Guardian Heroes – 1996 Developer Interview (Patreon)

These two interviews, conducted and published in 1995, shed light on the inspirations, motivations and goals of lead designer and illustrator Tetsuhiko “HAN” Kikuchi during the development of Treasure’s Sega Saturn melee action game Guardian Heroes.

Of particular note is HAN’s antipathy towards the adversarial nature of vs. fighting games and his drive to lead them in a more communal direction, a shift many developers continue to attempt, and struggle to achieve, to this day.

...coming up later this month: Phantasy Star II, Star Ocean: Blue Sphere, and more!