February 28, 1997 Release! Coulomb's Gate" 25th Anniversary Studio Live is open to the public! What is the progress of the new work "Coulomb's Rhizome"? Interview with Takashi Kimura (Director) and Kuniaki Hajima (Music)

Launched on February 28, 1997, the cult adventure game "Coulomb's Gate," one of PlayStation's most popular games, celebrates its 25th anniversary on February 28, 2022.

To commemorate this event, a special website opened on February 26, 2022. A studio live performance of two new songs written by composer Kuniaki Hajishima for "Coulomb's Resome," a new sequel to "Coulomb's Gate" that is currently in production, was shown.

The theme of this live performance is "Change and Evolution. Based on this theme, Mr. Hashima performed two new songs, "Ming Li" and "Synchros - Convergence".

These two songs, which are a departure from the previous "Coulomb's Gate," which reflected an Asian gothic and oriental worldview, are more intricately intertwined with time periods, cultures, and worldviews, making it easy to imagine that the game "Coulomb's Resolve" is a work that depicts a deeper, more chaotic worldview. The live studio performance can be viewed at the link of the video.

For the video of the studio live performance, please click on the link below. In this article, we would like you to enjoy a conversation between Kuniaki Hajima (in charge of music) and Takashi Kimura (director of "Coulomb's Rhizome") after the live performance, along with photos of the private studio where the recording took place.

A glimpse of "Coulomb's Rhizome," whose entire picture is still unknown, through music

───Please give us an explanation of the songs you performed today.

Hashima: The song we performed today was one that I sent to Mr. Kimura on my own without informing him of the content of the song, and he even gave it a proper title. Afterwards, I received a critique that was written to the essence of the song, which was wonderful and convinced me that he was right. So I would be very happy if you could do the commentary on the song.

Kimura (laughs). The first song, "Ming Li," has a mysterious introduction that gives me the feeling of a dragon's vein coming from beyond time and space. The song "Ming-Li" is the setting of the previous work "Coulomb's Gate," and refers to the phenomenon of twins echoing each other when the dragon vein arrives. The setting also appears in "Coulomb's Rhizome," and this time there is a character named "Fateful Twins," and I got the feeling from the song that the dragon vein is coming there.

I wanted to use this song in the latter half of the game, when the "Naruriki is finally coming! I would like to use it in the latter half of the game.

HAYASHIMA: When I was working on the song, I didn't have any images of Naruryoku in my mind, but was just trying to create a ceremonial song. It starts out like a joyful dance of a shrine maiden, but gradually enters a different world, and finally the orchestra comes out and it becomes very heavy. Something is coming, and it is something to be feared. I tried to make the second half of the song more exciting, and the audience really got the idea.

Kimura: It was the same with "Coulomb's Gate," and we didn't have any meetings this time either. I thought it was better not to say anything to the creators, so there were no retakes. I enjoy the exchange of "Oh, so this is how it's going to turn out.

Hajima: So I'm sure we are in sync somewhere. It's Naruriki. We didn't do it in today's concert, but in "Coulomb's Rhizome," there are Nazi German troops in the game. Not knowing that, I wrote a song about the deep dark parts of Europe, but you also set that song to the scene of the Nazi German army. It's strange. The things that came to mind are synchronized.

Kimura This time, the story begins with the European worldview of "the establishment of the Royal Prussian Academy of Alchemy in 1701.

Najishima And Nagano Prefecture also appears in the story. That's amazing, isn't it? I don't have any information about what the story is about.

─ ─ When I hear the title "Coulomb's Rhizome," I get the same Asian gothic image as in the previous work. ......

Kimura This time, I felt that evil thoughts would spread throughout the world, and I thought I could go for anything with that, so that's how it came to be in its current form.

─ ─ And how about the second track, "Synchros - Convergence"?

Kimura: The network is in disarray, and various Internet-like things, such as a cronet, are connected. I titled the song "Synchros" because I felt that bad guys would get on top of it. This is a coined word. The subtitle "Convergence" comes from the electronic impression of the music. It is very tuneful, but there is a sense of uneasiness in it.

Hajima: In this recording, I thought about where to take the sense of anxiety that Mr. Kimura felt. In this version, I put the sense of uneasiness in a different place from the sound source I gave to Mr. Kimura before. Perhaps this version would be more interesting to use in a game.

When I wrote this song, I didn't think of it as an electronic piece. The melody is in a Chinese style. That is where the music does not escape from "Coulomb's Gate.

Kimura I really like the way it has a sense of stretching, but there is also a sense of danger somewhere. It is the same in the network world. When you feel safe using it, before you know it, you are being slandered, and there is a sense of uneasiness.

The platform is Steam, and I want to deliver it to game fans all over the world.

─ Thank you very much for the live commentary. From here, I would like to ask you about the main game. What is the progress of "Coulomb's Rhizome" right now?

Kimura: Thankfully, many people supported us through crowdfunding the year before last, and we have created a prototype version of the game.

─ ─ I think some fans were surprised to see the new style of walking around the city in real time this time.

Kimura: Nowadays, movie dungeons (like in "Coulson's Gate") are much more difficult to create. At the time, the company gave us three tasks for developing PlayStation games: movies, sound, and polygons. The Sony Group had to make a PlayStation-like game, so we decided to make a movie in which you walk around in a dungeon. In contrast, this time we used assets (a collection of material data used in the creation of 3DCG) and a small number of people to create the game. I happened to find an asset of the Kowloon Castle and thought it was amazing, so I incorporated it into this project.

The graphics were done by a Chinese staff member I worked with at a previous company. His title is technical artist. The game engine Unity that we are using this time cannot be used only by engineers, nor can it be used by artists. It is not easy to find someone in that position, but I found just the right person.

───Is the scenario already completed?

Kimura: The first draft of the scenario was submitted the year before last, and the specifications were cut out from there. After that, we asked a development company that we matched through Lancers to create a system for us. The system development is about 60-70% complete.

There is an online service that allows AI to create facial graphics for characters by combining photos and face parts, which is very interesting. The more we tweak and create faces, the more we can create good-looking street people.

───This is a very modern way of making a film, with the use of Lancers, assets, and online services. Coulomb's Gate" was really a futuristic vision of the online world in the mid-1990s, and "Coulomb's Resome" incorporates the services and futuristic vision of the network in 2022. Although the technology and expressions that we are dealing with have changed, I think the essential things have not changed between the previous work and this one.

Kimura I feel that my functionality is being extended more and more on the network. Talking about the contents of the game, the depiction of the network this time is metaverse-like, but by the time the game is released, new things may be born from the Internet again.

─ ─ What will be the platform?

Kimura: We are thinking of Steam as the platform. PS5 is not selling as well as we thought it would, and the Switch's specs don't run the game, so we decided to release the game on Steam.

Steam has users all over the world, so it will be easier for people who have never played "Coulomb's Gate" to access "Coulomb's Resolve".

Kimura: The only problem is that it's very difficult to translate (laughs). (laughs). When I made "Coulomb's Gate," I translated it into English. There was a character called "Grandpa So," wasn't there? That character says, "It's my little brother, me! But when he says it in English, he says "I'm brother!" and it sounds as if he is not sure if he is an older or younger brother.

Hajishima: The same is true of "Coulomb's Rhizome," but the worldview and characters of "Coulomb's" have a charm that you can't find in other games. The games that are popular around the world today are all about killing each other. What you do is usually pretty standardized, but "Coulons" has its own unique nuances. It's great that people around the world will be able to play this game.

──When do you think the game will be released?

Kimura: Next year, we hope to release an early access Steam version by March 2023.

─ ─ To be honest, as someone who was looking forward to "Coulomb's Gate," I don't mind waiting a little longer (laughs).

Kimura: I have already written 250,000 words of text, and I'm still struggling to figure out how to put it all in the book (laughs).

(laughs) In the end, I would like to make "Coulomb's Rhizome" a Creative Commons (a license that allows for the appropriate reuse of copyrighted material). I'm going to let everyone have the freedom to make it into an anime, a manga, a game, or a novel.

─ ─ It's a development like the "Cthulhu Mythos"?

Kimura That's right.

We don't want to just sit on the sidelines, but we want the fans to take a piece of the action as well.

─ ─ This year marks the 25th anniversary of "Coulomb's Gate. A quarter of a century has passed since its release.

Hashima I 've become an old man, haven't I?

Kimura (laughs).

YAIJIMA It's amazing that it has lasted 25 years. I think "Coulomb's Gate" is a game that will go down in history. If it were only for its originality, it would be one of the best in the world. Taking over its DNA, Kimura-san has started to create something completely new called "Coulomb's Resolve. This is something to look forward to, isn't it?

Kimura It is said to be one of the three most bizarre games in the world. Coulons, Baroque, and Garage.

─ ─ They symbolize the era when new game expressions were explored with 3DCG.

Hashima: As computer performance improved, it became possible to create amazing things, and there was an explosion of talent. That era was truly a renaissance for games. The games from that era are still being played today, and people are enjoying them. I'm also looking forward to seeing "Resome."

This year is the 25th anniversary of its release, so it would be great if we could have an event connecting "Coulomb's Gate" and "Rhythm".

─ ─ This time, you are using a visible production style, soliciting fan investment through crowdfunding and reporting progress to your supporters.

Kimura: We want our fans to become accomplices in the project. We believe that we can foster the mindset of the fans if we tell them that you are also a part of the project, rather than just observing from the sidelines. It's been 25 years since the last game, so I know there are a lot of people out there, but when we held our first fan event in Odaiba in 2014, called "Minna de Ohajime Shiki," we had a lot of people come who got into the game after it was released. But at the time "Coulomb's Gate" was released, I didn't have a way to reach these people. When I thought about how to reach them, I decided to have them become accomplices. Some people wanted to participate in "Coulons" a little more actively, so I thought it would be good to do that.

Another thing I found out when we were sending out the crowdfunding returns was that the percentage of fans in the Tokyo/Metropolitan area was less than half of the total; if you limit it to the 23 wards, it's only in the 10% range. We found out that fans were scattered all over the regions of Japan.

So even if we wanted to hold an event in Tokyo, it would be difficult for them to participate. On the other hand, I felt that it would be easier to access them through social networking sites such as Twitter and the Internet.

──It is also very "Coulons" to be connected across time and distance through networking. Finally, what kind of year would you like the 25th anniversary year to be, Mr. Kimura?

Kimura: On February 28, 2022, "Coulomb's Gate" will celebrate its 25th anniversary. 25 years I have been working on game design and scenarios, so it has evolved, but from the user's point of view, it may be a change. So, there may be various gaps, and I hope that this year will be a year in which we can fill in the gaps and make the next step forward.

─ ─ I am looking forward to it!

On the special site, you will find a commentary on the music by Mr. Takashi Kimura, as well as a dialogue interview between Mr. Kimura and Mr. Yarushima on the theme of "change and evolution" over the past 25 years.
Don't miss it!