During BitSummit Drift this past year, I got the chance to meet and have a brief chat with Takaya Imamura, the ex-Nintendo artist known for his work on the Star Fox and F-Zero series. In this interview we discussed the creators brand new video game and the first one made since he left Nintendo: Omega 6 The Triangle Stars – an adaptation of Mr. Imamura’s original manga of the same name. The game just launched in Japan at the time of this interview and an English version is planned to release in the near future.
To start with, congratulations on the launch of Omega 6 The Triangle Stars
Imamura: Thank you very much.
When did you first have the idea for the original Omega 6 manga?
Imamura: Not too long ago, here in Kyoto we had a massive influx of inbound tourists coming into the city and I began to notice there were less and less Japanese people around. I wanted to capture that feeling using sci-fi elements. So in the story of Omega 6 you have the Earth, and lots of aliens come down from outer space to visit and take up residence. Over time, this leads to the amount of humans on the planet slowly decreasing because of this. It’s reflective of what I had seen taking place here in Kyoto.
When you were drawing the manga did you already have the idea that you wanted to make it into a video game?
Imamura: No, it was actually an idea from my producer. When I was creating the manga that was my entire focus and then one day my producer suggested that we turn it into an adventure game.
What was the reason for going for a narrative adventure game with Omega 6 rather than something more action-focused?
Imamura: For this game I wanted to get across the same feeling in the player that the reader would have when reading the original manga. An adventure game in this style was the best way to capture that feeling.
How does the video game connect back to the manga? Is it a retelling? Or a sequel?
Imamura: It’s not a retelling of the manga. It is a completely original story set in the same universe.
You’re an artist by trade. Did you draw all the pixel art for this game or did you have a team?
Imamura: Yes, I drew all of it myself.
First it was a manga and now a game. Should we be expecting an anime next?
Imamura: If the opportunity arises for us to make one then sure.
I heard your favourite character was Tingle. Should we be expecting a Tingle-like character in Omega 6?
Imamura: No (laughs). If I was to include a character in Omega 6 that was similar to Tingle, I’m worried that Nintendo might get mad at me.
Your aliens and robot designs remind me of old sci-fi shows from the 70s and 80s. Do you have any specific inspirations for your work?
Imamura: I’m a really big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy, so they were a big inspiration for my work. I’m also a fan of sci-fi properties like Star Trek, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. I don’t always look to the sci-fi genre though, movies like Jaws have also inspired me.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything you would like to say to our readers to end this interview?
Imamura: I’m going to continue making a lot of manga and video games until the day I die. So please keep looking forward to what I create.
OMEGA 6 The Triangle Stars is an adventure game with 16-bit styling, based on the manga by former Nintendo art director, Takaya Imamura. Wishlist on STEAM here.
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