Interview With Bloodstained Creator Koji Igarashi

by Franky Abraham | October 9, 2017 8:00 am

In 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night made the Castlevania series fun by reinventing it. Since then, its creator Koji Igarashi has built on its story for over 20 years with a gaggle full of amazing sequels spanning on multiple hardware platforms. Koji Igarashi’s style in the Castlevania series was so popular, it has become a sub genre known as “Metrovania” games! 

We here at CFG Games was fortunate enough to get an interview with Koji Igarashi of Castlevania fame and, of course, his new Kickstarter funded project, Bloodstained, while at PAX WEST 2017.

 

Franky: What other game developers if any would you like to work with?

Igarashi: Actually there is no specific developers I would like to work for, but anyone that is interested in working with me would be great.

Franky: If you were given the opportunity to make a new title for any existing franchise, what would it be and why?

Igarashi: I really like the style of Devil May Cry and would like to work on that series. But if I had to choose it would probably be Metroid, because it’s a series I respect and I’m familiar with.

Franky: Who is your favorite Belmont?Koji Igarashi Bloodstained

Igarashi: Trevor Belmont is my favorite.

Franky: Nice, I am a fan of Leon myself.

Igarashi: It would be odd for me to choose a character I created, (laughs) thank you very much.

Franky: In the past you’ve explored 3D action games with Lament of Innocence and Nano Breaker. Is this a type of game you’d consider revisiting?

Igarashi: Unfortunately those past 3D games weren’t well received, but I would love to seek revenge and try making another game of that style.

Franky: Of all the games you’ve worked on, which did you find the most rewarding to complete?

Igarashi: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Franky: Your games are best known for their gothic art style. Are there other kinds of settings you’d like to explore given the opportunity?

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The CFG Podcast Episode #19: The Meaning of Death[4]

Igarashi: Well with Bloodstained, I mainly went with Gothic Horror for the nostalgic feeling it would give. But I would love to explore a Japanese style and even a sci-fi style as well.

Franky: There have been a lot of failed or disappointing Kickstarter projects in recent years that makes people skeptical of crowdfunded games. What makes Bloodstained different from those other projects?

Igarashi: Well I can’t say because we don’t know what happened to those other Kickstarters. They could have problems in development or problems with funds. But Bloodstained doesn’t have those issues.

Franky: After the success of Bloodstained as a Kickstarter, are you interested in using it again for a future project?

Igarashi: After we are done with Bloodstained, we would love to do a sequel using Kickstarter.

Franky:  Do you read American comics? If so, which ones?

Igarashi: Unfortunately I don’t read English and it is hard to find American comics translated in Japanese, but I do love looking at comics like Batman to enjoy the artwork. Recently at Comic Con I met Kevin Eastman and he gave me one of his comics to read. I couldn’t read it of course but I enjoyed going through it to admire the art.
Koji Igarashi and me!

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.confreaksandgeeks.com/cfg-podcast-episode-19-meaning-death/
  2. Geeky News: https://www.confreaksandgeeks.com/category/news/
  3. Podcast: https://www.confreaksandgeeks.com/category/podcast/
  4. The CFG Podcast Episode #19: The Meaning of Death: https://www.confreaksandgeeks.com/cfg-podcast-episode-19-meaning-death/

Source URL: https://www.confreaksandgeeks.com/interview-bloodstained-creator-koji-igarashi/