Koji Igarashi isn’t just asking people to choose between swords and whips (opens in new tab) these days. The former Castlevania producer appears in the latest episode of Double Fine’s “Devs Play” series, seated beside DF senior gameplay programmer Anna Kipnis for an extensive playthrough and discussion of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
The conversation swings from the grand design concerns around Symphony of the Night’s famous false ending to technical details of how the team got away with using brightness adjustments to spruce up their old-school 16-color tiles. As Igarashi recounts these development details nearly two decades after the fact, remember they would go on to influence just about every game where you collect equipment, double back, and fill out a map – outside of Metroid, anyway.
If you’re at all interested in the craft behind one of the best games ever (opens in new tab), carve out two hours this weekend and enjoy.