Creephyp - Sekaikan [Japan CD] UMCK-1551

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Eventually you’ll come across dozens of natural pools with the most impossibly clear water you have ever seen. Frantic Fred, for example, is the "busy" one, a rushed businessman who has to be served right away. Sharkeeta, the wealthy and corpulent connoisseur, represents gluttony, and Pincushion, unlike all the others, will both survive and enjoy a stabbing.

I first encountered the concept of sekaikan on Hidenori Shibao's blog in a post about the development of Paladin's Quest, where he explains that his goal was to make the world the main character of the game. Toward that end, he tried to make everything feel novel and new -- from the battle menus, which can be navigated solely with the directional pad -- to the otherworldly character designs and concept art. He approached all elements of the game, he says, with the goal of creating a good sekaikan. The first thing you need to do is get to Niigata Station by using your JR Pass. There are regular services to Tokyo and most other major destinations. We took the ferry from Niigata terminal and landed in Sado Island just after dark on a wet winter night. The word “Sekai” (世界) has its roots in Buddhist scriptures and is a combination of “世” that has meaning of all of time and “界” that has meaning of all of space. Meaning “World” the word defines that everything is within all of space-time. Later the word started to be used in basically the same generic way as it’s in the west, basically being used not only to describe the entirety of space-time as it’s in Buddhism, but also being used to describe the place where humans exist, the society and so on. Although Japanese schools tend to be strict about taking classes outside your department, I was able to attend some lectures in a game design class with Kenichi Nishi, the director of the cult-hit Chibi-Robo! (He was, coincidentally, a designer on Chrono Trigger.) Nishi walked us through development from idea to execution, and students formed groups to create their own games over the course of the semester.Eventually I stumbled upon Paladin's Quest, one of the lesser-known Super Nintendo RPGs, released in the US in 1993. I almost skipped the game entirely, however, due to its generic name. I don't know how the translators settled on Paladin's Quest, since the game has nothing to do with paladins; in Japan, it goes by the exciting and mysterious Lennus: Memory of the Ancient Machine. You can even find them in situations that in America might be considered slightly inappropriate, such as a flyer I saw that proclaimed something along the lines of "Let's reduce the number of suicides!" with a boy and cute green creature raising their fists in smiling determination.

Definitely add it to your list of things to do in Japan for after Sado. Sunrise over Myoko Akakura. Travel Tips for Sado IslandThe most common translation of sekaikan is “world view”, and it’s a term that is often used by all kinds of Japanese authors and creators, whether it’s in video games, manga, anime, books, or movies. Sekaikan tries to create a world that exists beyond what you see on the screen, a world that feels alive and real, and at the same time fulfills all the desires of the creator’s vision, whether it’s in the design, rules, controls, or story. A good sekaikan tries to create, no matter how ridiculous, strange, alien, or different the resulting game can be, it manages to capture our attention and bring a new level of immersion to all the elements of the product. That’s why while you generally hear Western companies talk about immersion in terms of better graphics, cinematics, and having blood splash the screen with impeccable detail, in Japan realism or good graphics aren’t as important. What’s important is that you believe the world exists, at least during the short time you are playing the game.