FuRyu recently announced roguelike action game CRYMELIGHT, and Gematsu sat down for a chat with producer and director Takumi Isobe to discuss the shift from action RPG to roguelike, the game’s Alice in Wonderland-inspired world, its poker-based deckbuilding system, and more.
Get the full interview below.
Both CRYSTAR and CRYMACHINA were primarily action RPGs. What drove the decision to make a roguelike for the third entry?
Takumi Isobe, Producer and Director: “In CRYMELIGHT, the concept of time repeating itself is deeply tied to the story. When we started thinking about how to make use of that in the gameplay experience, the roguelike format naturally felt like the best fit.
“On top of that, roguelikes themselves have become much more mainstream compared to before, and the genre has also become far more approachable for newcomers, which was a major factor as well.”
Speaking of the CRY series—when CRYSTAR began development, was the idea of a CRY series the initial plan, or did that concept emerge only with CRYMACHINA? What made you want to continue making CRY games?
Isobe: “CRYMELIGHT is a brand-new standalone title. At the same time, we also know that many fans have continued supporting our titles over the years, and we’re truly grateful for that.”
CRYMELIGHT seems heavily based on Alice in Wonderland. How did you adapt the classic tale for a Japan-made “dark bishoujo action” game?
Isobe: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a classic that pretty much everyone knows, and it’s been one of my favorite stories for a long time. I especially love the world and atmosphere of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and I’ve definitely been influenced by its strange and dark aesthetic.
“We began exploring what kind of world we could create by combining that with the kind of girl-centered appeal our company is known for. We went through a lot of trial and error, not only with the narrative itself, but with the art direction as well. I’d really love for people to experience those finer details for themselves by actually playing the game.”
The “death game” concept is also something that has become popular in recent years—Danganronpa, Squid Game, Alice in Borderland. What went into choosing this format for your adaptation?
Isobe: “To be precise, this isn’t exactly a traditional ‘killing game.’ Instead, it’s a story centered around battling to the death with the Queens of Hearts who rule over Wonderland.
“These ‘death games’ are deeply connected to the world of Wonderland itself, so there’s only so much I can say about them for now… but I hope players will pay close attention to that part of the story as well.”
Each character seems to bear a specific sin from their past life. Was the cast designed around the sins first, or did the characters come first and the sins follow?
Isobe: “We started by putting together basic character profiles, then used those as the foundation for the character designs.
“As the scenario writing progressed, I gradually got a clearer sense of things like ‘this is the kind of expression she would make’ and ‘this is the kind of atmosphere she carries.’ I continued making small adjustments to the designs along the way until they eventually settled into their current form.”
Sin, purgatory, rebirth, confession—these can all be religious concepts. Does CRYMELIGHT explore these in a religious sense, or is it more universal? If it’s the latter, how do you tackle those concepts without being too on-the-nose?
Isobe: “The concept of ‘sin’ in CRYMELIGHT carries no religious meaning whatsoever. Rather, it’s portrayed as something universal that can exist within anyone’s heart.
“The story follows innocent girls as they move forward while carrying both ‘resolve’ and ‘madness’ within them. I believe it’s the kind of story that delivers a powerful emotional catharsis as players witness their journey unfold.
“I don’t want to say too much about this either… I really want you to play it and experience it for yourself.”
Alice’s story starts with her waking up without any memory of her past, which is a common (if not convenient) story device in games. Does CRYMELIGHT do anything differently to make Alice’s memory loss feel more necessary to the plot?
Isobe: “I wonder why Alice has lost her memories.”
The deckbuilding system in CRYMELIGHT is based on poker, with the goal being to form the best combination of cards to attain the greatest effect. Playing cards are already core to Alice in Wonderland imagery, but they also possess undertones of risk and chance that fit well with concepts like sin and repentance. Was the card system designed with both of those ideas in mind, or did one come before the other?
Isobe: “At first, we focused on building a solid core gameplay loop as a fairly traditional roguelike action game.
“However, once the game’s world and visual style really started coming together, it felt only natural that the gameplay systems should also reflect that atmosphere. So rather than using generic ‘skill cards,’ we decided to base the mechanic around playing cards to better match the Alice-inspired setting. And from there, the idea of poker naturally emerged.
“Exactly as you pointed out, this system creates a constant push and pull between ‘Do I build toward a strong poker hand?’ or ‘Do I take the powerful skill available to me right now?’ By mixing strategy with luck and risk, I think it creates a style of gameplay that feels unlike anything else.”
What was the thought behind the Wonder Dimension system—the dying screams of enemies enhancing the player’s abilities? I find it to be an interesting design concept, because annihilating enemies to the point of constantly hearing their dying screams feels like a sin in itself, yet players are later able to atone for those same sins and receive stronger items in return.
Isobe: “I’ll avoid going into specifics, but even the enemies that appear in Wonderland each carry their own pasts. Alice defeats them and, by [spoiler] their dying screams, ends up taking on their ‘sins’ as well.
“By repenting for the sins they carry and ultimately transcending them, players can create enhanced items. Systems like these were all developed from ideas that naturally grew out of the story itself.”
How does the confession system actually work? In other words, does the amount of sins you accumulate correspond to the number of enemies slain on the battlefield? Do any story-related decisions factor into your sin count as well?
Isobe: “This might overlap with an answer above, but by confessing and ultimately transcending the sins (dying screams) accumulated throughout your journey in Wonderland within the confessional, you can obtain items to make your character grow stronger. This won’t cause the story to branch off in any way.”
The game has two camera modes—a close-up side-view and a wide overhead view—which I think is a nice feature. I recently saw how Crimson Desert lets you adjust the camera to the point that it essentially becomes an isometric action RPG, which made me realize how rarely games offer such different camera options. What went into the decision to include both modes in CRYMELIGHT, and was there any consideration for additional options beyond the two?
Isobe: “To begin with, there actually aren’t many roguelikes that ‘focus heavily on story and character presentation’ like JRPGs do. Because of that, for this game we started by building a foundation that offers a ‘rich narrative while still maintaining the fast-paced, streamlined feel of a roguelike.’ At the same time, we wanted players to first and foremost enjoy the characters and atmosphere, so we began development with a closer camera perspective and more subtle damage number displays.
“However, once the action starts to take shape, players might also start thinking, ‘I want to see it from a wider perspective’ and ‘I want to display damage numbers to prioritize visibility and game feel.’ In reality, players’ preferences vary considerably. Some want a zoomed-out view, while others want to balance out the view to see the characters up close as well.
“Therefore, instead of having just two fixed camera patterns, we made it possible to adjust the settings more precisely, including HP and damage displays, so that players can customize the [user interface] to something that is ‘easy for them to play on.’
“That being said, this would make the default settings a bit tricky to decide on lol, so instead we’ve made it so that the player can select a mode from the start. Of course, even after the player has made their selection, they can fine-tune it in the options.”
Recent years have seen some very popular roguelike releases—Hades, Hades II, Dead Cells, Vampire Survivors, the list goes on. Were any of these direct inspirations for CRYMELIGHT‘s gameplay structure?
Isobe: “We didn’t want to lose the core gameplay loop or the satisfying game feel that defines roguelikes, so we played and analyzed a huge number of titles—from major games like the ones you mentioned to highly acclaimed indie releases. At the same time, our team spent a lot of time discussing what exactly makes roguelikes feel rewarding to players and what fans of the genre truly enjoy, and we incorporated those ideas directly into the game’s design.
“However, because CRYMELIGHT is built around an original gameplay system, namely the poker mechanic, it feels less like we were heavily inspired by any one specific game, and more like we first understood the core ‘rules’ and conventions of roguelikes before reconstructing them into our own unique style. That said, I’m confident that fans of roguelikes will absolutely find the experience enjoyable.”
At $19.99, one would think this is a smaller offering compared to previous CRY games—but it still offers 20 to 30 hours of gameplay. Can you explain the reasoning behind the lower price point?
Isobe: “When it comes to pricing, our biggest priority was making the game accessible to as many players as possible. Even though the game ended up being very content-heavy, we wanted more people to experience this world and story and grow attached to Alice and the others, so we intentionally kept the price relatively low despite the business risks.
“In most roguelikes, even story-rich titles tend to be under 10 hours long. However, because this is a CRY title, we wanted to deliver a more substantial narrative experience and initially aimed for around 15 hours of gameplay.
“Before we knew it, though, the story alone had grown to over 20 hours. Still, the narrative is such an important part of a CRY game that we didn’t want to compromise on it. The final playtime ended up much longer than we originally expected.
“At the same time, pacing is extremely important in roguelikes, so we’ve been carefully balancing the game to maintain both the emotional weight of the story and the fast-paced feel of the gameplay.”
CRYSTAR was developed by Gemdrops, and CRYMACHINA by AQURIA. Which studio is behind CRYMELIGHT, and how do you go about choosing the right development partner to execute your concepts?
Isobe: “CRYMELIGHT is being developed together with Winning Entertainment Group, who joined the project as the development partner, and we’ve been working hand-in-hand throughout development.
“This isn’t something specific to CRYMELIGHT, but when we develop games, we often begin by deciding what we want to prioritize most for each project. For example, if it’s a simulation game, we may place greater emphasis on the programming side, whereas for a title focused heavily on its world and atmosphere, we’ll put more focus on the art direction.
“From there, we often approach companies that specialize in the areas a particular project needs most, and discuss the possibility of working together.”
If there is anything more you would like to share with our readers looking forward to CRYMELIGHT, please do. And if that happens to be some exclusive, world-premiere information, I won’t stop you. (No pressure!)
Isobe: “Exclusive, world-premiere information… Hmmm…
“Oh, if I had to mention just one thing, it would probably be the weapon ‘Aquamarine Emotions’ included with the Digital Deluxe Edition. We’ve actually prepared a little surprise related to it. We’ll be sharing more details at a later date, so please wishlist the game and stay tuned for future updates!
“We also use our Discord community to share behind-the-scenes development stories about CRYMELIGHT, as well as interact with players through questions and feedback. The community has been really active and engaging, so if you haven’t joined yet, we’d love for you to stop by!”
Thank you for your time, Isobe-san!
CRYMELIGHT is due out for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and PC via Steam on November 5.