With the English release of ROBOTICS;NOTES ELITE and ROBOTICS;NOTES DaSH just five days away, it goes without saying that right now is a great time to be a fan of the Science Adventure series. Thanks to the efforts of Spike Chunsoft, Inc., the series’ English publisher, and MAGES., the series’ developer, we will soon be closer to having a complete picture of the series in the West than ever before.
In early August, Spike Chunsoft, Inc. graciously accepted our request for an interview with its unique prompt: all questions would be asked by individual members of the Science Adventure community. We’re pleased to say that we have received answers from Tatsuya Matsubara, the Science Adventure series’ producer in Japan, and the English localization team behind the ROBOTICS;NOTES series.
To those of you whose questions were picked, congratulations! Without any further ado, let’s get right into the interview.
QUESTION 1: thegoonerkid asks, “In the SciADV series so far, most of the narratives have been pretty heavily driven by the main character. In ROBOTICS;NOTES, Kaito seems to be quite different [compared] to the other protagonists in the series. For newcomers to ROBOTICS;NOTES or people who’ve only seen the anime, in what ways do you think he is similar to or different [compared] to the other [SciADV] protagonists, and what do you think he offers that the other protagonists don’t?”
Tatsuya Matsubara: Since Kaito is preoccupied with his goal to become a better fighting game player, he doesn’t really like hanging out with other people or listening to anyone besides Akiho.
While he certainly lacks communication skills like the other protagonists of the series, Kaito has an even stronger lone wolf aspect to his personality, rejecting those who come close to him.
That being said, Kaito understands that by focusing on one thing he can improve and values the importance of hard work. He is even willing to sacrifice his desires for the ultimate goal.
The main story of this title uncovers the mysteries left by Ko Kimijima, but while this is happening, a major side plot is Kaito’s own growth.
Localization Team: All the SciADV protagonists have their own quirks and passions, but Kaito does seem to stand out. He’s like a bridge between Takumi (CHAOS;HEAD) and Rintaro (STEINS;GATE). A loner, yet he draws people in; he wants to be left alone, yet he cannot give up on his dreams. By blending these two characters, we see in Kaito a very believable and relatable high school student: a youth wrapped in his own world, slowly learning to care for others around him.
QUESTION 2: Cattyguy1 asks, “Is there any reason [why] Tanegashima was chosen as the setting for ROBOTICS;NOTES? Also, how did the team developing the game ensure that the setting felt accurate?”
Tatsuya Matsubara: Since the past Science Adventure series titles were set in the cityscapes of Shibuya and Akihabara, we wanted a completely different location for the third installment of the series.
We decided on Tanegashima because it had tons of nature as well as the Space Center.
During development, we went location hunting to the island about three times.
We visited areas that appear in the game while taking photos and meticulous notes of the routes we traveled and how long they took.
I remember seeing the mannequin with the helmet at the museum and being just as surprised as when Kaito and his friends saw it.
Now it makes me sad to think that building is no longer there in real life.
QUESTION 3: Americ_anfootball99 asks, “How did the team at MAGES. react to the international fan demand and campaign (Operation HiddenHand) for ROBOTICS;NOTES?”
We would also like to extend this question to the localization team.
Tatsuya Matsubara: You are talking about the people at HiddenHand, right?
Of course I know them.
Since ROBOTICS;NOTES used 3D characters and therefore a different game engine from the other titles, we always thought localizing this title might be hard.
That being said, we saw the petition and heard the voice of the fans, and these things can really sway if we do or don’t localize a title.
The results were…well, you know what happened, right?
Localization Team: We have always been touched by the love fans have for this series. We have always strived to listen to the fans and make sure they are heard. We hope Operation HiddenHand’s success helps encourage fans by showing them they can be heard when they rally together.
QUESTION 4: Lumisentius asks, “Since ROBOTICS;NOTES is using 3D models for the characters, have you ever considered using them for the other games in the Science Adventure series?”
Tatsuya Matsubara: I personally think that the visual novel genre has evolved the least from the 1980s PC game days.
For ROBOTICS;NOTES we really wanted to create an “Augmented Reality” feel so we decided to use 3D models.
For past titles, we really didn’t need 3D characters so we didn’t even consider using them.
QUESTION 5: lkprod asks, “How do you remember 5pb./MAGES. starting out? Were there many creative and business challenges? Do you have recollection of anything that stands out?”
Tatsuya Matsubara: When I started at the company I wasn’t really involved in the business side of things so I can’t really say for sure.
When the Video Game department was first created there were only 4 members (3 planners and 1 scenario writer) so by default we needed to find a development studio.
I remember it was really hard but enjoyable to plan out a game while looking for a development studio.
A really memorable thing for me was when Shikura, the Original Writer and President, shared with me his plan for what eventually became CHAOS;HEAD on my very first day of work!
His presentation lasted six hours and I remember thinking “What kind of company did I get myself into…”
QUESTION 6: Mcprol asks, “Since ROBOTICS;NOTES DaSH was released 7 years after the original game, [what] was the development of the game like? Do you have any interesting anecdotes to share regarding its development?”
We would also like to extend this question to the localization team. What was the localization process for ROBOTICS;NOTES DaSH like, and do you have any interesting anecdotes to share?
Tatsuya Matsubara: The Dev team created the 3D model engine from scratch.
Since it was handmade, it was a lot of trial and error to get to where we wanted to be.
When early images were shared by a certain magazine, our engine was nowhere near finished…
I must confess…those early images were created using 3D software on a PC…hahaha!
Localization Team: There were a lot of interesting challenges working on DaSH, particularly in 2020. While first released in Japan in 2019, DaSH takes place in the year 2020 and features many similarities to some of the challenges the world has faced this year. Sometimes it gave us chills!
Other than that, the one other anecdote we’d like to mention was the challenge in localizing internet slang. It’s not easy, especially when certain characters intentionally use old, outdated lingo… We had long discussions about what was the best and closest lingo we could match it to. It was a major challenge, honestly.
QUESTION 7: DelusionParadox asks, “How is the day-to-day work on a Science Adventure title, and how does it change across the development process? I’d love to hear the specifics, such as the work of the writers and Shikura-san’s involvement with them, or how meetings proceed.”
We would also like to extend this question to the localization team. What does a day in the process of localizing a SciADV game look like?
Tatsuya Matsubara: This isn’t a day-to-day thing but…when a plan is first brought up by Shikura, he brings with him at least 10 reference material books.
For STEINS;GATE it was reference books on quantum mechanics, for ROBOTICS;NOTES it was robot engineering and AR technology…
It’s interesting how his plans started to take shape the more we studied these things.
During some meetings we would talk about how our study of physics could justify the theory of time travel.
Localization Team: The localization team worked very closely with MAGES. throughout all the SciADV games we’ve released. We are all invested in presenting the best content possible, so there were discussions over everything from the use of honorifics to incorporating translations of the anime and manga that are referenced in the series. So when we were localizing it, the text was always in motion: first translations, then edits, then sent to MAGES. for feedback and finally implementing the feedback. Everyone was involved in the process, which makes sense. You usually only get to localize a game once.
QUESTION 8: _labmem001 asks, “Is there a possibility of English releases of CHAOS;HEAD NoAH and CHAOS;HEAD Love Chu☆Chu?”
Tatsuya Matsubara: The CHAOS;HEAD series is really difficult because it’s fundamentally very different from how we make games now.
That being said, talks about localizing these titles do come up from time-to-time, so I’d like to make it happen one day.
QUESTION 9: OwlCoveredInSnow asks, “Matsubara-san, plain and simple: who is your favorite protagonist in the series?”
We would also like to extend this question to the localization team.
Tatsuya Matsubara: Out of all the protagonists: Rintaro Okabe from STEINS;GATE. At times he may seem selfish, but at his root he is very caring and shows that he is willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. That’s what I like about him.
Localization Team: Sheesh, what an unfair question! We love Rintaro, but were really drawn in by Kaito’s emotional growth. He feels more believable as a person, growing in various ways while not necessarily completely changing. Plus after Takumi and Rintaro, it’s nice to have a protagonist who doesn’t have an overwhelming personality to contend with!
To those of you who submitted questions for this interview, we’d like to thank you very much for your creativity and for your passion for the series. This interview was a lot of fun to put together, and it wouldn’t have been possible without all of you. We would also like to thank SciADV producer Tatsuya Matsubara and Spike Chunsoft, Inc.’s localization team for their willingness to support this unique idea and help put it all together.
The ROBOTICS;NOTES ELITE & DaSH DOUBLE PACK will be released on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on October 13, 2020 for North America, and October 16, 2020 for Europe. The Steam versions of both games will release worldwide on October 13, 2020.
The Day One edition is available for pre-order now, and it will include the games, four ROBOTICS;NOTES-themed pins, and a PhoneDroid-themed exterior box. You can visit the ROBOTICS;NOTES official website for more info at http://spike-chunsoft.com/ROBOTICSNOTES/.
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