After getting a hands-on experience with Death Note Killer Within, we also got a chance to ask some questions to the game’s producers.
Specifically, we go to send over our burning questions to Aoba Miyazaki, the Main Producer, and Kishin Okabe, the Assistant Producer for an email interview.
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- Aoba Miyazaki
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- Kishin Okabe
Their answers were quite insightful as they talked about why exactly they went with a werewolf-style game. They also mentioned how they went about balancing the game, as well as the development of its board game style.
What was the inspiration behind designing a werewolf/killer style multiplayer game compared to a more traditional single-player action experience?
“It all started with our interest in DEATH NOTE, which, despite the fact that more than 15 years have passed since the original manga and anime ended, is still extremely popular with people of all ages.
We wanted to create a game that could be enjoyed by a wide range of people, from current fans to those who used to like DEATH NOTE, so we began the game development based on the werewolf game, which is a game genre that is both enjoyable and has a wide appeal, and which also allows you to enjoy the psychological warfare that is characteristic of DEATH NOTE.”
How did you decide to go with the board game-style design for the game’s characters?
“We have created a default avatar based on the finger puppets used by Near in the anime and comic.
In this game, the player becomes a new Kira or L, and we hope that you will enjoy the strategy of using finger puppets on the board of the table game to doubt, deceive, and find out about each other.”
From our gameplay, it seems that Kira and his followers are strong when there are only a few players. How is the development team approaching the balance for this game?
“The current specifications were decided after repeated test plays by the development team, taking into account the win rate and balance.
Basically, as the number of players increases, so does the number of investigators, so if someone in Team L has information about who is on the same team, the killer’s side will be at a huge disadvantage.
For this reason, Kira and the Kira Follower who are in a small team so from the start they can see each other.
On the other hand, Team L can use the Vindicating Evidence, a Command Card, or give investigation instructions and see how things turn out and can also determine who is part of the team as part of their reasoning.
The game’s overall balance is based on this premise and is in its current form.”
Were you and the other team members already fans of Death Note? If yes, how do you feel about making a game based on it?
“Most of us were following the original Death Note manga and anime as they were being developed in real-time.
As we were developing the game and considering the promotion, we often referred to the original manga and anime, and each of us, as fans of the IP, had a fan’s perspective and approached the product with sincerity, thinking about how to incorporate elements that would please the fans of the IP.”
Death Note Killer Within launches on PS5, PS4, and PC on November 5, 2024.