Pikmin Writer Talks About Making Games For PlayStation Vita

After writing scripts for two Pikmin games and directing Wii Fit, Motoi Okamoto left Nintendo EAD and formed his own company. Entersphere chose PlayStation Vita as the platform for their first packaged game, Army Corps of Hell, and planned to release it as a launch title.

"Personally, I’ve been making games only on Nintendo hardware, and so it was refreshing that the technical terms and design concepts were much different. The company, as a whole, has programmers on staff with experience on different consoles, and so there wasn’t much trouble," Okamoto said in an interview with Siliconera.

Entersphere also developed a handful of mobile phone games for GREE like Card Fight!! Vanguard, Crusade of Purgatory, and a social Evangelion game.

"A console unit, unlike mobile applications, has a dedicated functionality, and so it’s easier to create in terms of games that push the limits of the hardware. A game that can paint a hellish picture with a maximum of 200 goblins, 100 enemies, and an immeasurable amount of blood splattering was only possible because of the capabilities of the Vita. It was fun and exciting to make the game on what was console with the right analog stick shrunken down to handheld size."

Army Corps of Hell puts you in control of the dethroned King of Hell. With the last of his strength, the king takes control of a group of bloodthirsty goblins and sets out to take what’s rightfully his – Hell. Players can throw goblins to attack monsters with different types of goblins assigned to each face button. Okamoto’s game uses the rear touchpad for a mini-game where you beat the back like a drum to restore your goblin’s health. With Army Corps of Hell complete, I asked Okamoto how he wants to use Vita’s hardware for another Vita game.

"In the next Vita title, I’m interested in working on something that uses multi-touch and the back panel touch screen," Okamoto answered. "Also, I’m interested in creating a structure in which hundreds and thousands of players can come together to play. My impression is that the Vita is a great platform to create a game with that kind of design."