Anyone who has ever played ICO,Shadow of the Colossus, orThe Last Guardianhas felt the fascinating effects of legendary creator Fumito Ueda’s unique design philosophy. From Ico’s castle-climbing crusade, to Wander’s morally grey colossus-scaling antics, to a nameless boy’s heartwarming journey with a griffin-like companion, Ueda has always placed emotional resonance at the center of his story-sparse yet altogether touching tales.
One thing I don’t think Japan Studio’s games are as frequently praised for is the nuts-and-bolts mechanics of their gameplay. There are sparks of greatness to be found, but broadly speaking, Ueda’s works have less to say in terms of revolutionary gameplay concepts. Just the same, it’s a bit eye-opening to catch one of gaming’s true auteurs expressing genuine appreciation when the creator of Katamari Damacy tells him that his own new game, To a T, “lacks any special mechanics”.
Giving Existing Gameplay Mechanics More Definition
In an interview with the Japanese websiteDenfaminicogamer(translated into English courtesy ofAutomaton), Ueda recounts a time when he asked Keita Takahashi, the Katamari Damacy visionary, what exactly one does in To a T. Takahashi told him that the game, which stars a 13-year-old boy whose body is - get a load of this one - stuck in a T-pose with his arms permanently outstretched, does not bring with it any revolutionary gameplay ideas. Remarkably, Ueda instantly expressed his approval.
“While I don’t know why I replied with ‘That’s great’ back then, I was most likely thinking – The age of gameplay mechanics had already passed. I guess this is not the age to release new devices or offer new mechanics with each and every new game.”
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel all the time with totally new concepts, Ueda believes the better approach these days is to focus instead on “push[ing] the game further with a certain vibe or artwork”.
To a T touches on the challenges of living with a disability. The protagonist’s T-pose affliction, for all its eye-catching oddness, is meant to symbolize more broad-based potential struggles. It’s heady stuff in a game dedicated first and foremost to its narrative. Ueda regards To a T as possessing “loose gameplay”, by contrast.
I reckon I’m not alone in agreeing with Fumito Ueda that not every single game that hits the market ought to be aiming to do something drastically new. I’d expect some first-class outside-of-the-box thinking in something like, say,Donkey Kong Bananza. But a quieter and thoughtful title, like Ico and now To a T, can arguably do just as much from right within the confines of that proverbial box.
