Super Robot Wars 30 Famitsu Interview

The following interview is translated from famitsu.com.
Original URL: https://www.famitsu.com/news/202110/21238096.html

Super Robot Wars 30 Developer Interview: Discussing the original flagship Dreisstrager's purpose, the design of the lead original robot Huckebein 30, and more
Writer: Minoru

Famitsu.com staff spoke with SRW series producer Takanobu Terada and SRW30 producer Shohei Mogami at Tokyo Game Show 2021, which took place from September 30 to October 3. We discussed the tidbits of info available at the time prior to the game's release.
Note: This interview took place on September 30.
Note: This in-person interview was conducted under rigorous safety measures. Masks were worn throughout (except when taking photographs), and seating was kept properly spaced apart.

Takanobu Terada
SRW Series Producer

Shohei Mogami
SRW30 Producer

-The new system has greater mission volume and a higher bar for full completion?!-

—There's one month left until SRW30's release. Could you tell us what's on your mind at the present and how you feel about it?

Mogami: I feel like time's flown by while we've been sprinting. I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on this game.

Terada: We're presently working on promotional materials and DLC (downloadable content), so we're nowhere near done. (laugh) It used to be that launch day meant we'd be done for at least a little while, but nowadays launch day is just another milestone in a longer process, so what's on my mind is how much more work we still have to do.

—So the game isn't finished yet?

Terada: The MAIN game is finished. It's the DLC that still needs more work.

—How perfected do you feel the main game is?

Terada: It's not really our place to say. That's the kind of thing the players ultimately decide. Even if I consider the game perfected, others might disagree. The answer to that question will be one we see from players in the days following the game's release.

Mogami: We've poured our hearts into making this game, but it's always the players who rate the game at the end of the day. Which brings me to another feeling at the forefront of my thoughts: nervous trepidation. (laugh)

—This game has a system with requisite-based mission unlocks. Will it be challenging to complete every single mission?

Terada: Like traditional SRW games with route branches, you can't clear every mission in a single playthrough. Some missions are only available if you meet certain requisites, but if you put enough time into the game, you can clear everything. You can also progress the story by clearing Key Missions, which means you can skip other missions and reach the ending faster if you want.

—What would the game difficulty be like if you only play the Key Missions?

Mogami: This game doesn't have SR Points like previous games (SR Points = a system in which difficulty level automatically goes up when you destroy enemies efficiently). Instead, players can choose the difficulty they want at the start, and they can change it mid-playthrough as well. Veteran players are welcome to choose a harder difficulty from the start, while other players with less free time might just want to blaze through the Key Missions fast on Beginner Mode.

Terada: That said, playing non-Key Missions gets you more money, so I expect that most veteran SRW players wouldn't limit their options to just Key Missions. If you do a key-only playthrough, you'll find the game somewhat shorter than recent SRW titles. On the other hand, you'll find plenty of content if you clear all missions—the most out of any home console SRW title.

-Let's talk about the original flagship Dreisstrager!-

—The Dreisstrager is an original flagship, which is somewhat of a rarity in this series. What purpose does it serve?

Mogami: This game utilizes the new Tactical Area Select system, in which you can choose which missions to play and fight in battles across multiple regions. We introduced the Dreisstrager with the idea that having a mothership front and center would make things more intuitive, and it would be better story-wise to have an original warship we could use freely. Also, we decided to make it huge based on the logic that if there was a warship that could accommodate every single allied robot in an SRW game, it would have to be like two kilometers long.

—Does the Dreisstrager have any distinguishing features?

Terada: You earn MxP (mission experience points) by clearing missions. You can spend these points to enhance the Dreisstrager's capabilities, improve allied unit performance, or improve pilot capabilities. It's similar to SRWT's Tac Management, a system that grants benefits to all allied troops.

-The Huckebein 30 has a striking resemblance...-

—I note that the Huckebein 30, the original protagonist robot in this game, bears a striking resemblance to the Ash, one of the original robots from SRW OG II. Is that by design?

Terada: Mecha designer Hajime Katoki and I had put Huckebein merchandising plans on hold since before the start of SRW30's development. Given SRW30's status as a 30th anniversary title, I got the idea to make the original robot a Huckebein, arguably one of the series' original cornerstones. Figure development was going to happen in tandem with game development. I wanted to mix things up a bit for the design, and when I consulted with Katoki, he suggested incorporating the Ash's patchwork armor plating and bandages, as well as giving it a visor with an XXX (Roman numeral for 30) motif. The Huckebein 30 does give off a similar impression as the Ash, but there's no lore link between them.

Mogami: Its strongest weapon in the early parts of the game is the Leap Slasher, but it will get one other weapon over the course of the story.

-The Gekkoei Sui, supervised by Sunrise!-

(image text)
Gekkoei Sui
Designer: Eiji Nakada

—Could you describe the Gekkoei Sui, the original mech featured in this game?

Terada: It has long-range gun-based weaponry and a MAP weapon. It was originally a machine designed for electronic warfare, and we weren't sure what to do for its weapon loadout when making it into a unit for Super Robot Wars 30. We consulted with Sunrise about this; not only did they give us weapon specs, but they even added legs to it. Not to mention, this game will mark its first appearance, something of a rarity in Super Robot Wars history.

-Autoplay that caters to players' lifestyles-

—Would you consider SRW30 to be an end point, or a game that provides a glimpse into the direction that the series is going?

Terada: The systems in this game come from SRWV, so I don't consider it any kind of end point. We made minor changes from SRWX and SRWT, and we put work into the game's playstyle by incorporating the Tactical Area Select system. I don't regard this game as the "ultimate SRW", and there are portions I would have liked to change heavily. Tweaks can be tricky in a long-running series.

Mogami: Nonetheless, we're keenly aware that modern players' playstyles and lifestyles aren't what they used to be. Not everybody sits at home and games for 3-4 hours straight. There are newer and more emerging styles, like enjoying smartphone games on auto mode, or watching other people play games.

Terada: We implemented autobattle in this game to accommodate that sort of lifestyle. People can enjoy a more relaxed playstyle by picking low-difficulty missions via Tactical Area Select and autobattling them. This is the first time we're implementing this system in a home console SRW, and we look forward to hearing player impressions and feedback about it.

—Personally, I think adding autobattle was a great idea.

Terada: I've been wanting to add it for a while now. I was even considering adding a skip feature that let you skip the whole story and stage and only get a set amount of money and experience for it, but that got way more pushback. I guess a skip feature would be a bit overkill for a home console SRW.

Mogami: When he consulted with me about autobattle, my response was basically, "Sure, why not?" I put my support behind adding it. If someone wants to take their time playing the game themselves, they won't use auto, but I think it's nice to give other people the option. You're free to use it or not use it as you see fit. However, I feel like the word "auto" as it applies to our game has gotten way too much scrutiny. Phone games let you skip stages you've cleared without continuing, and I worry that people get stuck on that idea and have trouble envisioning other ways it can be applied.

Terada: Autobattle isn't completely full auto. If you want optimal gameplay, you should play manually. There are points during autobattle where the game will use spirit commands if the right conditions are met, but it's done automatically, so if you want to use a specific spirit command, you sould swap to manual. For my part, I use autobattle when the player forces are clearly strong enough to destroy everything on their own. Then when a strong enemy shows up, I swap to manual and start loading up on spirit commands. You can get a good idea of how strong enemies are from the Recommended Strength on the mission select screen, and there's a gauge on the map screen to provide a clear illustration of the difference in power between friendly and enemy forces. I use that to discern when to turn on autobattle. Some people might fully max out their robots, level their pilots up way high, then play the rest of the game on autobattle, but I expect most players to stick to manual. This is why I prefer for autobattle to be an option for people who want to use it, without being required. I often play SRWDD on my smartphone when I use autobattle in SRW30. (laugh)

Mogami: Yeah, well, I play three games at once.

Terada: I can't pull off three. (laugh)

Mogami: That's one of many ways to enjoy a game. People who want to get through on their own merits are welcome to do so without touching autobattle.

—I see, I see. Do you have any last words for the players looking forward to SRW30?

Mogami: It's been a long two and a half year wait since our last title, SRWT. We've made additions like the new Tactical Area Select system and other gameplay-hour changing elements, which I hope will make for a more player-friendly experience. I hope that this will make it easier for people who have fallen off the series in the past to give it another go. I appreciate the people who pick up every title, naturally, and I hope to see both first-timers and players of older titles pick this game up.

Terada: As we've been over, we've incorporated systems designed to cater to different players' lifestyles. For all the people who go, "I'd love to play an SRW game, but it's too time-consuming and too much of an investment so I've fallen off of them lately," we hope you'll find that this game is for you. How much you use autobattle, if at all, and how you want to play SRW30 is entirely up to each individual player. Whether you have a long experience or a short playthrough is the player's call, and I sincerely hope to see people playing it.