also invited Sugiyama to Osaka.
Sugiyama: After living in Osaka, I fully appreciated the culture of Platinum Studio (laughs).
| Q: In other words, Mr. Sugiyama was not originally affiliated with Platinum Studios?
Sugiyama: Yes, I joined when Platinum Studios started discussing the establishment of a tokyo branch (which opened in April 2020). Prior to that, I was in charge of the development and operation of online games at another company.
Negishi: Saito has made a lot of core action games so far, while Sugiyama has always made service games, so it was difficult for the two to reach a consensus in the early stages of development (laughs).
Saito: I was the director of the action game with slash elements in Transformers: Destruction (not released in Japan), so I used this as an example to discuss action design with Sugiyama in the early days of development.
Sugiyama: If you compare a single-player game to a sprinter, then an online game is like a long-distance runner, and the two are very different in terms of production methods and design ideas, so it is difficult for us to agree. Later, Inaba could only call Saito and me to the conference room to communicate (bitter laughter).
Negishi: He's the one who makes the fair and humane judgment (laughs).
| Q: Is this also one of the twists and turns that Mr. Negishi mentioned earlier (laughs)? And then the current style of action was formed?
SAITO: Yes (laughs). I think the audience for this action style is very broad, of course, in some content you can still enjoy the fun of hardcore action.
Jiang Yuan: The action design of this game has found a good balance between a wide audience and a hardcore orientation.
How did the action mechanics of fighting with four weapons come about?
| Q: Speaking of the action design that took a long time to complete, in this game, players can freely combine 4 weapons (2 kinds of hands and 2 kinds of coffins) to fight, which looks very novel. How did you come up with this style of fighting?
Saito: It was also one of the twists and turns in the development process, which was gradually determined in the process of making action modules.
Negishi: Actually, we originally considered another system, and the setting of holding 4 weapons was a continuation of that idea. For a time, we used a system of "switching between 4 weapons in turn", but eventually changed to the current form of "two-handed weapons + 2 weapons that are not limited by their own movements".
| Q: In other words, the action module is made first, and then the settings of the operator are determined. Since the weapons equipped with the machine can attack at any time, the random keys can also enjoy the thrill of fighting, and the player who is familiar with the operation can play more tricks, which feels like a very esoteric system.
Saito: Players need to choose their own moves and equipment based on their opponent's reactions when acting, which is one of the fun of this system.
| Q: Can you tell us about your favorite equipment and equipment combinations (combinations of elements that determine your character's abilities)?
Gangwon: The 4 weapons equipped by the player can produce a good combo effect. In many slash-and-slash games, when the player acquires a more powerful weapon, the previous equipment is shelved. However, in this game, players can equip it to other locations to exert additional effects, which also makes the way characters are cultivated more flexibly. Therefore, my favorite combination of equipment and equipment is not fixed, but more of a combination of equipment in my hand to create a suitable plan. If I had to give a specific example, I often used a "bow" that could be attacked from a distance in the early days.
Saito: I love power-type weapons, so I've got 4 sledgehammers (laughs).
| Q: That's really hardcore (laughs). Are there any outstanding advantages of the all-equipped sledgehammer?
Saito: Sledgehammers can attract the attention of enemies, so they have a certain auxiliary effect. Of course, this effect can be achieved even if not all of the sledgehammers are equipped. So I sometimes use it with a shield, but the sledgehammer is my main weapon.
Sugiyama: I also prefer to develop all-round characters in other games, so I usually use the balance of "2 melee weapons + 2 ranged weapons" in this game. This game allows players to equip 4 weapons, and the degree of freedom is fierce.
Negishi: Like Ehara, I like to flexibly change the combination according to the equipment at hand. Each weapon has its own characteristics, and it's interesting to consider how to use them together. After the official version is released, I want to try out the combination of 4 shields.
Jiang Yuan: I hope you will pay attention to the shield masters among the players around you (laughs).
Version 1.1.0, scheduled to be implemented on March 22, will add new races and weapon types, and will launch The Neil: Auto humanoid linkage content on March 29
| Q: The "machine cable" made of special fibers is also a major feature of the action module of this game, specifically what actions can be performed?
Saito: This is an action that can be performed with just one button, and since each race can equip different coffins, the movements of the "machine line" are also different. The Uys (ユーイス人) is a "machine wire chain" that helps characters move to the vicinity of enemies in an instant. The Aghefs (アガフ人) are "machine line snatching", which can use the energy of fallen enemies for their own purposes. The Action of the Greyrians (ゲレリオン人) is "Machine Line Sharing", which restores stamina when connected to their own companions.
Sugiyama: In this game, players can enhance and customize the coffin to obtain various skills and additional effects. However, the skills available to players will also vary depending on the race, so race selection is important. But then again, this game allows players to create multiple characters (up to 3 people at the beginning of the service), and the characters can share equipment under the same account, so it is easy for everyone to try different races.
| Q: It seems that racial differences have a considerable impact on the coffin.
Sugiyama: Yes. The races in this game are equivalent to classes in other games.
Jiang Yuan: By the way, we also plan to add a new race to the 1.1.0 version that will be launched at the end of March.
| Q: So you can expect a version update in March?
Sugiyama: In version 1.1.0, in addition to adding new races, the character creation cap will also be increased to 4 people.
Saito: Version 1.1.0 will also add weapon types to further enhance the fun of equipment collection.
| Q: It's really exciting. Is there a limit to the use of equipment when creating a secondary character?
Sugiyama: There is no limit. Although the characters in this game also have a level setting, the level only affects the custom settings of the coffin, even if the secondary character is only level 1, it can equip all the equipment owned by the player.
Negishi: As the character's level increases, players will have more room for customization, allowing them to combine different combinations. This is also a part that highlights the characteristics of various ethnic groups, so I hope that everyone can try more.
| Q: Service-oriented games can't avoid online activities or linkage cooperation, does this game have any arrangements in this regard?
Jiang Yuan: We plan to launch the first linkage content on March 29, and as for the linkage work, it is naturally "Neil: Automatic Humanoid" developed by Platinum Studios. Players can obtain weapons related to the original game.
Sugiyama: In addition, we plan to sell 2B and 9S clothing.
Negishi: The enemy characters who appear at the event will live up to player expectations and definitely play out our character as the developer of Neil: Auto humanoid.
| Q: Will there be a linkage plot?
Negishi: There is no plot content this time. Except for the "campaign mode", the game basically has no plot design, and the other modes are simply game modes that explore the dungeons.
Jiang Yuan: You can still feel the world view of the original from the game.
Negishi: Npic stanza lines will also change depending on the player's current situation, so I hope you'll pay more attention. It took us a lot of effort to prepare and implement these lines (laughs).
SUGIYAMA: Food information or something (laughs).
Negishi: When things change or the story progresses, be sure to listen to the lines of the stronghold NPCs.
Equipment collection is fun
| Q: This game includes campaign mode, encounter mode, siege mode, duel mode and many other content, can you briefly introduce the characteristics of these modes?
Sugiyama: Battle Mode is a story mode that follows the development of the plot and is also the backbone of the game. The encounter mode, siege mode, and duel mode are all branches and leaves developed on this basis. In The Encounter mode, players can quickly raid the dungeon and easily collect material. The content of Siege mode changes every week, and upon completion, you can redeem special points earned for exclusive items and drawings. In addition, unlike other modes, siege mode brings together many gameplay methods such as machine warfare, defensive warfare, defensive annihilation warfare, and so on.
Negishi: Each mode has a different focus on character attributes, which gives the game a high degree of strategy, allowing players to prepare weapons for these specific attributes in advance.
Sugiyama: Duel mode is the most difficult game content in this game, which is simply the mode of defeating the boss. The mode is specially designed for core players, blending the essence of "slash and slash game" and "Platinum Studio action game", requiring players to develop effective strategies based on powerful equipment to complete the research.
Saito: The strength of boss enemies should not be underestimated, and in fact, only a few of our colleagues in the testing team can defeat them. By the way, I've ever beaten a boss (laughs).
| Q: In other words, in this mode, you can fully enjoy the action experience created by Mr. Saito.
Jiang Yuan: If I were asked to "defeat us on the live broadcast," I would be miserable (laughs).
Sugiyama: In addition, version 1.1.0 also added the "Clamp Execution Mode" (ガントレット), which is a similar obstacle competition mode, which is full of mechanisms painstakingly designed by the Platinum Studio development team. This mode supports timing rankings, and everyone is welcome to actively challenge their own limit pass speed.
| Q: Similar to the time-racing mode?
Negishi: Yes. This time-racing mode is very difficult. Random keys may not pass the level (laughs).
Saito: I think Babylon's Fall is pretty good overall, with players having fun with the combo equipment and having fun with the action.
| Q: Finally, please use a few words to promote "The Fall of Babylon"!
Negishi: Most slash and slash games pay more attention to skill design, while "The Fall of Babylon" is well integrated with action elements, and elements such as players' combat strategies are also integrated into the character development system. I believe that this game will definitely bring you a new experience, please be sure to try it.
Sugiyama: As a service-oriented online multiplayer game, this game is a new challenge for Platinum Studios, and we have put all our efforts into it. However, players often ask, "Can I play this game by myself?" , here I want to tell you that single-player games (which require network verification) can also fully enjoy the fun of the game, of course, we still hope that you will try more multiplayer online mode. This game is a work that can make both light and heavy players enjoy it, and everyone is welcome to match the characters according to their own ideas in the game.
Saito: Given the nature of this service game, I hope that more adjustments can be made in the future according to the player's reaction. It's a challenge for me, it's fun, and it's something players are looking forward to, so I'll keep working on it.
Jiang Yuan: This game was already a complete game when it was released, and we will also be releasing a major version update in the near future. The first season of the Deluxe Battle Pass will be issued for free, from which players can get more than 100 items such as appearance equipment and action emoticons. In addition, in the linkage activity with Neil: Automatic Humanoid, players can also experience different combat fun, and they can also get into items such as A2's appearance equipment. It should be noted that after the end of the linkage, the player will no longer be able to get these items, so interested friends should experience it as soon as possible!
Translated | Loyal Dog Komasa
Edited | Bluestoon