Review Fix chats with Shokutaku no G, Co-Founder, Mikosan Manners, who details the original, creative influences and goals of Touhou Mechanical Scrollery.
Review Fix: How was this game born?
Shokutaku no G: I often enjoyed talking with my friends who loved the Touhou Project, exchanging opinions on what kind of Touhou games they want to play. Before I knew it, it made me desire to create this game.
Review Fix: What was your role in the game?
Shokutaku no G: Director, Programmer, 3D modeler, VFX artist, etc.
Review Fix: How did you get involved in the industry?
Shokutaku no G: I’m generally a big fan of Touhou Project games and have played them a lot. However, there weren’t any that explored free-flying action gameplay as we’ve done with Touhou Mechanical Scrollery, which was what I wanted to play. This is what spurred me to create my own game and get involved with game development.
Review Fix: What was development like?
Shokutaku no G: It was really tough to start! I had no experience in programming, modelling, or anything else! I even had to start with buying equipment, software, etc., so I worked part-time to save up the money. Three years later, we built up the game then sold it for the first time at a Touhou Project fan works sales exhibition. After that, we spent two years more to improve and polish it, and finally, we’ve launched it on Steam! It’s been a long road, but I enjoyed every bit of it!
Review Fix: What makes this game special?
Shokutaku no G: You can freely control the characters, letting them fly around to all directions in 3D space. Full freedom 3D bullet hell combat. The story may be familiar to Touhou Project fans as we’ve reimagined the Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom and Forbidden Scrollery stories. I think that a game based on both of those works may be rare for fans.
Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?
Shokutaku no G: Obviously Touhou Project (original series and fan-made games), but it’s also inspired by action games like Horizon Zero Dawn and the Monster Hunter series.
Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?
Shokutaku no G: We spent five years making this game, so I was always scared of drastic changes to the official Touhou Project cannon. We didn’t want our story to be different from what fans were expecting.
Review Fix: What were the major lessons learned?
Shokutaku no G: I had started from scratch, so I learned a lot about teamwork, development skills, new ways of thinking, etc.
Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?
Shokutaku no G: The important thing is whether those games are fun or not. If it’s more fun not to change the older ones, they should be preserved. If those games are not fun, I think new initiatives are important.
Review Fix: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?
Shokutaku no G: There is nothing like a game to play with your friends. It’s fun even just to watch, even if not everyone is playing. Next time, I would like to create a game which you can play with other players.
Review Fix: How do you want this game to be remembered?
Shokutaku no G: If you love Touhou Project, if you have the desire to create a game, you can make it. I made it! I hope you can feel my passion while playing this game.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Shokutaku no G: I’m planning a new update to add a customization function for Spell Cards, and new stages and more story for additional challenges.
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