In January 2025, with the passing of former Nippon Ichi Software president Tetsuhisa Seko, the company was forced into a leadership transition. Kenzo Sarubashi, then vice president, took on the role of president in this critical time. Along with him came a new product development structure and the announcement of a series of new titles.
In the blink of an eye, a year has passed. When we refocused on Nippon Ichi Software, we realized that this company, long known for its unique taste and game aesthetics, has completely shed the awkwardness of the leadership transition and has officially begun to move towards the next stage. Not only have many of its games entered the final sprint of promotion and distribution, but it has also established a strategic partnership with Eedoo Entertainment, an old friend of Chinese-speaking players. With the latter's help, several new titles, including "Disgaea: The Chaotic Demon Realmism", "The Death Princess and the Monster of the Strange Library", and "Quiet Pastoral", will launch with Chinese versions on the day of release. For players who love Nippon Ichi Software's unique taste, this is undoubtedly good news.
Not long ago, at the invitation of Eedoo Entertainment, we participated in an interview event with President Sarubashi. At this event, we asked some questions about the three games scheduled for release this year.
Below is the original text of this interview:
Mr. Kenzo Sarubashi
Q:Speaking of the upcoming release of "Disgaea: The Chaotic Demon Realmism", itmost impressiveplace, nothing beats takingIn the past"Disgaea"seriesiconictwo-headed characters,changed to a more realistic higher head-to-body ratio—Why did you decide to adopt this design? This head-to-body ratio,and inthis work'swhat role did it play in the combat system??
Sarubashi:The intention behind this decision was very simple—we wanted to present the beauty of the characters drawn by our main illustrator, Mr. Yuichi Harada, to players in their original proportions from the artwork.
But when we created high-head-to-body models based on the original artwork, we discovered a problem—if we still made it a top-down simulation game like before, these detailed character models would be too far away to see clearly, or even become inconspicuous. So, we simply changed the game type from the original SRPG to an action game—bringing the camera closer so that every detail of the character's actions can be clearly seen by players.
This decision brought two results: first, the cute characters drawn by Mr. Harada became more vivid and lively with the higher head-to-body ratio; second, the impact of skill performances was qualitatively improved. The series has always featured "special moves" as a selling point, and this time, the higher head-to-body ratio gave these skill performances more impactful visual effects.
Q:In "Disgaea: The Chaotic Demon Realmism"in,Homages are everywhere"Disgaea"series elements—In the transition fromIn the massive transformation from SRPG to ARPG, bothbetweenis exactlya kind ofwhatsuchrelationship? And that iconic"exaggerated numbers", and how is it conveyed to players through new action gameplay?
Sarubashi:First of all, this work originally shares the same worldview with the "Disgaea" series—they are all worlds within that vast Demon Realm system. So from a setting perspective, they are connected by blood.
Regarding the numerical experience, we found a new way to express it—In the past, inIn SRPGs,"Growth" is reflected through numerical inflation from thousands to millions.And this time it becameAfter becoming ARPG, we replaced numbers with visuals. When players knock out groups of enemies in front of them with one move, thatThe feeling of "I'm so strong it's unreasonable" no longer requires staring at the status bar; you can understand it at a glance at the screen.
Of course, we haven't abandoned deep gameplay on the numerical level. True series fans can still immerse themselves in the study of extreme numbers, while players who care more about gratification can also find satisfaction on the visual level. We hope both can find their own fun in this work.
Q:After changing to an action game, were you worried aboutof "Disgaea: The Chaotic Demon Realmism"balance issues? InSRPG's"strategic depth"andARPG's"instant gratification"how did the team find a balance?
Sarubashi:Actually,"Disgaea" seriesbalance adjustments have always had a fixed basic policy, and this time is no different.
Our approach was to clearly divide the difficulty into two stages: the first stage is the main story—we set the difficulty benchmark for this part as "even without any extreme development, ordinary players can clear it smoothly"; the second stage is the in-depth content after clearing the game—this is a world prepared for those who want to challenge limits and delve into the system.
This two-layer structure allows us to clearly allocate our energy: the main story part maintains universal balance, while the deep content can be more free—Even though this time fromEven though SRPG has become ARPG, this basic policy remains unchanged. The action difficulty for the main story is set to"slightly challenging" level, while the world after clearing the game is the true Demon Realm.
Q:Speaking of this unique charm,"Disgaea"The series has always been"Breaking strategic common sense with numerical inflation"for fun—When this spirit is transplanted toAsaction gameof "Disgaea: The Chaotic Demon Realmism", how do you define its new form?
Sarubashi: Yes, this is exactly what we want to emphasize most.
"Disgaea"AsSRPG, strategy is of course the foundation, but its uniqueness lies in—through extreme character development and exaggerated numerical inflation, you can反过来 "break" that strategic common sense itself. This thrill of "breaking the rules" is unique to the series.
And actionRPGs are usually charming for their immediacy and gratification, but this often means higher operational difficulty and reaction pressure. So, if we usehandle it in the "Disgaea" way? By developing characters and stacking numbers, deliberately "breaking"actionRPG common sense, when an enemy's originally fatal attack just tickles you, and when your combo range is enough to cover the entire screen—this "out-of-the-box" experience is the most interesting part of this work.
Q:In "The Death Princess and the Library of MonstersMonsters"In the previous title,,players directly control the protagonistengage in combat,butThis time,bygirl“Mono”toward monsters“Meru”issue commandsengage in combat,What was the intention behind this design change?
Sarubashi:As you mentioned, in this game, the girl Mono gives commands to the monster Meru. However, it's important to emphasize that it's not just about controlling Meru; controlling the human character is equally important.
We made both "humans" and "monsters" central to the gameplay because the game's theme is "communication between humans and the otherworld." In the later stages, human skills support Meru, creating a mutually supportive relationship. Although this design introduced the complexity of "controlling two characters simultaneously," we adjusted it extensively through testing to ensure it remains accessible to all players.
Q:“The Death Princess and the Library of MonstersMonsters" is Nippon Ichi Software's“picture book”seriesthird installment—During development,youwhetherintentionallywill“destroy”as a core concept?During this process, did development encounterany difficulties?
Sarubashi:Yes, you could say that. In past "Picture Book" series titles, the gameplay itself was relatively simple, with picture book elements mostly limited to visual presentation—although it looked like a picture book, it played like a traditional game.
But as the third entry in the series, we felt it was essential to take things further. So, this time we also embedded "picture book" qualities into the gameplay—allowing players to personally destroy and alter the picture book world itself.
The picture book visuals on screen can be torn and distorted, serving both as visual spectacle and gameplay mechanics. We want players to "dive deeper" into the world of the picture books through these actions, rather than just observing from the outside—achieving this required considerable effort.
Q:“The Death Princess and the Library of MonstersMonsters" emphasizes“picture book-styleofnarrative experience”,SoWhat impression does the team hope to leave on players?
Sarubashi:The protagonist of this game is a "girl who enters picture books," and players will venture into the picture book worlds she enters.
More importantly, each picture book corresponds to a different girl, and each girl's circumstances are unique. Therefore, the worldview you enter will be completely different, the background music will change entirely, and the overall artistic atmosphere will shift dramatically—Each picture book is an independent work with its own distinct style.
We hope that after clearing each level, players feel as though they've just finished reading a different picture book—it's not one continuous story, but rather the experience of reading an anthology.
Q: For players who haven't played the previous titles,“The Death Princess and the Library of MonstersMonsters"Is there a barrier to entry? Are the stories across the series connected?
Sarubashi:This game's story is not directly connected to the previous titles, so newcomers can jump in without any issues.
However, for series fans who have played through the previous titles, we've hidden little scenes here and there that will bring a smile—"Ah, that's from before!"
If you've played the previous titles, you'll likely recognize these details immediately.
Q:Whenmany titles under“ranch management” “slow living”as the theme, but like"Tranquil Pastoral Life"introducing hunting elements in this wayofgames featuring this are rare, so what led to the inclusion of this systemwhat was the original intent?
Sarubashi:The game is set in a rural village deep in the mountains of Japan, a place surrounded by rich nature yet far removed from urban areas.
In this environment, wildlife is not a "threat" but a valuable resource. We didn't want to depict an idyllic pastoral paradise, but rather the conveniences and inconveniences of life isolated from the city. Therefore, we deliberately designed a system where players "hunt to gather resources"—not to add excitement, but to show that "this is how real rural life works."
Q:"Tranquil Pastoral Life"blending everyday farming with horror elementsconductedblend...Where did the initial inspiration come from for blending these seemingly contradictory styles??
Sarubashi:The starting point was actually quite simple—this game was developed by the "Yomawari" team, who wanted to create something different from "Yomawari."
However, we didn't want to waste the strengths accumulated by the "Yomawari" team: their unique graphical expressiveness and keen sense of "atmosphere." So we asked ourselves: Is there a genre that could leverage these advantages while offering a fresh experience?
Ultimately, we decided that "life simulation" would be an interesting vehicle—that was the starting point for Everythinggj.
Q: Regarding"Tranquil Pastoral Life"the most core“Duality of Day and Night"design—How did you conceive the contrast between daytime peace and nighttime horror?
Sarubashi:We place great importance on the theme of "the duality of day and night."
During the day, there is farming, animal husbandry, fishing, shopping, talking with villagers... In short, this is the most peaceful part of the day. Sunlight fills the village, and Everythinggj seems normal.
But as the light gradually fades into dusk, the thorough darkness characteristic of rural areas descends—free from city light pollution and streetlights. The contrast and gap between the sense of security during the day and the sudden arrival of night after players let their guard down is the core method we use to express horror.
Please experience how the village becomes two completely different worlds during the day and night.
Q:"Tranquil Pastoral"Is there a multiple ending design?What designs ensure player immersion and long-term play??
Sarubashi:This title does not feature multiple endings. However, we have prepared abundant collectibles, interactions with villagers, item gathering, building construction, and more, allowing players who enjoy this worldview to remain immersed for a long time.
Q: Finally,Could you tell us why Nippon Ichi Software choseandClouded Leopard Entertainmentthe opportunity for cooperation? Will you continue to cooperate in the future?
Sarubashi:The opportunity was actually quite personal—Ms. Chen Yunyun, representative of Clouded Leopard Entertainment, and IWe have known each other for many years. Since "Disgaea5," we have been collaborating.
Ms. Chen's passion for localization left a very deep impression on me. After I became president, I proactively proposed, "I hope we can formally begin cooperation," which led to the current situation.
Regarding the future, our company aims to localize our titles as close to the Japanese release date as possible—within three months at the latest—and deliver them to Chinese-speaking players. This is the goal we are striving for.
Q:Finally, do you have any words for players in the Chinese-speaking regionsplayerssay?
Sarubashi:We are truly delighted that several of our titles can be released simultaneously with Japan this time. We will continue to strive for simultaneous releases in the future, so please continue to support Nippon Ichi Software games! Thank you!