Why did the creators of Ender Lilies come out with a Survivors-like game? We asked the developers

Japanese publisher and developer Live Wire made their latest title 9th Sentinel Sisters available in early access starting October 6. The game is available on PC (Steam) for $4.99. The new title by the promising studio behind titles such as Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights and Harvestella has been gathering the curious gazes of the community ever since it was suddenly announced in September. 

But what kind of game is 9th Sentinel Sisters and who’s making it? The concept of the game and its makers have been shrouded in mystery. It appears to be of the Survivors-like genre, but how does it compare? To find out more, we conducted an interview via email with Asami Shunichi, current COO of Live Wire and producer of the game (formerly associated with CAVE, gumi ltd.), and Murakami Kenichi, the game’s director and designer (formerly associated with Neverland). 

──What kind of game is 9^th Sentinel Sisters? 

Asami: 
The game is set in a near-future post-apocalyptic Earth, where clone girls continue to fight after humanity is defeated. It’s an exhilarating twin-stick roguelike action game in which girls riding mechs face off hordes of creatures, using missiles, lasers, and other state-of-the-art weapons to wipe them out. 

──How did the game come to be? 

Asami: 
Following the success of Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights (which Live Wire was involved in), there had been a growing passion within the company to create an original title, and at this very timing, our key developers happened to finish a large project, so we though, “If we’re going to make it, it has to be now!,” and thus came to launch the project. 
 

──How long did development of 9th Sentinel Sisters take? 

Asami: 
We first launched the project around the Summer of last year and entered serious development around Autumn, so the project took around one year. 

──Can you tell us about the scale of the development team who’s on it? 

Asami: 
The core staff consists of four members, one of which is a part-timer who will be graduating and joining the company next year. 

• Director/Producer: Murakami Kenichi 
  Previous experience: Neverland Company Inc. 
  Representative titles: Rune Factory series 
   
• Main Programmer 
  Previous experience: Treasure Co., Ltd. 
  Representative titles: Guardian Heroes, Bangai-O 
   

• Designer 
  Previous experience: Neverland Company Inc. 
  Representative titles: Rune Factory series 
   
• Game designer 
  Planned to graduate and join the company next year. 

In addition to the above-mentioned, there were many other staff members who helped out with the game whenever they had time to spare. 

──Moving onto particulars of the game itself, at the start of 9th Sentinel Sisters, the movements of the hero feel quite heavy. Why is this so? 

Murakami: 
Determining the speed of movement was one of the points we struggled with quite a bit. The twin-stick shooter dynamic of shooting while dodging is tricky even for players with experience in such games, let alone for those not used to them. 

In other words, the faster the movement is, the touchier and more difficult the controls become, which is why we made these values fairly modest for the start of the game. But at the same time, the speed can be increased quite early on, and as you advance in the game you will be able to move quite quickly. Our aim was to get players slowly accustomed to the characters and controls. 

 
──9th Sentinel Sisters is thought to be a so-called Survivors-like game. What are the game’s strengths in regard to the genre? 

Murakami: 
It’s the level of action provided by the side-view and twin-stick controls. While many games of the genre have the player control only movement while attacks are automatic, in 9th Sentinel Sisters, you use the right stick to aim, which creates elements of strategy such as deciding which enemies to defeat first and which way to deploy attacks. This gives a more direct feeling of defeating the enemies and a further feeling of enjoyment when clearing stages.  

We also paid close attention to designing the movement of the enemies, creating situations in which they surround you in a spiral or surprise you with high-speed attacks, allowing you to make full use of the aim function. 

──The game is described as a “casual roguelite action game,” but it seems quite challenging to me from what I’ve played. With having to dodge the barrage of bullets and all, it seems pretty hardcore! What characteristics of the game do you consider casual? 

Asami: 
We defined the game as “casual” because you can give it a quick play in a short period of time, and clear even the more difficult stages given sufficient firepower. We made it so that even in situations where the enemies’ movements are complex, and more sophisticated technique is required to defeat them, players who aren’t very skilled in shooters and action games can turn things around by leveling up their weapons and stats. We have implemented numerous stats which can be permanently leveled up, so players can use a similar approach as in RPGs, taking on stages after raising their level. 
 

 
──Who would you recommend this game to? 

Murakami: 
I would, of course, recommend it to all lovers of twin stick shooters and roguelike action games. But since we have designed the game so that even those not accustomed to shooters and action games can enjoy it, I would encourage anyone attracted by the visuals and story of the game to give it a go. 

──Thank you for your time. 
 

9th Sentinel Sisters is available in early access for the PC (Steam). 

Written by. Amber V based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-10-06 17:14 JST)