Wizardry Variants Daphne, the latest installment in the classic Wizardry series, was released last October by Japanese developer Drecom. Celebrating the game’s first anniversary, AUTOMATON had a chat with director Keisuke Kanayama about Variants Daphne’s revival of the classic JRPG genre, and the elements that made this Western IP feel distinctly Japanese.
While Wizardry Variants Daphne proudly inherits the “western fantasy RPG” feel of its predecessors, it was created as “a throwback to the classic JRPG genre,” says Kanayama. Unsurprisingly, the title went on to become a hit in Japan, but the director believes that its potential to expand to the West is there – if it just reaches the right audience. As he explains, the game was made to “meet the needs of everyone who wants to play a classic JRPG.” And though it is a genre that’s still slightly niche overseas, Kanayama hopes Variants Daphne may scratch the itch of core fans of the genre who are looking for such an experience.
Rather than riding on recent genre trends like open-world maps, which many free-to-play RPGs have been embracing in the past few years, Variants Daphne continues the tradition of the classic enclosed dungeons the Wizardry series is known for – with a distinctly Japanese twist. According to Kanayama, the game’s narrow hallways and confined spaces perfectly reflect Japanese aesthetic ideals, offering something different to players who may have gotten a bit too used to open-world maps.
“Unlike open-world games, Variants Daphne is a game that’s played on a restricted field, and that’s what makes it fit into Japanese design aesthetics. Making the best use of a tight space and packing it with content to avoid a sense of boredom – I think those kinds of Japanese experiences have a different entertainment value to open-world games,” he explains. Instead of prolonging playtime, Kanayama says the quick and “compact” style of Variants Daphne is what makes it so fun to play. And as the structure of the game itself is a bit unusual compared to its peers in the same genre, Kanayama promises that you’ll be in for something completely different if you just stick around for a bit longer and play beyond the initial stages. “I hope the people who are sick of open-world games and are tired of roaming around the map will give Variants Daphne a chance,” Kanayama jokes.
Wizardry Variants Daphne is available for PC (Steam), iOS and Android.
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