Interview: Indie RPG Developer Darrel Wijaya Discusses The Revenant Prince

Darrel Wijaya: The Revenant prince is essentially a RPG with irreversible consequences, and what makes it unique is its quirky battle system, and its multiple endings that cause ripple effects throughout the game both in the end and at the beginning.

Cubed3: You say your inspiration was from classic SNES-era RPGs, what specifically about these do you like?

Darrel Wijaya: Personally, I do like how timeless and simple it is. I think that if games are simple and fairly easy to pick up it just becomes something memorable especially for most consumers.

Cubed3: Following up on that, how does Revenant Prince follow in this vein?

Darrel Wijaya: Basically, I figured the game in general does look quite simple, and it does have that air of nostalgia too it, but all the more reason why, despite its simplicity, I wanted to add a little modern twist to make the game fairly interesting for today's consumers.

Cubed3: In the very crowded world of video games, what kind of things indie developers do to their games to make them stand out, especially against high-budget companies?

Darrel Wijaya: I figured that indie developers try to make their games simple and memorable. Larger titles are more cinematic, while I figured that indie developers try to focus more on the mechanics, and apply some sense of simplicity. These days we see indie developers striving to make games that might not be overly appealing visually, but mechanically are somewhat addictive.

Cubed3: Some people say JRPGs are a dying genre, do you agree?

Darrel Wijaya: For certain audiences, I do believe the genre will continue to stand its ground, especially with newer innovations. If you look at the current FF7 remake, it is a JRPG in its own right, but with a modern twist to it which somewhat re-opens the need and demand for modernized takes on JRPGs. So yes, with the right innovations and the right approach, JRPGs as a whole will potentially re-invent aspects of the industry as a whole.

Cubed3: As a follow up, given the production costs, do you see indie JRPGs having any place on the newer consoles, or will it be PC only?

Darrel Wijaya: I believe indie JRPGs will likely be focused on hand-held consoles, and likely the PC. This all stems from the demand for these types of games anyway.

Cubed3: Back to your game, given it is sprite based how much of this was a cost decision versus a style decision? Are sprites in general cheaper or no?

Darrel Wijaya: Sprites are a mixed bag. They're easy to manipulate, but some artists charge big bucks for them because sprites are really one dimensional, and when done well they can be astonishingly beautiful. Most of the monsters we see in-game are frame-by-frame sprites, and it was merely a style decision because it matched the environment, which is a painted/sprite-esque scene. However with newer innovations and AI movements, sprite art may not be so one dimensional, and we might see a return of it in simpler games made for handheld devices and mobile.