Interview: BAKERU’s developers talk about the game’s inspirations, reception in Japan and polished gameplay 

Developed by Good-Feel and published by Spike Chunsoft, BAKERU launched digitally on September 3 for the PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch. The 3D action-adventure game initially released in Japan back in 2023 for the Switch. BAKERU is a brand-new IP from the creators of the beloved Goemon series, so English-speaking fans have been eagerly waiting for the game to make it overseas. AUTOMATON WEST recently had the opportunity to talk to BAKERU’s producer Etsunobu Ebisu and director Tadanori Tsukawaki. We asked them all about the game’s creation, its reception in Japan and what kind of changes they’ve made in the meantime. 

Good-Feel is a developer dedicated to visual excellence and fun 

──To start things off, could you please introduce yourselves and tell us about your careers as creators?  

Tadanori Tsukawaki  (hereafter Tsukawaki): 
I’m Tadanori Tsukawaki. 

After graduating from art university, I started my career in the game industry as an artist. I entered the industry with aspirations to do character design and concept art, but due to my inefficiency, I struggled to secure the positions I hoped for. Instead, I worked across various roles including modeling, motion, backgrounds, UI, and effects. 

When Good-Feel was established, I joined as its first artist. Since then, I have taken on roles as lead artist and art director for various titles developed by Good-Feel, working on character design, concept art, and more. 

In this latest project, I served as both director and art director, handling planning, game design, character design, and concept art. 

Etsunobu Ebisu (hereafter Ebisu): 
I’m Etsunobu Ebisu, the president and CEO of Good-Feel Co., Ltd. 

Good-Feel specializes in producing console action games, and we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary next year. I started my career as a programmer on the NES and have been involved in many games. We are dedicated to creating engaging and unique games, and we look forward to continuing this journey. Thank you for your support. 

──Can you tell us about what kind of company Good-Feel is and about your approach to game development? 

Tsukawaki: 
We are a company that develops games from the planning stage onward. Our development style revolves around the broad concept of “fun,” where the entire team, regardless of role, collaborates on ideas and improvements throughout the process. 

We also place great importance on finding the best ways to express gameplay and features, making us a studio dedicated to visual excellence. 

──How did you come up with BAKERU’s concept and worldview? 

Tsukawaki: 
The concept for the worldview of BAKERU is based on Japanese fairy tales and legends. When I was a child, there was a TV anime called “Manga Nihon Mukashi Banashi,” which featured various fairy tales in short episodes with a different art style each week. I loved it. 

Because of that, I’ve always wanted to create a world where many fairy tales cross over. I thought this idea would be a great fit for this project, so I used it as the starting point for building the world. 

──Were there any specific sources of inspiration (such as your previous titles) that you channeled or expanded upon in BAKERU? 

Tsukawaki: 
The game that inspired me to pursue a career in the gaming industry was Super Mario 64, which remains a core influence on my approach to 3D action games. 

Additionally, I have drawn on my experiences from working on Bōken Jidai Katsugeki Goemon. 

──BAKERU is rich with Japanese motifs and cultural references that are recognizable for Japanese people, but is there anything you would like overseas players to pay special attention to? Could they approach the game as a kind of “trip-around-Japan-simulator”? 

Tsukawaki: 
It might be a bit of an exaggeration to call it a “trip-around-Japan simulator,” but since we’ve created the game with stages based on every prefecture in Japan, there are certainly elements inspired by famous sightseeing spots and scenic areas. 

If you’ve been to Japan or are familiar with the country, you’ll probably recognize some of the stages or game elements. The world map is also based on the real map of Japan, so you might even learn about various landmarks and their locations. 

I hope you enjoy the Japan that has been reimagined in the world of BAKERU and that it might spark an interest in the actual Japan. 

──Good-Feel has a history of working together with Nintendo. How has your experience with Nintendo influenced your work on BAKERU? 

Ebisu:  
Without being too specific, I sincerely appreciate Nintendo’s overall approach to creating things. 

BAKERU’s action has been polished to provide just the right dose of challenge and satisfaction 

──Did you come across any challenges during BAKERU’s development? 

Tsukawaki: 
Personally, since this was my first time developing a 3D action game and I started without any prior know-how, I struggled with organizing concepts in a proper sequence and communicating specifications and information to the team clearly and visually. 

The first six months were particularly challenging, as it felt like we were solely focused on movement. We spent a lot of time repeatedly testing mock-up models. However, based on my past development experience, I firmly believed that if the movement wasn’t solid, the game wouldn’t be enjoyable, regardless of the levels, enemies, or systems. So, I was thorough in my approach. We faced many difficulties, but thanks to the hard work of the team, the final result turned out nicely. 

Additionally, designing wide, linear stages was another area where we had to experiment with respect to scale and density. We explored different types of levels and stage directions. It was a struggle until the very end, but I found level design to be both profoundly interesting and challenging. 

──Tell us about BAKERU’s reception in Japan. Were there any aspects of the game that were particularly well received, or alternatively, something you went back to improve? 

Tsukawaki: 
We received positive feedback on aspects like the player controls and the colorful, Japanese-inspired visuals. 

However, some feedback mentioned that, as the concept aimed to appeal to a broader audience, it might feel a bit lacking for advanced players. In response, we have refined the protagonist Bakeru’s movement speed and various action elements to allow for more aggressive play and maneuvering while staying true to the core concept. We’ve also introduced new actions such as “Hurricane” and “Spinning Top” to give the player more options for attacking in different situations. 

Furthermore, we have reviewed and adjusted enemy placement within the stages and added a mid-boss character, the Lantern Boss, to provide more challenging and satisfying battles at key points in a stage. 

──In addition to its Western release, BAKERU will also be coming to Steam for the first time. With the Nintendo Switch, portability is a big advantage, but was there anything new that the Steam version allowed you to accomplish? For example, more lavish depictions of damage and the like. 

Tsukawaki:  
We have added several optional settings to the Steam version, including: 

Texture Quality: You can now upgrade the texture resolution from HD/FHD to WQHD and adjust the texture quality setting (Settings > Graphics > Texture Quality). 

Resolution Setting: You can select resolutions such as WQHD and 4K (Settings > Graphics > Resolution). 

Draw Distance: Added setting to display distant enemies, objects, and shadows (Settings > Graphics > Draw Distance). 

Anti-Aliasing: Improved rendering quality with support for SMAA and FXAA (Settings > Graphics > Anti-Aliasing). 

High Refresh Rate Support: Supports operation at a constant 60fps or higher and is compatible with high refresh rate monitors (Settings > Graphics > V-Sync). 

You can enjoy these settings in a PC environment, albeit dependent on your PC’s specifications. 

──Lastly, do you have a message for overseas players? 

Tsukawaki: 

We developed “BAKERU” with the aim of utilizing the action game expertise that Good-Feel has accumulated over the years, and to create an original game that we hope will be enjoyed by a wide variety of players. 

We are thrilled to deliver this title to players around the world with the support of Spike Chunsoft and hope that many will enjoy this grand adventure set in our quirky version of Japan! 

──Thank you for your time! 

BAKERU is available now for the PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch.