March 11, 2009

Marble Saga Kororinpa's Osamu Tsuchihashi and Mike Pepe Discuss Their Unique Wii Sequel
By Louis Bedigian

“The Balance Board controls are totally unique and do give you a workout, especially in the legs and core (stomach). There's no upside down maps for Balance Board levels so you don't have to worry about falling off the board.”

In Marble Saga Kororinpa, balance is everything. Whether using the Balance Board or just a Wii remote, the game is a challenging mix of world manipulation and puzzles that require fast and precise maneuvers. The controls are completely motion-based, which makes the Wii the perfect console for the game.

"Some of the levels will require you to turn [the Wii remote] 360 degrees in order to navigate the mazes," said Osamu Tsuchihashi, Development Director of Marble Saga Kororinpa. "These are the more difficult levels. Of course you cannot do this with the Wii Balance Board so this will not be the case in Balance Board-exclusive levels."

Marble Saga Kororinpa is very smart in its use of the Wii remote, allowing players to manipulate the world with extremely precise motions. How big of a challenge was it to implement these controls?

Osamu Tsuchihashi: I first created a cube surrounded with a kind of a fence (like the ones you see in circuses with motorcycles going round and round), and tried rolling and jumping the ball with with the remote to get the right velocity and physics to it. Thanks to that, I think that the roll and jump mechanics of the game is now more natural than the previous title (Marble Mania Kororinpa).

Thus far the levels feel tough but not overwhelming – if I keep at them, I feel I can finish them. How do you balance this so that players want to keep pushing themselves and aren't turned off by the difficulty?

Mike Pepe, Marketing Director: The demo only has one difficulty level (Easy). The first Kororinpa game, Marble Mania, did not have a difficulty setting, so some players literally blew through it. This time around we spiced it up a bit by placing three different difficulty levels inside the full game. The hard setting will drop off walls and thin the path that you are rolling on.

The different difficulties allow for everyone to play the game at their own speed. We hope you like it.

How will the Wii Balance Board controls compare with the Wii remote controls?

OT: Balance board levels are completely unique. You can even play them with the Wii Remote but as they are made for the board it would not be as fun.  The Balance Board levels allow you to make your Wii Balance Board into a giant Wii remote. So if you can imagine standing on a giant Wii Remote tilting it backwards and forwards with pressure from your legs you will get a good sense on how the game works with the board.

Do any of the control types (the two Wii remote setups and the Balance Board) provide an advantage over the rest?

MP: Good question. The Wii Remotes (vertical and horizontal) depend on your play preference. I started playing horizontal (Wii Remote left to right) but now play vertical (front to back). Others that I know swear by the horizontal controls for more [stability].

The Balance Board controls are totally unique and do give you a workout, especially in the legs and core (stomach). There's no upside down maps for Balance Board levels so you don't have to worry about falling off the board.

There were ramps, speed boosts, patches of ice and other obstacles in the demo version. What else can we expect from the game?

MP: There are 40 gadgets in the full version including cannons, vacuum tubes, shrinking/growing machines, choo choo trains, and much more.

Can you tell us about some of the levels beyond the initial ice and desert locations?

MP: The initial levels take you through the Ant World's Empty Lot, Neighbor's House, Desert, Chill Mountain, Ocean, Space, and the final level. There are also unlockable levels which I can't talk about yet. Every level has different themes and gadgets to go along with them (ice in Chill Mountain, etc.).

How is the four-player gameplay being incorporated into the game? Is it a race? A co-op thing? And are you competing on the same levels as in the single-player campaign?

MP: Four player is a race to the finish. But it's not just a race for time. You must collect things along the way AND finish first to win. You can also turn collisions on or off if you would like to knock your opponents off of the map. My favorite.

Can you use three remotes and a Balance Board, or must all players use a Wii remote?

MP: On [the] Balance Board stages you can compete against others with Wii remotes.

Marble Saga Kororinpa uses more than a standard set of marbles. Tell us about the different marble types and designs. Do any of the marbles contain a special property that makes the game harder or easier or change it in some other way?

MP: There are 20 marbles in all that can be chosen from in the standard menu. Each of them has their own attributes. Attributes include speed, stickiness, responsiveness, and sounds. The UFO marble comes equipped with a saucer, shrieking aliens inside, and is a little difficult to roll because of it's rings. It is fast though.

You can also create your own marble. You can do this by editing a marble with a person in it (you). You can place fun faces on top of it such as a jack-o-lantern or better yet your own Mii. After you dress him or her up as you would like you can set the sounds they make when they bump into walls. And finally you can set the marble's speed, stickiness, and responsiveness yourself to better suit how you play the game.

The single-player campaign features a world map for level navigation, sort of like what you'd expect in an action/adventure. What made this appropriate for a puzzle game like Marble Saga Kororinpa?

MP: The game is an adventure as much as it is a puzzle game. The story of the game revolves around Anthony the Ant and his quest for the Golden Sunflower. Anthony must reach the Sunflower to save his colony but needs your help to do so. As you go through the different levels and maps you acquire things along the way to help Anthony reach his goal.

Yellow gems must be collected to pass each stage, but what is the bonus for collecting the green ones?

MP: The green gems unlock songs and codes for the game for you to use. There are also several other things you can pick up beyond the gems including "junk" to design gadgets for the level editor and parts to help Anthony the Ant reach the Golden Sunflower.

Are there going to be any time-based challenges?

MP: Yes. Multiplayer has them as well as Wi-Fi leaderboard time challenges.

Are there any secrets to be found within the world map itself?

MP: Yes.

I think that's all the questions I have, but if there's anything elseyou'd like to say about Marble Saga Kororinpa, do so now.

MP: Osamu and his team have installed a level editor as well in this game which we are very excited about. Not only can you create your own levels and share them with your friends through Wii Connect 24, you can also receive extra maps from Hudson after launch. This truly makes the gameplay limitless and we hope everyone enjoys the new feature.

Thank you for your time.

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