Not the Song You Wanted

Despite the intriguing facade Playdek put up with Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians, I had my concerns about how much of a Yasumi Matsuno game it would be shortly after the announcement at Tokyo Game Show. That’s not entirely because of the way it was being developed, with the core game being handled by Playdek despite Matsuno still remaining in Japan. But hey, maybe his hands-on involvement was larger than it initially seemed, or he was planning on moving to America temporarily  to assist in working on it. Those details weren’t clear; and though I was excited to see how this game would potentially turn out, something was off here.

I’m aware that saying something is merely “off” is a terrible way of describing anything, but the feeling in the pit of my stomach was there for a good reason. Anyone who experienced Matsuno’s recent works, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together for PSP and Crimson Shroud from Level 5 (and Nex Entertainment), would definitely like more of that. Final Fantasy Tactics needed the same treatment the aforementioned remastered Tactics Ogre received, but  apparently Square Enix disagreed. They’re averse to taking good opportunities, so it’s no surprise.

News about Unsung Story was bound to surface eventually after the announcement, but even I didn’t expect it this soon; and I certainly didn’t expect a Kickstarter for it to manifest. When Matsuno discussed it at TGS, he made it sound like the project barely started. But the Kickstarter, gave the impressions that Playdek wanted to develop a larger game than originally planned — one that would, perhaps, meet the high expectations from fans that come with a project involving Matsuno. Upon reading further, though, that’s not the case. The Kickstarter is for raising funds for a PC version; and perhaps some of that $600,000 will go towards refining and polishing the final product.

As I mentioned in the particularly lengthy “A Kick for Kickstarters” post I made yesterday, there are stretch goals to get individuals associated with previous Matsuno games on board, specifically Alexander O. Smith and Joseph Reeder of Kajiya Productions, and Hitoshi Sakimoto. The first two named have been associated with most of Matsuno’s projects, and though this game wouldn’t need a localization, their use of florid language would be welcome. The latter has been associated with all of his titles, typically collaborating with Masaharu Iwata for them. That they weren’t already involved was a big warning sign.

I also mentioned that Unsung Story doesn’t have a trademark art style associated with it. The art on the Kickstarter page isn’t bad, but I was crossing my fingers and hoping the concept art released back in September was only temporary before one of the usual artists typically associated with Matsuno joined the project. When fans hear of a project involving Matsuno, they want a project that appears to be similar to his previous titles: serious and mature high fantasy tales with complex gameplay systems and a familiar art style. (And yes, I’m using the real definition of “mature,” not the video game industry’s butchered definition.) It would be too soon for Akihiko Yoshida, who just left Square Enix in November, to join the project, assuming development has already started. Either Hideo Minaba or Tsubasa Masao would be second best, but they don’t seem to be on board either. This was another huge warning sign.

Not to say the art they have now is bad, but it’s lacking that special, familiar touch.

Akihiko Yoshida’s art from Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions.

We learned that despite Playdek’s Kickstarter comments implying otherwise, Matsuno’s involvement isn’t very heavy. He mentioned on his Twitter account that his involvement is limited to the original game proposal, world design, and story. He also said he won’t be involved with the core game design, which could change from his aforementioned proposal. He clarified in Japanese (and translated by a NeoGAFfer) that if you’re looking for a “Matsuno game,” then this isn’t it. His honesty is appreciated here. Some of this was also implied by Playdek, but they didn’t heavily advertise the point.

This seriously diminished the excitement surrounding it. Fellow Damage Control contributor Drew Young mentioned in the comment section of yesterday’s post that if he hadn’t contributed to the Kickstarter, he wouldn’t have put any in after Matsuno’s comments. I share a similar sentiment; I haven’t put any money into it yet, and probably won’t. You can’t blame anyone for thinking this way. Playdek’s words were misleading concerning his involvement, and now it feels like we can’t trust their word for anything. Matsuno did a little damage control later to not completely sabotage the project, saying he’ll remain involved with the project throughout, but the damage is done. Its pledges have slowed significantly.

They still have a chance to convince skeptical onlookers like me, though. They shouldn’t be afraid to show us some design documents, or give us a feel of precisely how the game will play. That they haven’t makes it appear that they have something to hide. Posting a video featuring Matsuno would also help. They still have plenty of time, but addressing the criticisms they can could go far.

I don’t mean to imply that Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians (and the accompanying card game) won’t turn out well. That it’s in a genre (tactical RPG) that Playdek has no experience with is concerning, however. One look at their library and you’ll see a plethora of card games for phones and tablets, with a farming simulator and digital board game thrown in for good measure. They have some talented staff on board, so they’re capable of weaving together a compelling product.

 Meanwhile, the wait for the next real “Matsuno game” continues.