The Hundred Line: Final Protection Academy is an upcoming visible novel/TRPG from the artistic minds of Danganronpa‘S Kazutaka Kodaka And Zero escape‘S Kotaro Uchikoshi. At Tokyo Sport Present 2024, Anime Information Community was in a position to see a little bit of the brand new sport in motion and later ask Kodaka a couple of questions on it. Kodaka’s candid solutions shed mild not solely on the sport’s time in growth hell, but additionally on the truth that he and Uchikoshi had been betting on their studio’s existence. Too Kyo video gamesconcerning the success of The Hundred Line.
Since Too Kyo video games opened its doorways in 2017, the studio has launched three video games (Loss of life turns into actuality, Finish membership of the worldAnd Grasp Detective Archive: Rain Code) and took half within the creation of two totally different anime (Akudama Highway And Tribe 9). Nevertheless, manufacturing continues The Hundred Line truly began earlier than any of those.
From the very starting of their firm, Kodaka was decided to create a sport that includes Uchikoshi. “Once I grew to become impartial, I assumed it might be pointless for me to develop into impartial until we created some form of sport collectively, and we have been engaged on it ever since,” Kodaka started. “I got here up with the unique concept and created a plot and a proposal. Manufacturing was then began on that foundation.”
As for the way directorial obligations had been divided between him and Uchikoshi, “I directed all the sport and wrote the characters and unique eventualities,” Kodaka defined. “Based mostly on that, Uchikoshi accomplished the path and plot for the a number of endings and in addition oversaw their screenplay path.”
Sadly, regardless of their greatest laid plans, The Hundred Line has undergone a tough growth to say the least. “Initially, manufacturing began underneath a serious sport firm, however that received canceled, so we needed to begin yet again with our personal cash,” Kodaka lamented. “We fully modified the sport style, situation and characters, so it took a very long time.”
However whereas it is laborious sufficient to restart creatively, there was additionally the monetary value. “We needed to work on the manufacturing of the sport and on the identical time take care of the monetary scenario, so it was fairly a tough interval.” Kodaka defined. “After that we began working along with Aniplexand from that second on we had been free to focus on manufacturing and put all our efforts into it.”
Nevertheless, none of this modifications the truth that Too Kyo video games is getting ready to monetary collapse – and Kodaka has made no secret of that. “It is because we finance manufacturing with loans and different means,” he informed me. Nevertheless, Kodaka is optimistic regardless of the looming disaster. “I’ve huge confidence on this sport and consider that this sport will do properly, and that we’ll not solely get our a refund, but additionally make a revenue. I feel it is a sport value taking an enormous gamble on.”
And it is a gamble. About half of what you see in it The Hundred Line needs to be identified to gamers of Danganronpa– or viewers of its anime diversifications. Whenever you’re not in fight, you spend time locked in a faculty with different college students, all designed by Danganronpa‘S Rui Komatsuzaki. “Throughout the hundred days we stay collectively, numerous issues and incidents will happen nearly each day – but when nothing occurs, you might be free to enhance your expertise, develop traps and medicines, and put together for catastrophe . enemy assault,” Kodaka informed me. It is these enemy assaults the place issues deviate from the anticipated formulation.
The preventing inside The Hundred Line are turn-based ways mixed with tower protection. A swarm of enemies strikes in flip in the direction of their goal and solely through the use of every character’s distinctive assault strategies are you able to cease every wave. This sort of gameplay hasn’t been seen earlier than in Kodaka’s video games, nor in Uchikoshi’s. Nevertheless, Kodaka believes that is the proper selection The Hundred Line: “For the reason that theme of this sport is conflict, I felt that ‘tactical RPG’ was the style that might greatest categorical this theme. This sport style was chosen primarily based on the story I wished to painting.”
As for the story itself, it follows Takumi, a boy who awakens with particular powers after he and his lover are attacked by monsters whereas returning house from college. Afterwards, he’s taken away and informed that he should defend the Final Protection Academy from these monsters, together with fourteen different unlucky kids.
Specializing in a bunch of people out of their ingredient, remoted in an unknown location, feels precisely the identical as Dangaronpa or Zero escape– though these weren’t the directing couple’s solely sources of inspiration. “We had been influenced by each sport we have ever made, in addition to used Detroit turns into human for reference,” Kodaka hinted playfully.
And as with Kodaka and Uchikoshi’s earlier works, there is a palpable sense of desperation all through. Once I requested why he was so fixated on the idea of despair, he solely had this to say: “As a result of that is life.”
The Hundred Line: Final Protection Academy is scheduled for launch on April 24, 2025 Nintendo Swap and PC.
