Sakurai Says Working On DS Puzzler ‘Meteos’ Was A “Fascinating Problem”

Masahiro Sakurai continues to share insights into his storied historical past within the online game business together with recreation design suggestions and his personal philosophy. And at this time, the creator of the Tremendous Smash Bros. sequence has pulled again the curtain on one in all his first main initiatives after going freelance — the 2005 DS puzzle recreation Meteos.

Whereas working as a supervisor and doing consulting work on numerous video video games, Sakurai was approached by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, a developer who previously labored at Sega. Mizuguchi needed Sakurai to make a falling-block puzzle recreation. Amusingly, Sakurai admits that he is “actually dangerous at falling-block puzzle video games”, particularly Puyo-Puyo (although he did supervision work on Kirby’s Avalanche, a Puyo-Puyo-inspired Kirby puzzle recreation), however says that engaged on a brand new style was a “fascinating problem”.

Discussing his thought course of, Sakurai needed to vary the chance/reward system of different falling-block puzzle video games, primarily the central idea — what in the event you did not must destroy the blocks? So as an alternative, he got here up with turning the blocks into little rocket ships that blast off, which might be the cutest, most-recognisable factor in regards to the recreation to us.

Sakurai even reveals off a glimpse of the unique PowerPoint presentation he created to exhibit the sport, which is filled with lovable animations. We won’t resist these little blue aliens! The developer goes on to speak about Meteos as an entire, together with the completely different stage designs and the assorted variations of the sport such because the Disney one, which Sakurai did not work on.