INTERVIEW: Danganronpa Creator Kazutaka Kodaka on Immersive Mysteries within Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE and More
Kazutaka Kodaka is a man of many ideas, but one thing is very clear when it comes to his work in games: Those ideas come from a place of wanting to make something his own, no matter what universe. From his titular game series Danganronpa, the recent anime hit Akudama Drive and his latest game iteration Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE, Kodaka strives to take his audience on a one-of-a-kind story, filled with mystery and intrigue.
In Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE, players control Yuma Kokohead, a young boy who suffers from amnesia. The detective-in-training heads to Kanai Ward, a place that always rains, to solve the mystery of his lost memory and the other mysteries that line up the streets. Kokohead meets a death god named Shinigami, and together they meet up with other detectives to delve into “Mystery Labyrinths,” where answers lie to the investigations at hand.
But this doesn’t just come in the form of a point-and-click investigation. When exploring the real crime scenes and Mystery Labyrinths, the detectives use the information they have gathered in a multitude of additional mini-games, including a “Pop Up Pirate” simulation, a boss battle where Kokohead dodges false statements and even a multiple choice quick-time event.
Kodaka and his creative staff have never been one to just present a passive experience, and Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE is no different in this respect, with players needing to be nimble with their thumbs and brains to bring justice to those in Kanai Ward. After the demo, Crunchyroll News spoke more with Kodaka about the development of the game, the movies that have influenced him the most, AI technology in video games and more!
My first question is, from Danganronpa to all the games you’ve made, what have you been able to accomplish in RAIN CODE that you haven’t been able to in past games?
Kazutaka Kodaka: So, mystery games tend to be more like scenario, text-reading games. For RAIN CODE, since it’s created in 3D, players can explore more and have more fun, even if they just watch.
Gotcha. Is there maybe one area or anything in particular that you think shows that off the best in RAIN CODE?
Kodaka: I think everything will show that. In the game, you’re looking at an animation because the characters are lively throughout the game.
You’ve also worked across multiple mediums between anime, games, books and all that. Do you have a preference for what medium you like to write a story in?
Kodaka: I want to write for more anime because it can express more of what I write than writing novels.
Okay. So for example, how do you approach writing a story for a game compared to an anime?
Kodaka: So the main difference is how interactive it is. For animation, the action elements are very important. Typically for anime, there are cameras everywhere, compared to games where the camera is just at the back of the protagonist. So it’s important to write scenarios with many of those aspects.
I also understand that you’re a big fan of movies, and that Tim Burton was a big influence for RAIN CODE. But are there any recent movies that you have watched that you would recommend?
Kodaka: Yes, yes yes [laughs]. The First Slam Dunk. One Piece Film Red.
Have you seen Everything Everywhere All At Once?
Kodaka: Ah, yes.
Did you like it?
Kodaka: A little [laughs].
I ask because those directors say that anime influenced that movie. And so it’s interesting that Japanese creators may watch that and go “oh, that’s a very interesting movie.” And then it creates like a cycle between creatives, so I just didn’t know if you watched it or not.
Kodaka: I think I expected it to be more absurd [laughs].
Many fans were introduced to your work through Danganronpa, but how do you think your style has changed since the first game?
Kodaka: I’m the type of person who gets inspired by many elements. So compared to ten years ago, the movies I’ve watched and the games I’ve played are quite different. Maybe those kind of elements are put into the current game. But, as a base, I want to create a game that I want to create, the most.
Now I’m going to ask you about some anime you’ve worked on. Your work on Akudama Drive has made it a critically loved series when it aired in 2020. Do you ever see yourself revisiting the world of Akudama Drive?
Kodaka: It may be difficult to revisit Akudama Drive because the story ended. But I would like to work with the people who worked on that again. The director of Akudama Drive [Tomohisa Taguchi], who is working on Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, (Kodaka speaks in English) he is a genius.
Yeah, Studio Pierrot is really phenomenal. I was very impressed by how it looked.
Kodaka: Sadahiko Tominaga, who produced Bleach and Osomatsu-san, he and I were classmates in college.
Cool! I also have to say I appreciated Akudama Drive because I used to live in Kansai and I went to Osaka a lot. So that’s why I recognized Tsutenkaku in RAIN CODE. Not a lot of anime focus on Osaka/Kansai. So even though Osaka was destroyed in the show, I was like, “Oh, an anime that appreciates the city.” I loved it.
Kodaka: So the atmosphere of RAIN CODE and Akudama Drive is somewhat similar, like cyberpunk and stuff like that. But I wanted to create something that’s similar but different. It’s definitely changed.
I have two more questions for you. So AI and tools like ChatGPT have entered the conversation about making movies and games and other things. What are your thoughts on tools like that? Do you feel like they have any place within your creative process?
Kodaka: I think AI could maybe make a great scenario, but I also feel like the AI will just copy files. I would want the AI to do like a (in English) “first take,” and from there I could edit it and it could create one piece of the puzzle.
Interesting. So do you feel like that’s the current feeling within the video game industry? That people could use it as a first draft?
Kodaka: I think it can possibly work, but compared to creative ways it may be difficult to implement.
Okay. Yeah, I just think of myself as a consumer, I don’t think a robot can make (points to a poster of RAIN CODE) because it’s so creative and different. I just think it’s very interesting where the conversation is right now.
Kodaka: Maybe in the future, if people could input their ideas, maybe the tools can output work. But I want to create games for myself.
My last question then, do you have anything you would like to say to international fans of your work?
Kodaka: RAIN CODE is created by the same members of the Danganronpa series. It’s going to be similar to Danganronpa, but there will be more elements so that both the fans and non-fans of Danganronpa can enjoy it. The scenario is filled with many surprising elements. So before people look at spoilers, they should play the game quickly!
Kyle Cardine is a Managing Editor for Crunchyroll. You can find his Twitter here.
