Ever since it first came out in 2007, Vanillaware has been the underdog. Coming from a small group of developers at Atlas led by George Kamitani, Vanillaware believed in the power of original games and his 2D artistry in an industry that was becoming less and less interested in it. Each of their games is completely different from each other, with the exception of his almost ruthless obsession with hand-drawn 2D artwork, and it takes years to complete a game. In short, nothing compares to Vanillaware games.
Last month was probably the first time many players encountered Vanillaware. unicorn overlord, A strategy RPG that has already sold over 500,000 copies in one month. Given the niche status of their games, this surge in success is most likely due to positive word of mouth, as most of their games tend to gain popularity after release. Their games may not be the most popular and tend to be hidden gems, but for me, his classic yet modern JRPG creations are my comfort food. is. It is easy to enter, provides a warm and cozy atmosphere, and brings a very satisfying feeling.
Each game created by Vanillaware comes from a very personal place for our staff. We live in an era where most major companies release titles every year or every other year to hit quotas and turn a profit, but Vanillaware takes its time developing games and still typically It's not a huge amount of sales. unicorn overlordFor example, a game that took eight years to make and sold 500,000 copies is nothing compared to Dragon's Dogma 2, which sold 2.5 million copies in less than two weeks, but those numbers are impressive for Vanillaware. Despite this, they are not afraid of big risks, swings and sometimes negative consequences, they stand their ground and support the game they want to make.
As a company, six games have made it to the West. Grim Grimoire, Odin Sphere, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Muramasa, Dragon's Crown, Thirteen Sentinel Defense Zone Aegis Slim, and now unicorn overlord – and every game feels polished like a mirror. When you start any of these six games, the first thing that immediately strikes you is its visuals. Vanillaware games can be judged solely on their beauty, with incredibly detailed 2D worlds, intricate character designs, and brightly colored areas. I can't stress this enough when I say it's a game like . Muramasa Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Dragon's Crown It's a real work of art simply because you can take screenshots of every moment of the game and marvel at every element you're playing.
For example, consider food. Both of the aforementioned games rely on food as a central mechanism for gaining experience points and leveling up. Each game takes pleasure in providing intimate close-ups of each dish, showing how the food is prepared and the characters slowly eating and savoring the dish. I feel the same vibe I get when I see Studio Ghibli food. Just looking at it makes me want to eat every single dish that appears on the screen. There's something so comforting about being served a warm, delicious meal that looks so delicious, even if it's fictional. When you play a Vanillaware game, you feel like a guest. Vanillaware is a gracious host who will treat you to your favorite meals.
Because of this, there is a sense of nostalgia throughout Vanillaware's games. That's because it focuses on 2D animation, easy-to-understand level design, and a simple yet effective gameplay loop rather than how it evokes your own memories about food. We live in an era where CGI is the norm and older animation styles like 2D art, stop-motion, and pre-rendered backgrounds are considered outdated. CGI is much easier and you just have to look at how much time and effort went into animating movies like: Who hooked Roger Rabbit? Or you can think back to the years spent realizing the dioramas used in Hiroki Sakaguchi's Fantasian, and understand why some studios in Hollywood and the gaming industry prefer a simpler animation style.
Projects like this take time, and it's certainly not easy to learn how to use animation techniques from a movie studio like Pixar or a game developer like Square Enix, but making a project like Vanillaware is even more difficult.
That's why Vanillaware games look like modern PS1 games. I don't mean it from a graphics standpoint like a 5th generation homage. land of crows or corn kids 64, However, from a design perspective. The interactivity in Vanillaware games is limited and probably not on the same level as the pre-rendered backgrounds of his PS1 days, but there's a reason why almost all of Vanillaware's library is limited to 2D games. That may sound negative, but it gives Vanillaware games a sense of identity that sets them apart from other games. They are masters of creating 2D games with modern visuals with wonderful animations that restore the world, but not only their limitations, but also allow them to create simple and effective gameplay loops. I think that lies the core of their nostalgic appeal. If you're a fan of his JRPGs from the PS1 era, Vanillaware's games will hit home.
odin sphere is a typical example. As a 2D action JRPG, you fight through a never-ending stream of enemies while moving through very flat, often basic rooms. There is an attack button, a jump button, a special attack button, and a button to open the item menu. That's all you need to work with, but decisions get complicated when you start adding directional inputs to your mix. You can lead to victory just by hitting the square button repeatedly, odin sphere Almost like a fighting game, you can string together impossible combos to devastate enemies in your path, unleashing a series of extremely satisfying blows. It really hits the part of your brain that likes seeing all the damage dealt to a group of enemies in one beautiful combo.
Vanillaware games are games that anyone can play and are easy to master. There is a very high skill ceiling when it comes to how effectively you can play their games, but it all depends on how easy it is to actually pick up the game and play it. You don't need to learn some complicated mechanics to be competent in games like: Odin Sphere. Just understand the basics and you can experiment with the rest as you wish. Even if you struggle, don't feel like it's a punishment or that you're not good enough. You are set back a bit, but the game cheers you up and urges you to try again. You won't feel stressed when playing a Vanillaware game, even if the story stakes are high. You can go back to a time when strong gameplay loops were a priority and focus on having fun.
However, I do question whether Vanillaware's games are all about style over content, and I'm not going to agree with those assessments. Yes, their games are very simplistic most of the time and superficially don't have as much depth as his other JRPGs and action games.I was able to prove that while playing. Muramasa Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and grim grimoire I found myself getting bored with the game towards the end, relying on the same basic moves and strategies to defeat every enemy encounter, and not really knowing what set piece was going to happen next. , and kept playing just to see the artistry on display. And while, at the end of the day, video games are meant to be played, not watched, you can have the best of both worlds by making them extremely easy to understand. You get an easy game to sit down and play while appreciating all the design elements that have been incorporated into the game. Although the two elements exist, they do not directly interfere with each other.
But I think the reason Vanillaware games feel so good to me is because they clearly care about their games. Every time they re-released the game with the first four games, they always tweaked some minor gameplay elements or introduced new mechanics to streamline the user's interface. We have taken fan feedback into consideration. They want all gamers to be able to play the best version of their games, and it's so nice to see a gaming company that actually cares about their final product. Vanillaware, like a master chef, takes time to prepare meals and never rushes just to get food on a plate. If so, they will be more willing to accept feedback to improve their skills and make sure they are even better the next time they visit.
If you ever sit down to play a Vanillaware game, no matter how old it is; odin sphere or recent unicorn overlord, I know it's made with love and attention to detail. No element has been overlooked and I am confident that I will enjoy their games. This is not only because of how convincing the visuals are, but also because of how easy it is to entertain yourself while playing. If that's not the same as comfort food, I don't know what is.
