{"id":1279,"date":"2024-09-12T14:41:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T14:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rjbarrett.redirectme.net\/?p=1279"},"modified":"2024-09-12T14:41:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T14:41:00","slug":"christopher-ortiz-aka-kiririn51-talks-45-parabellum-bloodhound-inspirations-fan-reactions-va-11-hall-a-the-silver-case-and-much-more-toucharcade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rjbarrett.redirectme.net\/?p=1279","title":{"rendered":"Christopher Ortiz AKA kiririn51 Talks .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND, Inspirations, Fan Reactions, VA-11 Hall-A, The Silver Case, and Much More \u2013 TouchArcade"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Over the years, I\u2019ve been able to interview some of my favorite developers ever including a few I never though would be possible, but it isn\u2019t often I get to talk to one of the few people responsible for what is likely my favorite game of all time. That\u2019s where Christopher Ortiz AKA kiririn51 of Sukeban Games comes into the picture. We\u2019ve covered their titles on TouchArcade for years because at one point VA-11 Hall-A was even supposed to come to iPad (and I asked about that later in this interview). With Sukeban Games\u2019 newest project, .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND, officially announced, I had a chance to have a long chat with Christopher Ortiz about the game, fan reactions, VA-11 Hall-A, inspirations, Suda51, The Silver Case, and also coffee of course. <\/p>\n

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TouchArcade (TA): <\/strong>Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Sukeban Games.<\/p>\n

Christopher Ortiz (CO): <\/strong>I\u2019m Chris, I\u2019m a game creator and I do way too much in this company. I like to hang out with friends and eat delicious food when I\u2019m not locked in.<\/p>\n

TA: <\/strong>I last spoke to you in 2019 around the time VA-11 Hall-A hit PS4 and Switch following its prior release on PS Vita and its debut on PC. Even back then, as a fan of the game, it was wild seeing so much merchandise and promotion in Japan. You recently visited Japan for Bitsummit. How has it been for you visiting Japan and seeing the reception to VA-11 Hall-A and now your new project, .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND?<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>Japan is like my home away from home even if its government doesn\u2019t like it, so that\u2019s a homecoming for me. Very emotionally charged. I also haven\u2019t been at a game event as an exhibitor since Tokyo Game Show 2017; that was 7 years ago. That\u2019s 7 years of roaming game events and being like \u201cI want that\u201d \u201cI want some of this energy\u201d. Now I feel like a pro-wrestler that\u2019s coming out of retirement to a brand new world and industry; I\u2019m lost, confused, not knowing if I still have it\u2026 but I was worried about nothing. People didn\u2019t forget about us and still support the studio no matter what, so I\u2019m never taking shit for granted, or letting these memories slip away. This will be my fuel to move forward.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>I consider VA-11 Hall-A one of my favorite games of all time, and I replay it each holiday season. When you worked on it many years ago, did you ever expect to see it grow this big and even get multiple figures with a new one coming for Jill soon? <\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>I didn\u2019t expect the game to sell more than 10-15k copies, but we definitely knew we had something special brewing, or else we wouldn\u2019t have pushed through with it. It\u2019s just that the scale of said success was a little overwhelming and I think we\u2019re still recovering from some of its unexpected side-effects.<\/p>\n

TA: <\/strong>VA-11 Hall-A is now playable on PC, Switch, PS Vita, PS4, PS5 (through back compatibility). Whatever happened to that iPad version that was announced years ago? Are ports like that up to Ysbryd or do you also have some involvement? I\u2019d love to see it hit Xbox as well if that\u2019s possible. <\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>I actually playtested a build for iPad but it didn\u2019t go anywhere for whatever reason. Maybe I failed to respond to an email. You\u2019d have to ask the publisher.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>Many years ago, Sukeban Games were just Kiririn51 (yourself) and IronincLark (Fer). How has the team changed since then? <\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>We\u2019re currently six people. Some have come and go, but overall we want to keep a small and tight operation.<\/p>\n

TA: <\/strong>Leading into this question -> How has it been working with MerengeDoll? <\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>Merenge\u2019s a trooper. She has this supernatural ability to pull ideas directly out of my brain and give them visual shape, so it\u2019s always been a pleasure to work with her. It sucks that some of the projects she was working on as main artist got canned for reasons beyond our power, but it is what it is. The day will come when people will get to see Merenge\u2019s true power. There\u2019s still a lot of Merengedoll in 45pb so that\u2019s cool as hell.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>Can you talk about how it was working with Garoad on the music on VA-11 Hall-A? Just like the game, the soundtrack is one of my favorites ever.<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>Michael and I always had similar music tastes and influences, so the process was very free-form. He\u2019d make a track, and I\u2019d love the shit out. Repeat the process until the soundtrack is ready to go. Sometimes I would send him a song I liked as a reference, sometimes he\u2019d create a completely original song that would inspire images in the game, then the images would inspire more music. This synergy gave the game a firm identity that stands the test of time in my opinion.<\/p>\n

TA: <\/strong>I didn\u2019t realize it until recently, but VA-11 Hall-A kind of became one of those indie games that had a very vocal fanbase and got a good amount of merch that keeps selling out. I think the vinyl box sets are also on multiple pressings now and that SLUT shirt keeps selling out. A good friend of mine recently bought it as well. How much input do you have in the merchandise? Is there anything you want to see made that hasn\u2019t happened yet?<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>I don\u2019t have much input on merch creation. I mostly give the thumbs up or down once a whole chain of people already made the hard choices beforehand. Would like to be a little more involved for 45pb now that I know what I\u2019m dealing with.<\/p>\n

TA: <\/strong>I still have a few more questions before getting to your new game. Let\u2019s go back to 2019 for a second. Playism\u2019s JP release of VA-11 Hall-A included a fantastic art book cover. I really wish I could get that piece of art signed by you and framed. Can you talk about the inspiration for it and how you pay homage to your favorites like that in your work?<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>Back when I drew that cover I was going through really tough times; even though I hadn\u2019t fully realized yet. We were very focused on surviving the collapse of our country and many other things.<\/p>\n

During this time, at our old office, we\u2019d listen to a lot of Gustavo Cerati; his album Bocanada to be more precise and its tunes managed to keep us going in the face of uncertainty. So when I was asked to draw a new piece for the artbook I couldn\u2019t help but pay homage to it. I admit now that it\u2019s a little too overt and I would do it differently now, but I\u2019m still proud of it. In fact, I\u2019ve been reconsidering my approach to inspirations a lot in the past few years, and this will be obvious once people play 45pb.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>You and Fer have spoken a lot about VA-11 Hall-A over the years, but I cannot pass up a chance to talk about how amazingly written and designed the characters are. Looking back at the work you put into it, did you expect certain characters to become as popular as they did? <\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>I expected Stella to be the most popular one since her gifs would often go viral before release, but you can never predict this sort of thing. And it\u2019s like I said before; I sort of knew certain things were gonna be a hit, I\u2019m just unable to properly articulate why I thought that way or why it worked, and at this point I rather not know. The moment a hunch becomes a science the magic disappears. Formulas are terrible in this line of work. You gotta let things flow; Let them become their own beautiful thing.<\/p>\n

TA: <\/strong>I\u2019ve joked with friends about how N1RV Ann-A is my \u201cSilksong”, but I have no problem waiting as long as it takes. I still enjoy revisiting VA-11 Hall-A often. Do you go back and try out whatever you had done for N1RV Ann-A or VA-11 Hall-A while working on unrelated projects?<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>I like jotting down lore and characterization stuff for a rainy day. I love to draw Sam, I love coming up with new designs, characters; playing around with the general looks of the game, ideas for shots during cinematics; one liners, environments, atmosphere. I even like to imagine \u201cwhat if this didn\u2019t have to be a bartending game?\u201d and other extreme musings, but that\u2019s about the extent of the mindspace I dedicate to it currently.<\/p>\n

Once we\u2019re done with 45pb Nirvana\u2019s development will pick up dramatically, though that really depends on if the spark is still there by then. So far it has no signs of extinguishing.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>As a huge Suda fan myself, I\u2019m curious what you thought of No More Heroes 3 and Travis Strikes Again? As much as I love No More Heroes 3 (more than 11 playthroughs), I think Travis Strikes Again might just be Suda\u2019s most \u201cSuda” game yet.<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>I REALLY like No More Heroes 3\u2019s combat, but I wasn\u2019t a fan of its writing. Maybe it was COVID, and game development is really tough; especially with the hardcore deadlines they had. But in general I think it wanted to be one thing at the start and then had to become another in order to be shipped. It\u2019s a shame, and it is what it is. I just hope they only make new original games from now on and forget about sequels and reboots. Re-releases are OK; especially of the lost media kind, like Frog Minutes or the 25th Ward back in the day.<\/p>\n

As for Travis Strikes Again, I agree it\u2019s the best of the newer games. Feels like reading someone\u2019s diary sometimes and that\u2019s the kinda art I enjoy. I guess I didn\u2019t see much of that in 3 outside of continuing some plot threads from TSA.<\/p>\n

TA: <\/strong>What are your thoughts on Grasshopper Manufacture under Netease and the remasters announced? Suda even mentioned today that he\u2019d love to bring Flower Sun and Rain to Steam.<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>Netease is a big corporation so my hope would be that Grasshopper gets all the money and time they need to cook.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>VA-11 Hall-A\u2019s journey from PC to PS Vita was quite something, and it involved many parties across regions. I remember buying the Japanese release just for the box art with no English included for publisher reasons. When it came to Switch and PS4, I think you wanted the JP release to have English so anyone could import it. How has it been for you now in Argentina trying to get your own game\u2019s merchandise and merchandise in general? It is a pain over here with delays and extra import fees.<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>I simply don\u2019t import anything these days. I don\u2019t wanna bother with Argentinian customs. Protectionist policies are stupid. Sure, make all electronics more expensive to import so the local market has a chance to compete, but there\u2019s no Argentinian PlayStation to compete with, is there? There\u2019s no Argentinian Steam, and so on. Only idiots come up with this sorta policy. Brazil does the same shit as well. Would be cool if they stopped.<\/p>\n

TA: <\/strong>You\u2019ve worked in PC-98 and PSX aesthetics a few times. When .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND was announced, I was floored by how it looked like the perfect game I\u2019d want from you. The reception has been largely positive, but I can\u2019t imagine what you and the team went through leading into its reveal with N1RV Ann-A and such. Can you talk about how the last few months have been for yourself?<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>We\u2019ve been locked in and doing our thing. No crunch, all fun. We party, we feast, we travel. We touch that proverbial grass. Lots of insecurities and self-doubt for sure. We even tried to downplay things and manage expectations before the reveal, bracing ourselves for possible apathy from the crowd because it\u2019s not Nirvana. But when it came to actually putting in the work there was no hesitation. I\u2019m happy the announcement worked out, but now we gotta buckle up and finish the story.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>.45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND has been revealed, people can wishlist it on Steam, and I immediately thought of Vagrant Story x Sukeban Games\u2019 Vibe when I saw the trailer. How has it been interacting with fans discussing it online and offline?<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>It\u2019s been incredibly fun, even though there\u2019s so many comparisons with old games. Not that I mind but there\u2019s been some ridiculous comments out there that boggle the mind.<\/p>\n

One thing that surprised me was the amount of fanart right after the reveal. That shit was great. A fan even brought us a drawing that we proudly displayed on our table at Bitsummit for everybody to see. <\/p>\n

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Our crown jewel<\/p>\n

By @TumugiV<\/a> !!! Thank you as always!!!!! pic.twitter.com\/N1hbLMY25Q<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sukeban Games (@SukebanGames) July 21, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

TA: <\/strong>Probably too soon but when can I buy the key art as a poster and get it signed? <\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>Maybe on release.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>What were your main inspirations for .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND from a visual and gameplay perspective? <\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>When coming up with the actual gameplay for 45PB there was a unique concern. People know Sukeban as a Visual Novel\/ADV developer because of Va11halla, and I wanted a sort of bridge between that audience and something more action-focused. I saw Parasite Eve\u2019s battle system, but instead of saying \u201cI want more of that\u201d I thought \u201cThis is a good solution to my predicament\u201d thanks to the hybrid of real time and turn-based gameplay. And that\u2019s pretty much the way we work. Rather than wanting to imitate something, or wanting more of it, I look to games of the past in order to solve modern problems. We don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel every time.<\/p>\n

For the visuals, I remember roaming the streets of Milan in 2019. I was ultra depressed, and didn\u2019t actually have a country to live in at the time so I was also in a state of limbo. The mix of modern structures and old buildings, then juxtaposed to all the neon lights and LED screens along the river had my imagination running wild. For me that was the genesis for the game\u2019s look.<\/p>\n

This marriage between the old, the new and the decadent. The cherry on top was when I moved to Buenos Aires and found a similar atmosphere, except it included that South American roughness and texture that\u2019s absent in Cyberpunk worlds (which tend to be mostly inspired by east asian aesthetics), so I decided to lean on that to create something unique.<\/p>\n

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TA: <\/strong>Tell us a little bit about the team working on it including the composer, and how long it has been in the works.<\/p>\n

CO: <\/strong>We\u2019re two people working on it day-to-day (me and the programmer), plus Merenge helping with additional character and production design. The composer this time around is Juneji, who has been doing a LOT of work with us over the years. We have this massive stash of incredible music that he\u2019s made, but it remains unfortunately private due to circumstances with failed projects. Same with Merenge\u2019s art.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been some hella demoralizing moments since it\u2019s hard to work on things for so long, pouring your soul into them only to see them crumble in front of you, but we\u2019ve remained a tight group over the years and one of my goals is that the world can finally witness their talents on a large stage. I owe them that much. We also added an old friend in a producer\/babysitting role and it\u2019s helped us to not neglect important non-game stuff.<\/p>\n

As for how long it\u2019s been in development: Technically since 2019 but the current iteration is roughly 2 years old. Before that it was all experiments until we arrived at the right \u201cmoment to moment\u201d gameplay.<\/p>\n