A Conversation With Hisashi Koinuma

Interview with the Producer of A.O.T. Wings of Freedom

As one of the biggest anime series of this decade, it should come as no surprise that Attack on Titan would eventually be adapted into a range of video games. While not the only Attack on Titan game to be made available in either Japan or western markets, one of the next and possibly biggest titles is A.O.T. Wings of Freedom from Koei Tecmo and development studio Omega Force. To be available on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Windows PC and Xbox One platforms, this game will comes from a team who are known for offering sizeable worlds teeming with life, including the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises.

Thanks to Australian distributor QV Software and worldwide publisher Koei Tecmo Games, I had the chance to ask some questions regarding A.O.T. Wings of Freedom to producer Hisashi Koinuma. Keep scrolling down to read a transcript of this Q&A, and learn a little bit more about this intriguing adaptation of such a successful anime:

A Conversation With Hisashi Koinuma 1

What has your experience been like in bringing A.O.T.: Wings of Freedom to gaming audiences so far?

Since it is an IP that is popular around the world, the dev team felt a huge amount of pressure, but since we were able to challenge ourselves with something different from the Warriors series, the morale and motivation of the team remained high throughout the project.

During the game’s development we went through countless attempts of trial and error, but with each attempt the quality significantly increased as did the team’s skills. Through developing this game we were reminded of the importance of having new challenges.

When initially conceptualising the ideas behind A.O.T.: Wings of Freedom , what were some of the goals the development team hoped to achieve?

Our number one goal was how we would reconstruct the manga’s universe. In particular with the battles of humans vs. Titans, we needed to not only make it exciting as a game, but to also have gamers feel the despair as expressed in the manga.

What do you think are some of the game’s defining gameplay features?

The exhilarating action and freedom to move about using the omni-directional mobility gear, the battle system when playing as a Titan and tactical elements such as replenishing items and commanding your allies.

Do you think A.O.T.: Wings of Freedom would be a good starting point for someone who has never watched Attack on Titan before?

Yes. The game covers the first season of the anime, so it is suitable for learning about the story, characters and the universe.

A Conversation With Hisashi Koinuma 2

It has been previously mentioned that A.O.T.: Wings of Freedom closely follows the story of Attack on Titan’s first season. In addition to this, is there much new content which has been exclusively written for this game?

There is an original storyline that includes Titans that have not appeared in the anime’s first season and Titan battles that fans of the manga have been waiting for.

A.O.T.: Wings of Freedom has already been out in the Japanese market for a few months now. What do you think the reception has been like so far?

The reception from Japanese gamers has been very favourable. In particular, the Titan battles using the omni-directional mobility gear has received a lot of praise.

We also found that many people who bought A.O.T.: Wings of Freedom had not purchased a Koei Tecmo game before, so I think we have been able to reach out to the many fans of Attack on Titan.

What do you have to say to those who might be on the fence about picking up this game?

We have replicated Attack on Titan in game form from the visuals to the game system. Not only can gamers relive the anime’s story and battles through stunning graphics, but there are Titans and major battles that have yet to appear in the anime. And gamers can experience a new kind of gameplay through the omni-directional mobility gear.

I hope that not only fans of the original manga and anime, but action game fans as well will pick up this game to experience the “playable Attack on Titan”.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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