{"id":53540,"date":"2025-10-31T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=53540"},"modified":"2025-10-31T16:54:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T07:54:56","slug":"wizardry-variants-daphne-is-not-open-world-because-it-was-made-with-jrpg-fans-in-mind-the-gameplay-experience-is-uniquely-japanese-says-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wizardry-variants-daphne-is-not-open-world-because-it-was-made-with-jrpg-fans-in-mind-the-gameplay-experience-is-uniquely-japanese-says-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Wizardry Variants Daphne is not open world because it was made with JRPG fans in mind. \u201cThe gameplay experience is uniquely Japanese,\u201d says director"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Wizardry Variants Daphne<\/strong>, the latest installment in the classic Wizardry series, was released last October by Japanese developer Drecom. Celebrating the game\u2019s first anniversary, AUTOMATON had a chat with director Keisuke Kanayama about Variants Daphne\u2019s revival of the classic JRPG genre, and the elements that made this Western IP feel distinctly Japanese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"(English) Fearlessness: Abandon fear, all ye who enter the Abyss. - Wizardry Variants Daphne\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rxwbQZDkC-s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While Wizardry Variants Daphne proudly inherits the \u201cwestern fantasy RPG\u201d feel of its predecessors, it was created as \u201ca throwback to the classic JRPG genre,\u201d 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 \u2013 if it just reaches the right audience. As he explains, the game was made to \u201cmeet the needs of everyone who wants to play a classic JRPG.\u201d And though it is a genre that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400001.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-53543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400001.jpg 960w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400001-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400001-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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 \u2013 with a distinctly Japanese twist. According to Kanayama, the game\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-53544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400002.jpg 960w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400002-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400002-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400003.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-53545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400003.jpg 960w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400003-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251031-535400003-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUnlike open-world games, Variants Daphne is a game that\u2019s played on a restricted field, and that\u2019s 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 \u2013 I think those kinds of Japanese experiences have a different entertainment value to open-world games,\u201d he explains. Instead of prolonging playtime, Kanayama says the quick and \u201ccompact\u201d 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\u2019ll be in for something completely different if you just stick around for a bit longer and play beyond the initial stages. \u201cI hope the people who are sick of open-world games and are tired of roaming around the map will give Variants Daphne a chance,\u201d Kanayama jokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wizardry Variants Daphne is available for PC (<a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/2379740\/Wizardry_Variants_Daphne\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steam<\/a>), iOS and Android.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/despite-being-a-western-ip-wizardrys-biggest-following-is-still-in-japan-we-talk-to-wizardry-variants-daphne-devs-about-the-shift\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Despite being a Western IP, Wizardry\u2019s biggest following is still in Japan. We talk to Wizardry Variants Daphne devs about the shift<br><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/were-still-at-the-bottom-of-the-dungeon-wizardry-variants-daphnes-success-has-exceeded-all-of-drecoms-expectations-but-development-became-just-as-demandi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>\u201cWe\u2019re still at the bottom of the dungeon.\u201d Wizardry Variants Daphne\u2019s success has exceeded all of Drecom\u2019s expectations, but development became just as demanding\u00a0<br><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wizardry Variants Daphne director Keisuke Kaneyama on what makes the latest series  installment feel so distinctly Japanese. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":53542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-53540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wizardry Variants Daphne is not open world because it was made with JRPG fans in mind. \u201cThe gameplay experience is uniquely Japanese,\u201d says director - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wizardry Variants Daphne director Keisuke Kanayama on what makes the latest series installment feel so distinctly Japanese.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wizardry-variants-daphne-is-not-open-world-because-it-was-made-with-jrpg-fans-in-mind-the-gameplay-experience-is-uniquely-japanese-says-director\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wizardry Variants Daphne is not open world because it was made with JRPG fans in mind. \u201cThe gameplay experience is uniquely Japanese,\u201d says director - 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