Over the past few generations, HAL Laboratory has primarily worked on Kirby games. We’ve seen a few non-Kirby titles here and there (most recently with BoxBoy!), but that character is certainly the studio’s bread and butter. Interestingly, BoxBoy! director Yasuhiro Mukae recently informed Kotaku that “several” projects are in the works that are unrelated to the character.
Mukae mentioned:
Certainly, as you say, the Kirby series is HAL Laboratory’s main development focus, but we actually have several other projects proceeding along in parallel (not that I can give details on them right now, of course). We also have a few experimental projects in the works with smaller teams, so there certainly isn’t any rule that we must be involved with Kirby projects. Like I discussed in the first question, BoxBoy got its start as an experimental project along those lines.
I was involved in the development of Kirby: Triple Deluxe, but I was also working on the BoxBoy experiment at the same time. Handling both projects simultaneously presented some big challenges, but creating a game with a new character like Qbby made me feel happier than I’ve ever felt before.
Once Kirby: Triple Deluxe development wrapped up, I was able to devote myself fully to BoxBoy. This happened right when it went from an experiment to an official development project, and full-on development began at that point. Some of the Kirby: Triple Deluxe team also joined the BoxBoy project right about then.
As I wrote earlier, our development efforts may be chiefly devoted to Kirby, but there’s no hard-and-fast rule that everything has to be related to Kirby titles. I’m getting the chance to be involved a lot more often with non-Kirby things, such as this BoxBoy project—though, again, I can’t give details quite yet.
Below are some other noteworthy tidbits shared in Kotaku’s interview:
HMV has posted the boxart for Princess PreCure: Sugar Kingdom and the Six Princesses. We’ve attached it above.
Like most projects, BoxBoy! underwent some changes throughout development. The core idea of “creating boxes in order to make your way through puzzle landscapes” remained the same, according to director Yasuhiro Mukae. But there were a couple of things that changed in the final game.
Originally, HAL Laboratory was planning on creating “large stages that you could really sit down and spend a great deal of time playing.” The team also added “story elements in a move to encourage players to enjoy the game all the way through to the end.”
Mukae told Engadget:
Take a look at the latest screenshots from Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven below. The game launches early next month.
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker is out today in North America. For an extensive look at the game in video form, check out the large amount of footage below.
Our Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker review went live yesterday. Be sure to give it a read if you’re curious about how the game turned out!
EnjoyUp Games added a new Funk of Titans trailer to its YouTube account a couple of days ago, confirming that the game is in the works for Wii U. The publisher has since sent out an official information with more details.
Funk of Titans is a platformer developed by A Crowd Of Monsters, though EnjoyUp has been handling the Wii U port. In the game, players take on the role of Perseus and are tasked with defeating Music Titans. Funk of Titans contains over 40 levels across the worlds of Pop, Rap, and Rock. It’s also possible to experiment with different weapons/helmets, and collect golden records throughout your journey.
Funk of Titans launches on the North American Wii U eShop on May 14 for $8.99. The European version is planned for early June.
Source: EnjoyUp Games PR
This week’s Wii U/3DS specific charts are as follows:
Wii U
1. Mario Party 10 – Nintendo
2. Mario Kart 8 – Nintendo
3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – Nintendo
4. Super Mario 3D World – Nintendo
5. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Nintendo
6. New Super Mario Bros. U – Nintendo
7. Scribblenauts Unlimited – Nintendo
8. FIFA 13 – Electronic Arts
9. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – Nintendo
10. Lego Marvel Super Heroes – Warner Bros. Interactive
3DS
1. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – Capcom
2. Tomodachi Life – Nintendo
3. Pokemon Omega Ruby – Nintendo
4. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire – Nintendo
5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D – Nintendo
6. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS – Nintendo
7. Mario Kart 7 – Nintendo
8. New Super Mario Bros. 2 – Nintendo
9. Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Nintendo
10. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D – Nintendo
Source: Chart-Track
System: 3DS
Release: May 5, 2015
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Author: Dennis
When you think demons, you think about terrible sentient monsters that aim to do nothing but torture you and inevitably drive you to death. But what if you were put in a position where the very thing that’s nurtured to torment and cause perpetual trepidation becomes the cause and reason for your survival in a world that’s quickly dissipating?
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker wants you to experience this firsthand, with an extensive and elaborate narrative that shapes itself by how you choose to respond to certain situations, whether it be during gameplay in the battlefields set all around Japan, or during a cut-scene where you’re sometimes prompted to choose how to respond when interacting with another character. This is a game that wants you to be personally invested, to the point where they let you name your character, both first name and last. You’re only given a certain amount of spaces to input your name, but most names should fit with ease like mine did – Keanu Reeves.