GameSpy: I noticed there's a big change from Unlimited SaGa and what prompted how the series is evolving?
Kawazu: Unlimited SaGa was a special game for us in terms of presentation and gameplay. It was an experimental game. This time I wanted to stick closer to RPG conventions so more people could enjoy it. Square-Enix really wants this one to be a little more in line with expectations.GameSpy: This is a remake of a game that didn't come out in the United States. Is there any information a U.S. player should know about the old game to enjoy this one more?
Kawazu: I feel that it would be best if U.S. gamers look at this as a completely new game because it is so much different from the original.GameSpy: The SaGa series has not been as popular as Final Fantasy in the United States. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on why, and what barriers it might have to U.S. fans?
Kawazu: The SaGa series hasn't adopted the same visual style of presentation that the FF series has, so that has gotten in the way of its acceptance in the U.S. market.
GameSpy: I would also say that the gameplay is a little different and more complex than FF. What separates the SaGa series from other RPGs?
Kawazu: I put myself in the design team, and we pride ourselves on the very advance level of gameplay. We're hardcore gamers making games for hardcore gamers. That's probably the greatest gameplay difference between the SaGa series and the Final Fantasy series.GameSpy: The game also has nonlinear presentation. You can pick different characters in different order, but you can also do the story differently within their chapters. How does this affect the story of the game as you play?
Kawazu: The player can choose a character, and in the beginning there's an opening event that explains the background behind each character -- something the player has to see. But after that, until the very end of the game and the final enemy has been defeated, the player has total freedom to do what he wants to do. For example, the player could come across a certain creature and make friends with or fight it. The experience and the events in the game are based on the player's actions and there's nothing that you have to do.GameSpy: With this gameplay, is it possible to make a wrong move and go somewhere you shouldn't go, or does that open up special items or something?
Kawazu: There's no real area of the game that the player isn't supposed to go to. If you go off the beaten path, there's a chance you might run into a powerful enemy. However, if you defeat the enemy you will have a powerful reward, so that concept of risk vs. reward that's important to the game, so the risk directly affects the reward the player gets.GameSpy: Is it a challenge to develop a nonlinear RPG?
Kawazu: Yes. It is a very great challenge, because unlike traditional games, you cannot simply plan what's going to happen in the game. Much testing is required because players do things you don't expect, such as going to an area where you don't think they'll be. And so in order to try and get all of the unforeseen elements out of the game it requires a lot of testing.
