Interview with Ryoichi Kaku & Shohei Nakanowatari from Bandai Namco Research Inc.

Ryoichi Kaku Bandai Namco Research Inc. – Innovation Strategy Department Ryoichi Kaku joined Namco (as it was then known) in 1995. As a game programmer, he developed numerous large-scale arcade and home console games. He currently leads R&D projects utilizing xR and AI at Bandai Namco Research, while also working on emulator development for arcade game machines using the company’s internal archive materials.

Ryoichi Kaku Bandai Namco Research Inc.

Shohei Nakanowatari Bandai Namco Research Inc. – Innovation Strategy Department, XR Business Section Shohei Nakanowatari joined Namco (as it was then known) in 1999. He has been involved in planning and development of immersive arcade and home console games, and in cross-media projects including radio and television collaborations. Later, he shifted to new business development, engaging in joint planning and co-development across various industries. Since 2019, he has been with Bandai Namco Research, producing R&D initiatives focused on xR and AI. His notable works include the karaoke system JOYSOUND “Afureko!” (voice dubbing experience).

Shohei Nakanowatari Bandai Namco Research Inc.

Q. Tassei Denki 

Thank you very much for taking the time to join us today for this interview as part of the G'AIM'E × TIME CRISIS collaboration project! When you were demoing the game, it looked like you’ve really played a lot of shooting games. You’re both very skilled!

A. Kaku: Bandai Namco Research (BNKEN)

We naturally got better through debugging and testing the games, however, the actual game developers, who know the entire game, tend to be able to clear it on one coin easily. Compared to them, I’d say I’m just an average player.

Honestly, I try not to become too good at playing. I want to keep the perspective of a regular player, so I deliberately avoid mastering the games. I focus on development, not becoming an expert player. In fact, there isn’t a single game I’ve been involved with that I’ve cleared fully myself on one coin.

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

That’s actually really important to us. As you continue developing games, your skill level increases, and you end up unintentionally raising the difficulty of the first stage. When first-time players try it, no one can clear it! Maintaining a beginner’s perspective is crucial.

Q. Tassei Denki 

During the development of the G'AIM'E × TIME CRISIS project, we had experienced players test the game, but we felt it would be wrong to base development solely on their feedback, so we brought in testers from a variety of backgrounds and skillsets.

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

That’s exactly what we do at Bandai Namco group as well. We always include a group of people who have never played the game before in our testing process.

Q. Tassei Denki

In development, whose opinions do you prioritize?

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

It depends on the content. For games aimed at first-time players, we prioritize feedback from those trying it for the first time. For series titles, we gather insights from long-time fans or people who worked on past versions.

Q. Tassei Denki

As a player, I never noticed those things while playing in arcades, so it's a great honor to hear these behind-the-scenes stories and they're absolutely fascinating.

A. Kaku: (BNKEN) 

It even varies in arcade location tests*1. For example, TIME CRISIS had large deluxe cabinets and smaller Standard cabinets. They were played differently. We even adjust difficulty based on the location by preparing multiple patterns.

Q. Tassei Denki

I’ve heard that the difficulty differs between Japanese and overseas versions. Is that true?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

Generally, overseas gamers request higher difficulty. That’s because their player base tends to be more core gamers, and also due to differences in currency value affecting price-per-play. Also, overseas-developed games tend to be harder, so we adjust accordingly.

Q. Tassei Denki

When you released TIME CRISIS, what kind of audience were you targeting?

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

The main target was gun-shooting game fans, and overseas audiences prefer a more hardcore experience. Many players had the motivation to beat it even on higher difficulty. In Japan, we design games to ensure players get a satisfying experience like a guaranteed amount of playtime per coin. 

Q. Tassei Denki

We completely understand that. At our company, we also had people try out the project at Tokyo Game Show 2024, as well as other events. Initially, we set a short play time, but many users said it ended before they could really experience the inherent fun factor involved, so we extended the play time at later events, and that led to more feedback from beginners saying they genuinely enjoyed it. The G'AIM'E TIME CRISIS project has simple controls and even beginners start to get the hang of it after a few minutes. We hope a wide range of users will be able to enjoy playing and that project brings in a whole new generation of Light Gun gaming fans.

Q. Tassei Denki 

When looking at the G'AIM'E version of TIME CRISIS, is there a difference in difficulty when looking at the Japanese vs the global versions?

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

For GUN BULLET (known globally as POINT BLANK), the base game is the same, but we adjusted the default life count and the overseas version was a bit harder. However, arcade operators can change that setting themselves.

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

TIME CRISIS is clearly different. For STEEL GUNNER, it’s not as clear-cut, but from experience, the global version feels harder.

Q. Tassei Denki

A random question: if you were Richard Miller from TIME CRISIS and just beat the final stage, what would you say?

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

To hint at TIME CRISIS 2's return, I say "I'll be back,"! 

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

For me, probably: “I’ll be filing a damage report for this…” (laughs) since we are leaving everything wrecked behind us!

Q. Tassei Denki

With the shift from CRTs to flat-panel TVs, home light-gun controllers haven’t been widespread for years. We hope G'AIM'E will reignite that excitement. From a developer’s perspective, what kind of future potential do you see?

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

I think it has great potential. The 1990s saw a boom in medium-to-large-scale arcade machines, and gun shooting games that you couldn't play at home were incredibly fun. However, after CRT TVs disappeared and LCDs became mainstream, HDMI input lag became an issue, which likely made it difficult to release gun-shooting games. G'AIM'E, on the other hand, isn’t limited by monitor size and even has the potential to be used with projectors. That opens up a lot of new possibilities for gameplay, and from a developer’s perspective, it’s something really exciting. Thank you for the great insight!

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

Personally, I feel that modern home consoles are too restricted by the limitations of standard controllers. Since everything starts with “what can be done with a controller,” the environment doesn’t really nurture ideas for creating completely new kinds of experiences. That’s why, even with different IPs, many games end up feeling the same. I’ve always felt that it’s a waste, especially considering how capable modern computers are—this comes from my own background working with arcade cabinets. If devices like this could be easily picked up and used, I believe it would be a great opportunity to reignite those kinds of creative ideas. I’m hopeful that it won’t just be about gun shooting games, but that it could spark a whole new wave of innovative gameplay concepts.

Q. Tassei Denki

Yes, exactly. Ease of use was one of the key points we focused on during development. As Mr. Nakanowatari mentioned, G'AIM'E is flexible with TV screen sizes. There’s no restriction like “you can only play on this specific kind of TV.” From a functionality perspective, it’s also a device that can be used without concern for room brightness or the angle of the TV. We also placed a strong emphasis on making it plug-and-play. Our goal was to create something that people could easily connect to their TV and start playing right away after coming home from work or school, without the hassle of a complicated setup. When working with us, you likely had to balance honoring the ‘spirit’ of the originals while accepting external requests. How did you strike that balance?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

Our top priority was reproducing the original game experience. Even when other partners ask us to revive old titles using simple hardware, we insist that the original experience be preserved.

On our side, we try to make sure the game runs even on lower-spec hardware. For example, when we ported games to video game consoles, which had much lower specs than arcade boards, we worked hard to ensure users wouldn’t notice, trying to retain as much from the arcade original as possible. Even though memory was reduced, and data was cut, we added extra stages to enhance the home experience.

Q. Tassei Denki

If we push the hardware specs too high, the result is a product that can only be reproduced at a high cost. That would make it difficult for users to afford, which goes against our core concept of creating something that a wide range of people can enjoy. Our company has many years of experience on the manufacturing side, so we have the knowledge to develop and produce high-quality products while keeping costs down. That said, there were still many aspects we couldn’t have achieved on our own, and this product would not have been possible without your valued cooperation.

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

We also don’t want to miss the chance to revive classic IPs. We’re committed to this.

Q. Tassei Denki 

Thank you. Was it difficult to integrate the original assets and code to G'AIM'E version of TIME CRISIS?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

The real challenge was verifying the accuracy unless you know the original "correct" behavior, you don’t know if the recreation is faithful.

Fortunately, Bandai Namco Research has been archiving development resources for years. We had to dig through old documents to find the “answers”. Many of the engineers from that era have now retired, so we had to rely solely on documentation or go examine original cabinets and footage. It was like solving a mystery, piece by piece.

Q. Tassei Denki

That’s really interesting. Sounds like archaeology!

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

That’s right! When reviewing documents, I often realized that a single line had meaning. Once we managed to decipher it, it worked exactly as intended.

Q. Tassei Denki 

So, the work being done at Bandai Namco Research now is intended to carry on even 10 or 20 years into the future?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

That’s precisely the significance of developing software like this at our company. Normally, video, music, and experiences would be lost when the original hardware disappears. We want to preserve those things for future generations. We have materials archived, but our true goal is to preserve functioning versions. We also consider it valuable that these things can be made into commercial products like this, and that drives our efforts.

Q. Tassei Denki

If that’s the case, then there must be many past masterpieces that haven’t yet been revived?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

Since the PlayStation 2 era, thanks to the efforts of home console platform developers, the differences between home and arcade hardware have narrowed, making it relatively easy to revive and preserve titles from that era.

However, titles from a bit earlier than that, used proprietary hardware for graphics and were never ported to home systems. We still have many such titles, and internally they are not well recognized and have not reached customers, effectively becoming forgotton to modern day gamers. One of our goals is to bring those titles back to life.

Q. Tassei Denki

The STELL GUNNER series included in this release seems to fall into that category. It was a huge hit at the trial event.

What impression did you have when TIME CRISIS was released in 1996?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

I had just joined the company as a new employee during development and participated in debugging.

At the time, TIME CRISIS wasn’t the first 3D gun shooting game. SEGA had already released VIRTUA COP, which was very popular. Namco had released POINT BLANK but hadn’t yet entered that genre in full.

So, when Namco decided to make a gun shooting game, I was surprised by how different their approach was—and thought, “This is very Namco.”

In terms of gameplay experience, the addition of the pedal was the most significant. Gun shooting games before that were simply about shoot or be shot, but TIME CRISIS introduced the ability to hide, which brought a sense of realism to the combat. That realism was achieved through the pedal. It also had excellent pacing.

Taking ideas from existing gun shooting games and evolving them into something completely new—that was Mr. Kami’s idea (the lead developer at the time), and it was a refreshing surprise. I immediately thought, “This game is going to be a hit.”

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

When I joined the company, TIME CRISIS 2 had already been released, so I had seen TIME CRISIS as a regular arcade player. Before playing it myself, I saw someone else playing it and thought, “What is this?”

While players of other games stood still, TIME CRISIS players were moving. Even people just watching could understand what the player was doing because of the physical movement. It was so exciting that you wanted to try it yourself.

Also, helping players understand the games’ world before playing was important. The game was not just about play—it had a crafted universe, and that voice “Action!” and “Reload!” were so cool and memorable.

It wasn’t just a game played with your eyes and hands. It was a game that used your whole body—truly iconic.

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

Speaking of the word “Action,” it actually saved me in a way. I personally felt some resistance to the idea of shooting people with realistic guns, but the use of the word “Action!” gave it a theatrical tone, as if you’re filming an action movie—you’re just playing a role. I believe that intention was embedded in the design.

Q. Tassei Denki

That makes sense. “Action!” feels natural in that game, but it’s not a word you'd come up with from scratch. I felt that was very Namco-like. What do you both think embodies the essence of Namco?

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

The company’s founder, Masaya Nakamura, left us with several words of wisdom, and one of the most memorable to me is “High Touch over High Tech”2. Rather than pursuing cutting-edge technology for its own sake, we aim to deliver emotional impact—that’s how I understand it. This commitment to creating moving experiences has been passed down from senior staff over the years. Even during planning meetings, upper management never asked, “Will people buy this?”, instead, they asked, “Is this really fun?”, so in review meetings and presentations to the president, the focus was always on whether people were enjoying themselves—whether it brought a smile to their faces.

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

While we definitely pursue technology, I feel Namco games are always about blending that with top-tier graphics and music sensibility. There might also be a bit of a cultural drive to include humor somewhere in the experience.

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

Rather than continuing what others were already doing, many of our developers wanted to surprise the world by doing something no one else was trying.

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

Ever since joining Namco, my stance has been not to aim for records but to create memories. One example of that is Mazan*3, though it's a bittersweet memory. At the time, it was so groundbreaking that it failed to get its concept across. It was a sword-swinging game where you physically moved in space, people didn’t understand it and ended up hitting the screen.

In contrast, TIME CRISIS had a gun controller and pedal, making it intuitive and easy for anyone to grasp. It was a well-designed game that made it easy for anyone to step in and start playing.

Q. Tassei Denki 

Does Bandai Namco have any internal design principles you adhere to when it comes to preserving legacy titles?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

The fundamental rule is to recreate the original experience, including the original sounds and graphics. This aligns with our goal of preserving the original gameplay experience, however, in cases where something wouldn’t meet modern compliance standards, we’re flexible and adjust as needed.

Q. Tassei Denki

Were there any changes made compared to the original in this G'AIM'E x TIME CRISIS revival?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

This product aims to be exactly like the original. Nothing was changed.

Q. Tassei Denki

Was there anything your team spent a lot of time perfecting that most users might not even notice?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

There are two movie-trailer-like demo sequences in the attract loop, and at the end, a flash effect reveals the TIME CRISIS logo. In the original version, these were created by combining various features built into the original hardware. Reproducing that exactly was difficult. We had to reach out to developers and revise the work multiple times before we got it right.

Q. Tassei Denki

Are there aspects of TIME CRISIS that you feel are more appreciable now than when it was first released?

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

I still think the combination of pedal and gun makes for a uniquely fun physical experience. Today’s hardware may have higher rendering capabilities, but in terms of physical immersion and world-building, TIME CRISIS is an exceptionally well-crafted title.

Each scene is intense, and once you finish a stage, the game automatically guides you to the next. That gives you the immersive sensation of freely moving through 3D space, like you're actually fighting for survival. It's an excellently designed experience.

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

When you're focused on immersive storytelling and presentation, a rail shooter setup like this is ideal because you can concentrate all your resources into crafting those moments. Modern free-roam games allow for greater interactivity, but often at the expense of impactful storytelling and direction.

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

Exactly. Classic arcade games were designed so even first-time players could jump right in and enjoy themselves. With free-roam games however, the separation of movement and viewpoint can make them seem complicated, which makes it harder for players to reach the fun.

Q. Tassei Denki

If you could add one new feature to Time Crisis, what would it be?

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

I feel TIME CRISIS 2 perfected everything the first game lacked. If anything, it might be interesting to leave the gameplay exactly as-is but update the graphics using modern capabilities. That said, it would be an enormous amount of work, so I wouldn’t actually want to do it! (laughs).

Q. Tassei Denki

Lastly, could you share a message for fans looking forward to G'AIM'E x TIME CRISIS?

A. Nakanowatari: (BNKEN)

We hope you enjoy being able to relive that amazing moment when you first saw TIME CRISIS in the arcade, now right in your own home!

A. Kaku: (BNKEN)

Even those who’ve never played TIME CRISIS before will hopefully come away thinking, “Wow, I didn’t know games like this existed!”

Q. Tassei Denki

Thank you both for your valuable insights.

Special Thanks to Bandai Namco Entertainment.

*1 A location test is a type of playtesting conducted during the development of arcade games, where users are invited to play the game in a real-world setting in order to gather feedback and improve the game.

*2 High Tech / High Touch is a concept from John Naisbitt’s book of the same name. Naisbitt describes it as the human-centered lens needed when looking at technological progress.

*3 Mazan is a 2002 arcade sword-fighting action game developed by Namco (now Bandai Namco Entertainment).