Reynatis Q&A with TAKUMI, Yoko Shimomura, and Kazushige Nojima

When Reynatis was originally announced earlier this year, it gained a good bit of traction due to some of the key staff involved with the project, including Final Fantasy veterans Kazushige Nojima penning the scenario and Yoko Shimomura providing the soundtrack. Now, ahead of its release on September 27, RPG Site had the opportunity to send questions over to those same creators.

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We were able to ask three questions to each of the following:

TAKUMI, Creative Producer at FuRyu
Kazushige Nojima, Scenario Writer (previous work includes Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts)
Yoko Shimomura, Composer (previous work includes Live a Live, Super Mario RPG, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy XV)

You can find the responses below. You can look forward to our full review of the game in the coming weeks.

TAKUMI

RPG Site: How does Reynatis’ combat or supporting mechanics stand out from other action/RPG games?

The biggest difference is the Hoodie System that players will use both in exploration and combat. Exploration is more of a side feature, but its use in combat sets it apart from just about every other RPG out there, so please pay special attention to that aspect!

RPG Site: What inspired the mode-switching mechanic that the combat is built around?

These modes are related to the game’s themes of feeling like you cannot express yourself due to peer and social pressure (Suppression), but wanting people to be able to express their own individuality as they see fit (Liberation). These two ideas are used for two different aspects of combat. This system is brand new and something that I think it is very unique compared to other games.

RPG Site: Did the idea for the combat come first, or did it stem from the game’s themes, and how?

First I come up with a plan for the project, and then the themes, messages, and concepts. From there, we went to work adding the world setting, game systems, and so on that would best allow players to experience those things.

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Kazushige Nojima

RPG Site: Can you describe how Nojima and TAKUMI collaborated to create the world, concept, and characters for Reynatis? How did this come about?

There were the male and female main characters. Suppression and Liberation. The existence of groups in opposition to each other. And there was another world. From my memory, these were the elements already in place by TAKUMI. I thought about how to incorporate those elements into a world. From there, we went through several iterations to get it right.

RPG Site: Reynatis features two main characters: the wizard Marin and an officer Sari, who works to “keep wizards under control”. Can you elaborate the dynamic between these two characters, besides “antagonistic”?

That’s difficult to answer this without spoiling anything. Marin is symbolic of a difficult-to-handle societal problem, while Sari symbolizes society’s tolerance. By depicting their relationship, I thought we might be able to express some of the issues that society is facing.

RPG Site: In the Famitsu interview, you discuss the game’s partial emphasis on realism and having to do extra work and research in writing the scenario. Can you elaborate or give an example of this?

I always have the scenario and the world setting whirling around in my mind when I’m writing, but for this game, I actually walked around Shibuya and took those feelings [of what I had just seen and experienced] to write the scenario. It was a very fresh experience. On the other hand, I was worried that something I had written would turn out to be a lie [in regards to Shibuya], but walking around the town, those fears were alleviated.

Yoko Shimomura

RPG Site: How much music did you compose for Reynatis, and what kind of mood did you want to set in this title?

I made 20 compositions. Aside from those, there are 10 arranged tracks. Even though the atmosphere is dark and oppressive, there is a way to pierce though, or at least a coolness within that, so I tried to put that atmosphere into my compositions.

RPG Site: The Famitsu interview mentions various “emotions, imagery” that TAKUMI shared in his request to Shimomura for her compositions. Can you share what some (at least one) of these emotions/imagery was, specifically?

For example, the notes for battle were things like: “start with a bang,” “the sense of the setting,” “despair,” “chorus,” and “suppression and liberation.” The most difficult for one me was the instruction that said: “pipe organ,” “relaxed,” “church,” and “bar.” I thought, “A bar in a church?!?!”

RPG Site: You mention in the Famitsu interview about creating sound ‘genres’ you don’t normally make. Can you elaborate on this? Is the difference mostly in instrumentation, cadence, tempo, etc?

I think that the Shibuya theme doesn’t have the same feel as my usual compositions. I don’t get requests for compositions like that in the first place. The difference is the genre.

Reynatis is set to release on September 27 in North America and Europe for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).