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Celebrating the release of Sisters Royale! A Q&A with Developer Alfa System and Publisher Chorus Worldwide!

Veröffentlicht am 04.03.2020 um 15:02 Uhr

Celebrating the release of Sisters Royale! A Q&A with Developer Alfa System and Publisher Chorus Worldwide!

Introduction and about Alfa System

Founded in 1988, Alfa System is one of the oldest developers in the business.
Founded in 1988, Alfa System is one of the oldest developers in the business.

Alfa System celebrated it's 30th Anniversary on June 2018 with Sisters Royale in Japan which is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4. Being one of the oldest Development Studios in the business, they have quite a portfolio built up.
In celebration to the recent release of Sisters Royale we had the opportunity to ask Alfa System 10 questions! Some of them are from Fans of their works.

In this Q&A you can expect some thoughts on bringing Castle of Shikigami Series to current platforms, ideas for the next game, their most important gem that we never got to play and even some small advice for people who're putting their eyes on making games (and Dreams creators!).

And then we take it over to the other side of Video Games: The Publisher. Namely Chorus Worldwide who brought Sisters Royale to the west.

Producer Naoki Suda generously took some time to answer a few questions for Alfa System!

Questions to Alfa System:

Congratulations on the launch of Sisters Royale in the West! Alfa System has celebrated it’s 30th Anniversary on June 2018 with Sisters Royale. Having made 62 Games (according to Wikipedia) or ca. 100 works if you count the entire portfolio (including 23 Overseas Works), on over 15 different platforms. You’re also one of the oldest Video Game developer house in the world.

First up some questions from 2 fans!

Questions from cj_iwakura (Wrote Hardcore Gaming 101 article and did the Fan Translation of Castle of Shikigami 1):

  1. What are your thoughts on bringing the Castle of Shikigami Series to modern Platforms, including “Shikigami no Shiro Nanayozuki Gensoukyoku” (Consoles & PC)

A: It’s been a long time since we released the original version of ‘Shikigami no Shiro’. In fact, it’s long enough for the babies who were born in the year ‘Shikigami no Shiro’ was released to have come of age as fully grown adults! So, it’s not surprising that there are many who have never heard of ‘Shikigami no Shiro’ series. We will be delighted to reintroduce the game to the old fans and will be honoured to bring the series to the new players. It will be amazing if there will be an opportunity to port all games to current platforms, for example as ‘Shikigami no Shiro: Complete Set’.

Castle of Shikigami was re-released on Steam in 2017, including a rebalancing DLC called Evolution. The first game was instrumental in the evolutionary success of the second game.
  1. Will there be a Castle of Shikigami 4? (Gameplay Request: All characters + Path branching alá Tohou)

A: Unfortunately, there is no project planned for ‘Shikigami no Shiro 4’ right now. The scale of ‘Shikigami no Shiro’ series has grown so much that we won’t be able to publish ourselves. It will require a partner who could support us in developing the series. That said, we remain hopeful. I’m convinced that we could offer amazing experience and gameplay if we were to develop the game on current consoles. Let’s wish for the day when we can develop ‘Shikigami no Shiro 4’ . It will be fantastic. We’ll think about the path branching if we could develop the game.

  1. What is the connection between Elemental Gearbolt and Castle Shikigami? (Tagami's role)?
Elemental Gearbolt was a Light gun shooter by Alfa System released on the PS1 in Japan and US. Cover picture via Covercentury.com

A: ‘Elemental Geearbolt’ and ‘Shikigami no Shiro’ exist in the separate, independent world, but there are some characters that appear in both worlds. What this means is that there are some characters who can move across the worlds, and a ‘large lore’ that cut across multiple worlds. It won’t be easy to figure out the entire lore. The players will need to play ‘Elemental Gearbolt’ , ‘Shikigami no Shiro’ and other Alfa System games that may not be available in the West, such as ‘Gunparade March’ and ‘Kenran Butokai’. There are also novels and comics to explore that are related to the games. This gigantic universe is connected by characters and hinted in stories and information throughout. Not all questions are answered, and there is no end to the ‘large lore’.

It’s likely that ‘Tagami’ from Elemental Gearbolt and ‘???’ in ‘Shikigami no Shiro’ are the same character, and he moves between the worlds (or co-exist in multiple worlds). We also know that he uses ‘holy gun’ as his weapon. In the ‘Elemental Gearbolt’, he supplies ‘holy gun’ to the players, and in ‘Shikigami no Shiro’, he uses his weapon in his fight with the enemy. He appears in other titles too, and he might appear in other games in the future.

Extra comment from cj_iwakura to Alfa System: "They need to add Fumiko to Sisters Royale :)"

Question from Geraint Evans (Head of PQube Publishing) as a Fan, obviously:

He praises you for making “loads of excellent games”! Loves Phantasy Star Portable 2 in particular.

  1. After Sisters Royale, which genre have you put your eyes on? RPG, Shoot’em Up or something different?

A: Great to hear that you like ‘Phantasy Star Portable 2’!

Personally, I love shoot ‘em up, so this will be a great genre to develop, but RPG with some action elements similar to ‘Phantasy Star Portable 2’ will be amazing as well. Or perhaps, an action RPG that are like ‘Tales of the World’ series. I’m also interested in developing a hybrid RPG that mixes elements from Shoot ‘em up, rogue, and treasure hunt.

This marks the end of Fan questions.

5. If you had to make a Alfa System 30th Anniversary essentials list or bundle consisting of 8 games, which games would you put into it? Basically, something that says “This is Alfa System!”.

A reason why there are in the list would be nice too.

A: I’ve selected the 8 titles below without considering rights, hardware, and other issues.


1: Gunparade March (PS) (Link to the Playstation Classic version on the Japanese PlayStation Store)

A Gem before it's time featuring a genre mix of SRPG, Life-Simulation and Dating Sim. Gunparade March even got Manga and Anime adaptions! Cover Picture via Video Game Museum
A Gem before it's time. Featuring a genre mix of SRPG, Life-Simulation and Dating Sim. Gunparade March even got Manga and Anime adaptions! Cover Picture via Video Game Museum


‘Gunparade March’ may not be well known internationally, but this is the signature title for Alfa System in Japan. It is a simulation game set in high school where students fight with the incoming enemies as part of their school life. AI-controlled NPC’s activities make this a unique game, and I haven’t encountered a game like this to this day.


2: Shikigami no Shiro 2 (AC, PS2, GC, DC, PC)
This is a sequel to the arcade Shoot ‘em up, ‘Shikigami no Shiro’. We upgraded the game through many feedbacks received from the first game, and it became the foundation of all of our Shoot ‘em ups. It is also the most highly acclaimed game within the series.

3: Linda³ Again (PC-E, PS, SS)
RPG with active niche fans still playing to this day. It’s a game about collecting as many animals that exist in the world within 8 years before exiting the earth. It’s not a typical RPG, but highly playable.


4: Oreshika/俺の屍を越えてゆけ (Including remake) (PS, PSP)

It’s an RPG with a difference about continuing the ‘bloodlines’(genes) and playing generations of characters. All characters are born with ‘short-life curse’, and they die within few years, so they are required to bear children and pass on their genes to the next generation. It’s a very Japanese game, and I don’t think anyone other than those who live and work in Japan could have made this game. I recommend playing the remake version on PSP.

Special Note about the sequel Oreshika: Taintend Bloodlines (PSVita link to the PlayStation Stores for the digital version: UK, US) from Suda-san:
'Oreshika: Tainted Bloodllines' is sold in the West on PSVita, but only the series' sequel was sold outside Japan. We are not sure why the publisher (SCE then, SIE now) decided to sell the sequel without publishing the first game. The game is not localised, but I recommend playing the original 'Oreshika' if you could find a copy. My favorite is the PSP version.

Extra Note about the availability of Oreshika/俺の屍を越えてゆけ​​​​​​​:
In case you're capable of Japanese here are the links to the digital Japanese PlayStation Store versions: PS Classic (PSP/PS3/PSVita), PSP Remake (PSP/PSVita)


5. Tales of the World: Radiant Anthology 3 (PSP)
This game cross over all characters that appear in Bandai Namco’s ‘Tales of the World’ series. The game is the compilation of all series, with over 70 controllable characters: quite an extraordinary game.

6: Tengai Makyo II 卍MARU (PC-E)

This is the RPG that represent early years of Alfa System. It’s a mainstream RPG with a huge lore and gorgeous build (we developed Linda³ as a reaction to developing this game).


7: MYST (PS)
An adventure game that was popular for its beautiful graphic and mysterious universe. We ported the game from Mac version to PlayStation. It was a very difficult game to port.


8: MAGIC: The Gathering (DC)
This was the first console version of the very popular card game, ‘Magic: The Gathering’. It’s a game to remember as it was quite a struggle to develop an extremely complicated card game into the console game.

  1. Alfa Sytem is 32 years old now. Is there a specific game that you would consider as “Alfa Systems most important game”?

A: ‘Gunparade March’ (PS) was the game that made us who we are. We became the known entity within Japan, and there were many passionate fans who travelled to Kumamoto to visit where the game is based. We still have fans who send us flowers for the birthdays of their favourite characters.

Gunparade March has the traditional PlayStation visuals using pre-rendered backgrounds and polygonal characters but also uses character portraits like in Visual Novels. Before PS3 and PS4 a lot of games didn't make it to the west. Many of the games lost in Japan are nothing short of cult classics.
Gunparade March has the traditional PlayStation visuals using pre-rendered backgrounds and polygonal characters but also uses character portraits like in Visual Novels. Before PS3 and PS4 a lot of games didn't make it to the west. Many of the games lost in Japan are nothing short of cult classics. Alfa System probably doesn't have a shortage of those. Picture via Video Game Museum

  1. You’ve made many games over the past years but not all have made it to the West. Are there any specific games that you wish to have been localized?
Mai Shibamura the female main character of Gunparade March. More Wallpapers can be found on the Official Website.
Mai Shibamura the female main character of Gunparade March. More Wallpapers can be found on the Official Website.

A: Unfortunately, ‘Gunparade March’ (PS), our signature game, has not been introduced outside Japan. The game is deeply set in the core universe that link to ‘Shikigami no Shiro’ and ‘Elemental Gearbolt’, so it is a shame that people outside Japan can’t play this game. It’s a very Japanese game, but the game experience should appeal to those outside Japan, with extensive world lore and unique gameplay. Some people may be familiar with the title through anime, comics, and novels, but the main contents of this title derive from the game itself.

  1. Going back to 1991 to the Sharp X-68000. Your first self-published title is actually an RPG called Noble Mind. What’s the story behind it?

A: We had a few part-time employees who required training at that time, and we thought it would be a good idea to develop ‘Noble Mind’. We decided on X-68000 as it was easy to develop the game on this hardware with great gameplay. We looked for the publisher, but could not find one, so we ended up selling the game on vending machine called ‘Soft Vendor TAKERU’ for PC software.

  1. With PlayStations exclusive game Dreams release, people can now try their hands on making games. Do you have an advice for people who want to make a Shoot’em Up or RPG?

A: There are two important elements for Shoot’ em up; Player’s control and level design. Player’s control needs to respond as fast as possible. Character animation speed can be unrealistically fast in such situation. Response for the players’ control should be prioritised over realistic animation. Level Design is also very important for Shoot ‘em up. Overall, there should be a gradual increase in difficulty by levels, but the game will be more fun if you mix up a short cycle of ‘easy’→’difficult’.

When developing an RPG, it’s necessary to build a well-balanced ‘wall’, where the players are required to grow or increase their skill levels to overcome. The wall can’t be too high, as it become too stressful, but not too low that would defeat the purpose.

Personally, I think it’s important to decide on ‘the gameplay’ before writing up a lore or setting up the world. In fact, all our games are developed after deciding on the game system and game cycle before we move on to the stories.

  1. Lastly, do you have any message for your fans?

A: First, thanks for sending us the questions. We’ve never imagined that you’ll have such a deep knowledge of our company’s history and titles. It’s great to get to know your thoughts and really appreciate your interests in us.

‘Sisters Royale’ is a title that was released to mark our company’s 30th anniversary. For those who know ‘Shikigami no Shiro’, it should be a title reminiscence of the old game with new story and characters. The game is designed for all players, including the fans of Shoot ‘em up, and easier mode for those who have never played this genre. We’ve prepared an online leaderboard for everyone to challenge for the world number one, so hope you stand up to our challenge.

Going forward, we’ll continue to develop games in multiple genres and worlds. We haven’t decided on our next title, but we are convinced that it will be great fun.

End of Questions for Alfa System.

Closing thoughts: We only got a handful of Alfa System games in the west and while it's gotten better in the recent generations it's nothing short of a tragedy that we have missed so many of of their games. Castle of Shikigami 2 seemingly never got a perfect localized version either, though at least the content made it unscathed.
Gunparade March seems to be the biggest regret and I hope it and Castle of Shikigami series will also be available to the present generations some time in the future. If you're a fan or interested in both of them make sure to talk about them to make your interest visible!

About Chorus Worldwide

A small company of 3 but nothing short of amazing. Chorus Worldwide started as a Mobile Game Publisher and things took a surprising turn when one of the Big 3 approached them.
A small company of 3 but nothing short of amazing. Chorus Worldwide started as a Mobile Game Publisher and things took a surprising turn when one of the Big 3 approached them.

Chorus Worldwide is a small publisher with a humble but efficient team of 3 industry veterans with years of experience at big publishers like EA and Microsoft!

PR and Partner Manager Ryuji Oyanagi kindly took some time to give us some insights. Though we only get an introduction to their CEO, he's no slouch either! He's been in the industry since 1999 and has worked at multiple companies in Tokyo including EA, Activision, THQ, Capcom, GMO, and Nishi Shinken.

Questions for Chorus Worldwide:

  1. Is there a story for the foundation of Chorus Worldwide?

A: Chorus Worldwide is a small publisher with 3 employees, and we pride ourselves in not only localising the games but also porting them into other platforms. For the first 3 years of our establishment, we’ve focused on mobile games, but we’ve shifted our focus to consoles after the release of Nintendo Switch. As of February 2020, we’ve released 19 titles on consoles that are developed by European and Asian studios.

Our CEO, Shin Kanaoya used to work for Bullfrog and was involved in titles such as Dungeon Keeper 2. After the acquisition of Bullfrog by EA, he worked for EA UK and Microsoft. We are all passionate gamers.

  1. There’s always been a misunderstanding between what a Developer and Publisher is. What’s your work regarding being a Publisher?

A: Our goal is to discover amazing but unknown game titles and deliver them on various platforms for many players to enjoy, and bring profits to the developers, so we try to deliver the titles in as many platforms as possible. For ‘Sistes Royale’, we released the game as physical copies in Japan and in Europe through SLG. We are hoping to approach the fans in the ways that appeal to them, and support the developers with the work that are difficult to manage directly.

  1. Seeing you’re specialized on Publishing in Asia while also helping Japanese Games like Sisters Royale to the west, what’s the difference between publishing from West to Asia and vice versa?

A: There is no huge difference between bringing Western games to Asia and vice versa. There are many amazing titles around the world, regardless of geographic regions, and we are trying to establish great relationship with them all.

  1. How do you find the games to publish? Are you actively going out to find them or do they find you?

A: We are a small indie publisher, so we can’t just sit and wait for the titles to come through our door. We are always on the lookout for the titles and we always attend trade events that are held in the west and Asia. If you know any developers who might be interested in partnering with us, please ask them to contact us at info@chorusworldwide.com.

  1. Regarding the Caste Study: “Taking “Kitty” to Asia”. How often do these big transformations happen? As someone who’s played the game on Steam myself, the visual difference in style are huge. On a side note for Kitty, any chance on getting the visual changes as Patch/DLC?

A: Culturalization needs to take place to some extent, large or small, especially when we bring over Western titles to Asia. Most of the time, the adjustments that are made are text base, but in rare occasions we need to adjust the visuals. There are many titles out there with anime or pixel art style visuals, and these titles can be accepted in all regions. We decided to release Sisters Royale as we thought the visual would appeal to the anime fans around the world.

On ‘Kitty Powers’ Match Maker’, we thought the original character visuals wouldn’t appeal to those who are used to anime and manga game fans, so we asked ‘Hato Moa’ known for developing ‘Hatoful Boyfriend’ to adjust some characters to make them look a bit more androgynous, which worked really well. When we released the Japanese mobile version, majority of the players were females and the game was critically acclaimed for the gameplay. We also received no complaint on character design.

Regarding the future patches for visual change or the possibility of DLC, it all depends on the developer, Magi Notion as our collaboration came to an end.

Surprisingly, "Kitty Powers" a game on Steam was localized for Mobile in Japan and it was nothing short of a visual make over! His is a screencap of their Case Study.
Surprisingly, "Kitty Powers" a game on Steam was localized for Mobile in Japan and it was nothing short of a visual make over! This is a screencap of their Case Study on the official Chorus Worldwide website.
  1. From Mobile to Console. Founder & CEO Shintaro Kanaoya already mentioned that Nintendo was actually the first to approach Chorus Worldwide for Switch in 2017. Can you share a little bit more about that story?
    Founder & CEO Shintaro Kanaoya at Pocket Gamer Connects in London 2019 introducing Chorus Worldwide. Topic: "Porting to console – Why alternative platforms options matter"
    Founder & CEO Shintaro Kanaoya at Pocket Gamer Connects in London 2019 introducing Chorus Worldwide. Topic: "Porting to console – Why alternative platforms options matter"

A: I can’t get into too much details, but we were shown prototype for Switch by Nintendo, and had an opportunity to discuss potential title release with them. We were lucky to have this opportunity to get in from the very early stage and gain support from Nintendo while much of the access to such information were closed until recently.

We did not release the game when Switch was released, but we managed to release the first title, ‘De Mambo’ on eShop, three months after the Switch release. There are many competitions on this platform, but it is the liveliest platforms with a lot going on, so we are committed to release more game titles on Nintendo Switch.

  1. Chorus Worldwide, Alfa System and Sisters Royale. How did it came to be?

A: We were introduced to Alfa System by someone we knew. They are very well-known developer with close to 60 employees, so when we first visited them in Kumamoto regarding ‘Sisters Royale’, we could not help but ask them ‘if they are fine partnering with someone unknown like us’. We are planning to introduce ‘Sisters Royale’ in other platforms including Xbox One and PC, and we look forward to our great partnership with them going forward.

  1. Whats next for Chorus Worldwide?

A: We are working on several Asian titles for the western market at the moment. There are impressive titles such as ‘Coffee Talk’ which was developed by South-East Asian developer, and it is our intension to release the games not only from Japan but also from South-East Asia, Taiwan, and Korea. We also have something brewing for a Japanese title, but it’s still too early to disclose. For now, we are focused on supporting ‘Sisters Royale’.

  1. Do you have any message to our readers and where can they find you?

    A: We are a very small Publisher, but we’ll continue to release great games from around the world, so please continue to look for our titles and follow us on our social media (Twitter@ChorusWorld/Facebook).

Closing Thoughts: One can't not have respect for them for achieving so much despite their modest team size. With 19 works in the west and 34 in Japan within 3 years you can see their efficiency. Their latest games such as Sisters Royale and Coffee Talk hopefully shows what to expect in the future!

We'd to thank Alfa System and Chorus Worldwide for taking their time to answer the question!

Another Very Special Thanks to Brown Betty (Twitter) for the rare opportunity and translation!

Sisters Royale is now available on the Nintendo Switch and PS4 with Xbox One and PC in the planning! Show them some support if you like what you've read.

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