Metroid devs on creating the original game – being different from Mario, choosing Samus’ name and gender, more

“What Would Surprise Everyone?”

Kiyotake-san, weren’t you the one who named Samus Aran?

Kiyotake: Yes, I was.

About ten years ago when I did a magazine interview, I heard from Sakamoto-san that you’re a soccer fan and took that name from the real name of Pelé, the King of Football.

Kiyotake: Yeah. (laughs) Even though it may not really be his name…

Yeah, it isn’t. (laughs)

Kiyotake: I thought so. (laughs)

Apparently, you thought Pelé’s real name is Samus Arantes Nascimentos.

Kiyotake: Yeah, yeah, something like that.

But if you look it up, it’s Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

Kiyotake: Yeah, I was totally off! (laughs)

Sakamoto: But Arantes was right. (laughs)

Yes, that much is! (laughs)

Kiyotake: I thought that conjured up the right image, so I used that name.

How did you decide to make Samus Aran a woman?

Sakamoto: Once we entered the final stage of development, we started talking about having different endings depending on how long it took players to clear the game. We wanted to prepare a reward for people who cleared it more quickly.

Kiyotake: We wondered what would surprise everyone and talked about removing Samus’s helmet.

Sakamoto: Then someone said, “It would be a shocker if Samus turned out to be a woman!” And everyone thought that would be interesting and wanted to do it, so we decided it right away.

Kiyotake: Yeah, we decided that in a flash. Back then, people played games over and over, so we wanted to give a reward for playing through quickly. Then we decided to put in four endings, with Samus removing her helmet or her suit and so forth.

As they played, everyone thought Samus was a tough, musclebound guy, but they learned in the end that Samus was a woman.

Sakamoto: People who played it back then were shocked. And even now people talk about it like a kind of legend. (laughs)

My Life’s Work

You mobilized everyone in Research & Development Department 1 to finish the game in the last three months. When Metroid was completed, how did you feel, Kiyotake-san?

Kiyotake: I was overjoyed! It was especially impressive when we added audio. When just myself and one other person had been working on it, we had only been able to put in simple sounds like “Pew! Pew!” (laughs)

(laughs)

Kiyotake: And even though we had only moderately developed an aesthetic, it was thrilling when proper audio came in.

How about you, Sakamoto-san?

Sakamoto: By the time I joined the project, we didn’t have anywhere near the time necessary to make new elements and plug them into the game.

Because when you joined the team, it was scheduled for release in three months.

Sakamoto: Right. So we used what was available and struggled to figure out what we could do and how we could make it fun.

You used what was at hand.

Sakamoto: That’s right. Gradually, Metroid grew into a game, and when it was nearly complete, the ending crawl came together with the names of members of the development staff. When I saw that, I almost cried.

Uh-huh…

Sakamoto: The sense of fulfillment was incredible, so it really hit me.

I suppose it was all the more moving because of how difficult it had been.

Sakamoto: Yes. Actually, when they asked me to help, I refused at first.

Why?

Sakamoto: I had a feeling it would be grueling.

(laughs)

Sakamoto: Before working on Metroid, I had been working on something else. Then, almost as if the timing were planned and just when I was about finished, a senior designer said, “I’d like to ask you about something.” That designer wondered what we could do for Metroid. At first, I refused, but that person persuaded me, so in the end I said, “Fine, I’ll do it.” And despite the lack of time and memory, we finished it up in three months. That’s how I became involved with Metroid, and before I knew it, it had practically become my life’s work! (laughs)

Yes, indeed it is! (laughs)

Three Generations Playing Together

To finish up, would you please say something to the fans about what you hope they will get out of Metroid, which marked its 30th anniversary on the NES Classic Edition?

Kiyotake: Well, I hope people who played it 30 years ago will remember what an incredibly difficult time they had clearing it back then.

And to first-time players?

Kiyotake: I’d like to say, “This is how hard games used to be!” (laughs)

(laughs)

Kiyotake: And I’d be happy if, as they play, they imagine the greater number of movements that Samus originally had.

How about you, Sakamoto-san?

Sakamoto: “I want parents to play games with their children.” This is what we often hear, right?

Uh-huh.

Sakamoto: Well, I hope three generations will play Metroid together. The NES wasn’t just for children. Adults played it back then, too.

Yes, that’s right.

Sakamoto: Those people eventually became parents and then grandparents.

After 30 years, that would be true.

Sakamoto: So I strongly hope all three generations will play together. Grandfathers can draw upon their old experience.

Kiyotake: And maybe be the most skilled! (laughs)

It’s quite possible! (laughs)

Sakamoto: I’m very interested in knowing what different generations will feel when playing Metroid, a game we made 30 years ago.

They could take family trips to hot springs! (laughs)

Sakamoto: Yes, I hope three generations will play together at hot springs!

There’s one more thing I definitely want to ask about. You mentioned almost crying when the ending came together. But about Benkei Dining, which shows up in the credits…

Sakamoto: Oh! (laughs) That’s what you want to ask about so badly?! (laughs)

Yes! (laughs) It’s well-known to some fans, but after the credits, it says, “SPECIAL THANKS TO…”

Sakamoto: “TOHRYU MAKO BENKEI” shows up, right?

Yes.

Sakamoto: We were working late every night those last three months, so we ordered from restaurants near the company. Benkei Dining, the Chinese restaurants Tohryu, and another called Sometime Mako, were especially helpful, so we decided to put those three into the credits.

I see.

Sakamoto: Actually, Tohryu closed quite a while back.

Apparently, Benkei Dining closed a few months ago, too. That really brings home the passage of 30 years.

Sakamoto: Yes, it really does. It’s too bad.

Kiyotake: But if you work hard and clear the game, you can see those credits, and I hope players will check out the different endings for Samus.

It’s like a challenge created 30 years ago for people today! (laughs)

Kiyotake: Yes, it is. And it’s a tough one!