SPC Interviews: Manfred Linzner (Shin'en Multimedia)

If you recall, it was July of last year where SuperPhillip Central had the chance to interview Mr. Manfred Linzner of Shin'en Multimedia, makers of such technological impressive games such as Iridion 3D (Game Boy Advance), Nanostray and its sequel Nanostray 2 (DS), FAST Racing League (WiiWare), and Nano Assault Neo (Wii U eShop), for starters.

The studio's next project is Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Takai, a 3DS eShop sequel to the WiiWare original, Jett Rocket. I talk with Manfred about the developer's transition between SD to HD, future Wii U projects, working with Nintendo since 1999, and so much more.

Phil Stortzum (PS): First of all, thank you for this interview opportunity.

Shin’en is known for being technological geniuses when it comes to Nintendo hardware. Now that you have an HD platform to work on in the Wii U, what challenges have you faced moving onto development for HD games, if any?

Manfred Linzner (ML): Thanks for your kind word. We really try hard to create something remarkable with every game. Going from 3DS to Wii U was very easy. The Wii U has so much power to offer that you can simply do what you want without having to worry about performance. The only challenge left is how to create something truly unique with so much power. So I think Nano Assault Neo was a step in the right direction for us.

PS: How do you think the Wii U GamePad brings innovation and a more enjoyable experience to gaming?

ML: The GamePad is great, because it gives the user so much freedom how to play the games. Many games need hardware controls to be fun, some games also work great with touch input. We also think it's vital to let the user enjoy the game his way. No matter on TV or GamePad or even with a mixed setup. And i think the best uses of the GamePad are still ahead of us.

PS: Do you have any unique ideas to implement with the Wii U GamePad for future Shin’en Wii U projects?

ML: I don't think there will be the one novel idea for GamePad use. It's just another tool in your arsenal to deliver great gameplay in different ways. For all of our Wii U games we take a lot of time to determine the best possible usage of the GamePad.

PS: Speaking of future projects, Nano Assault Neo is a glorious looking game. Do you have any more Wii U projects already underway? 

ML: We are working on two new Wii U games currently. One of them is our first game with network play.

PS: Your next upcoming 3DS project is Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai. How are you making the game a different experience from the WiiWare original?

ML: There is so much diversion and fun packed into this title that it's hard to believe it's 'just' an eShop game. On Wii you had a 3rd person jump'n'run but on 3DS we give the player different game play styles for every level.

PS: What new features for Jett Rocket II can you confirm? How will the game be structured?

ML: We will reveal more information in the next months. 

PS: How close are we to the release of Jett Rocket II? Gamers can never have enough platformers, after all.

ML: The game is planned to be released in Q3/213.

PS: Shin’en seems to be coming into its own on yet another Nintendo platform with the 3DS. How has your mastery of the 3DS changed since your first titles on the system? Is your studio more comfortable with the 3DS? Is there more for you to learn on how to handle the power of the 3DS?

ML: We learned a lot since our first game "Nano Assault (Ex)*". While developing JR2 we also improved our engine a lot to make the game possible in 60fps.

*You can see SuperPhillip Central's review of Nano Assault EX here.

PS: How has the stereoscopic 3D of the system benefited your games, if at all?

ML: I think Nano Assault shows how much 3D can add to the visuals of a game. Also for JR2 the 3D adds a lot of immersion to the game. I think 3D is like HD. You don't want to go back to SD when you played a game in HD.

PS: How has working with Nintendo been? Since last generation they have been more relaxed on their policies. Have you noticed this, and how has it benefitted your studio?

ML: We are already a Nintendo developer since 1999. We never felt really restricted by their policies because they made always sense for their systems. I think the changes at Nintendo in the last years are most beneficial to new developers. In the past it was really very difficult to become a Nintendo developer. Today this is much easier.

PS: Shin’en has come a long way since the Iridion series on the Game Boy Advance. Are there any games in your studio’s past that you would have wanted to do differently? Would you have tackled the development in a different way?

ML: Of course. I think we would do every game a bit differently, well, maybe beside Art of Balance. This is a title where everything came together quite perfectly in our view.

PS: Do you have a personal favorite game that you enjoyed working on the most? Can you elaborate on why?

ML: Personally I had the most fun working on Jett Rocket for Wii. That was because I never made a 3rd person jump'n'run before and there were really tons of challenges to solve. I like challenges.

PS: Conversely, what game that Shin’en has developed gave your team the most headaches during its development? Can you explain why?

ML: I think "FAST - Racing League" was tough. We tested so many different ideas that didn't convince us. Then one day we tried the "Phase Switching" gameplay and all problems were gone. It was simply perfect. The game gave us also headaches allowing two players on splitscreen while still achieving 60 fps. To solve that problem we created a software occlusion culling module for our engine. I believe FAST is the only Wii game that uses such an approach. 

PS: What is in the future for Shin’en? Have you ever thought about developing for other platforms besides those of Nintendo’s?

ML: We are pretty happy with the performance of our titles on the eShop. We still feel that releasing our games on Nintendo consoles is something special. And most important is that Nintendo players do really care about gaming and honor what we do. What more can you ask for?

PS: Is there anything else you’d like to say to the readers of SuperPhillip Central?

ML: Thank you for your support!

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I once again thank Manfred Linzner for his time with answering these questions for this interview. It was very much appreciated, and it answered a lot of questions I had with the studio. As stated, Shin'en's next game is Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Takai, and as Manfred answered, the game is planned for a release in the third quarter of this year. No doubt we'll be seeing more of the game as its release date approaches. Stick with SuperPhillip Central for when the game comes out we'll have an in-depth review.

SuperPhillip Interviews: Manfred Linzner (Shin'en Multimedia)

Shin'en Multimedia is an incredibly impressive developer for Nintendo platforms. Such titles in their arsenal include Iridion 3D (GBA), Iridion II (GBA), Nanostray 1 and 2 (DS), Jett Rocket (WiiWare), FAST Racing League (WiiWare), and Art of Balance TOUCH (3DS eShop). I recently had the chance to speak with Manfred Linzner of Shin'en Multimedia. My relatively short discussion with Manfred delves into the game design process of the company, types of games Shin'en would love to take a stab at, and insight into Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console.

SuperPhillip (SP): Shin'en is known for its high production values in its games. What processes allow you to push those boundaries? How do you continue to shatter expectations of what can be done on the platforms you work on?

Manfred Linzner (ML): We don't start our games with a story or a design document. We always start our games with something visual or a gameplay idea that makes a strong impact. Much later we finally go for story and background. We also don't use design documents for our own games. We use a whiteboard and some simple text sheets that are not bigger then a few lines. Everyone working on a game here will have a clear vision what needs to be done without the exact way how to achieve it. This way we don't get hindered at the start to come up with fresh looks and ideas and often we start with a game that takes later a very different path then we planned at first. This process works for us pretty well since more then a decade.

SP: How easy or challenging was it to transition from developing games on the Nintendo DS to developing games on the Nintendo 3DS?

ML: That was pretty easy. You just got more of everything. Better CPU, better GPU more RAM and more ROM. The essence of the games, the controls, kept more or less the same.

SP: What genres of video games or ideas have you not yet developed that you would love to take a shot at making?

ML: Well, I think we really visited a lot of genres already. We had action games, racing games, jump'n'runs, sport games, puzzle games and even games especially for women and kids. Personally I would love to do again a game like "Jett Rocket", but with non linear progression and a huge and fantastic world.

Shot of the WiiWare game, Jett Rocket.

SP: How is development of the eShop entry of Jett Rocket, Super Surf, coming? Any new details you can reveal?

ML: The game is coming along nicely though it had a few sharp turns while in development. We still hope to be able to finish the game this year.

SP: Do you currently have any plans of resurrecting past franchises of yours like Iridion and FAST Racing League?

Shot of the WiiWare service's FAST Racing League.

ML: We don't own the Iridion brand but for FAST we have plans for the future. I think especially on the Wii U we could do something that would blow peoples mind away.

SP: Do you currently have a Wii U devkit? If so, has the system exceeded your expectations?

ML: We have a few Wii U devkits since quite some time. We even almost finished our first Wii U game. The kits exceeded our expectations in every way and we still learn how to get the best performance out of it. A good thing about Wii U is that it's very easy to develop for. You don't have so many limitations like on the other current gen platforms. For us the Wii U is the perfect platform with enough horsepower for many years to come. I think we currently only tapped 20% of its potential and our first game already looks and plays brilliant.

SP: What kind of potential for new ideas, games, and developers/publishers do you see for Nintendo's digital platforms?

ML: Digital is of course the future. We love that Nintendo doesn't really put restrictions on the developers what they want to do in the eShop. For us as a small developer it's like a dream come true to be able to design whatever we want and to bring it quickly to the players.

SP: Is there anything else you'd like to tell our readers at SuperPhillip Central?

ML: Don't miss our first Wii U game! To get the upcoming news first just join our Twitter Tweet at #ShinenGames.

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I would like to thank Manfred for his time and giving me the opportunity to interview him. This is but the start of the SuperPhillip Interviews segment. I plan on having even more interviews with industry insiders, artists, and more right here at SuperPhillip Central. If you have a suggestion of someone you'd like to see interviewed (someone in the realm of possibility, of course), leave a comment below or send me an email at phil[at]superphillipcentral.com.