Starbites: How We Built a Delightful Dystopia

For those of us who grew up in the late 1990s to early 2000s, particularly in East Asia, it was almost impossible to escape the influence of Japanese animation and games. Anime captured our imagination with wildly different themes, compelling characters, and captivating storytelling. Meanwhile, major JRPGs continually offered experiences full of adventure, growth, and success. Memories of releasing numerous games that were not officially released or translated in my home country of Korea – relying only on information from gaming magazines – continue to shape me as a game developer today.

The unknown but deeply human world depicted in Akirathe beautiful dystopian landscapes in The future boy Conanthe exciting adventures and mysterious lost civilizations in Nadia: The secret of blue waterand the charming spatial setting of Cowboy Bebop. In these worlds the world was broken and desolate, but there was always hope, adventure and, above all, a fascinating world. This is the kind of world I wanted to create Starbitesthe new mecha pilot JRPG we announced at the Tokyo Game Show last week.

Delight City, the final utopia for failures

Starbites takes place on the planet Bitterwhich was turned into a desert wasteland by space wars. Delight City, a harsh place where losers and refugees from across the universe gather to live, is made up of repurposed ruins. People’s daily life consists of looting the wreckage of spaceships that crashed and sank in the desert during the war. Although they may seem like hopeless outsiders, they still talk about their dreams, drink together and build warm relationships in this city.

Uncovering Bitter’s past and secrets

In Delight City we meet our heroes. It’s impossible to talk about JRPGs without mentioning the story, which has always been at the heart of the genre. Starbites begins with the carefree adventures of Lukida and her friends, but eventually expands to reveal the mysteries of Bitter and the history of the space wars that surround it. With numerous episodes to enjoy and cinematic cutscenes and illustrations to enhance the visual experience, we have put a lot of effort into the story and hope it meets your expectations!

Different perspectives and debates on mecha

All Starbites’ The characters control their own mecha and serve as both tools and companions to the protagonists, allowing them to operate in the desolate desert. From the moment we decided on the game concept of a JRPG with mecha pilots, endless discussions about their designs began. There were conflicts between designers who preferred sleek humanoid robots like Gundam and those who felt clunky, industrial power loaders were better suited to the world.

The biggest challenge was the different perspectives on the mecha. Should they be considered equipment – like RPG equipment or as an extension of the character? In the first case, we would need to standardize the skeletons and create customizable structures for animation. In the latter case, we would have to design each mecha with unique looks and animations that fit the characters’ personalities.

There was a heated debate about whether mecha should be customizable, as some argued that free customization was essential given the inclusion of mecha, while others believed that the mecha as part of the character was an extension of their identity. The discussion became so intense that it almost became tense.

Ultimately, we decided to prioritize the individuality of each mecha, even at the expense of some freedom of customization, given the focus on adventure and growth in a JRPG. However, we also implemented visual customization elements that allow players to see how the mecha evolves within the character’s identity. It wasn’t about right or wrong, it was about the direction of the game and I still sometimes wonder how the game would have ended if we had made a different decision.

The dilemma of a turn-based combat system

At external exhibitions, the most common question we received was: “Is it turn-based?” Since piloting robots in the desert typically conjures up images of action or gunfights, people naturally expect this. The idea that “turn-based combat is boring” is a major hindrance to JRPGs. The team and I constantly asked ourselves, “Is it really boring just because it’s turn-based?”

Current titles like Octopathic traveler And sea ​​of ​​stars have shown that turn-based JRPGs can still be popular, proving that there is room for a turn-based combat system that combines the strategic depth of turn-based games while matching the speed, controls and visual quality of modern trends.

Combat systems are one of the most thoroughly researched areas Starbites. We experimented and fought to create compelling mecha-based combat, taking inspiration from other great works. The Driver’s High system, originally designed as a special attack, evolved into a powerful tool that could steal turns and change the outcome of the battle. By adding support features that enabled cooperative play between units, we ensured that every character had value and growth potential. Improvements to enable “fun turn-based combat” will continue until the game launches.

I hope you enjoy the fun and challenging adventures of Lukida and her friends Starbites is released for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PC.