Goichi “Suda51” Suda is one in every of Japan’s most unique and outstanding motion recreation creators, and he’s liable for the likes of Lollipop Chainsaw and No Extra Heroes.
Although hardly ever one to sit down down and discuss with a publication, Suda51 has obliged Destructoid throughout Gamescom 2025 and opened up about his upcoming undertaking, Romeo is a Useless Man. This “ultra-violent science-fiction” recreation, as it’s described in promotional materials, is one more high-octane motion title, and one we’re very probably going to like.
Suda51 instructed us about his inspirations for the sport, the unlikely foundation for the story, characters, gameplay, and much more.
Right here is the total dialog.
Be aware: This interview comes by the use of simultaneous interpretation. Components have been edited to permit for higher textual content readability and keep away from widespread speech repetitions.
So, relating to Romeo is a Useless Man, your latest recreation, and a really stylistic recreation at that, I puzzled in case you may inform me in regards to the preliminary premise that led to it, and the way you went about designing this recreation?
Suda51 (Government Director, Grasshopper Manufacture): First, I got here up with the thought of the connection between the primary character, Romeo, and Benjamin, who’s his grandfather. It’s actually much like Doc and Marty within the Again to the Future sequence. I figured, okay, we’ve obtained these two characters. It’s going to be about time and house. Clearly, being a Grasshopper recreation, it’s going to have battle motion stuff in it.
I constructed off of that base of the time and house factor with a Doc and Marty relationship between the characters. As for the remaining, as Grasshopper, we did what we do. We added a bunch of motion and kills into it.
From taking part in the sport, I really feel it’s very a lot a Romeo and Juliet storyline. It’s very apparent to see the inspirations behind the traditional Shakespearean play. Past what you’ve already talked about, are there every other parts, sequence or video games that you just additionally checked out to be impressed by when making this title?
Suda51: As you mentioned, clearly, there are the primary influences which might be fairly apparent within the recreation. A style that I actually obtained numerous inspiration from was zombie films. Within the recreation, there are mainly two varieties of monsters. They’re referred to as Rotters within the recreation, however there’s a form of Goomba-style dangerous man zombie that Romeo goes round and kills in all places. And there’s the extra boss-type characters and the larger, bizarre creatures.
However so as to get some inspiration and concepts for the Rotters within the recreation, and in addition for a few of the larger creatures as effectively, a bunch of individuals on the studio and I just about simply went by way of a complete bunch of traditional zombie films and obtained some inspiration right here and there.
You might be famend on your model. Video games like Lollipop Chainsaw, No Extra Heroes, all these are basically in a Suda51 model. How have you ever taken your a few years of expertise creating all a majority of these video games and used it to develop Romeo is Deadman into the sport it’s at this time?
Suda51: I thought of how can I take the stuff that I’ve realized and the stuff that I’ve give you for these different characters like Travis Landing and Juliet and the sport and the characters in Killer7 and form of take elements from these and in addition take classes I’ve realized from these and give you this new character, Romeo Stargazer and the way I can kind him into his personal particular person, particular, totally different individual.
One of many first issues that I considered when making the sport was, okay, how do I take issues from my older video games and put them into this one man, however make him fully separate from these different characters so he doesn’t overlap an excessive amount of.
You’re very famend on your characters and the relationships that you just constructed. How necessary is it for you as a storyteller to indicate off and construct on these relationships of your characters to assist the narrative develop over time? How do you go about making the sport enjoyable, pleasing, but in addition very in-depth and gripping on the similar time?
Suda51: We’ve obtained a man named Hirotaka who’s been with the corporate for a very long time. He takes care of a lot of the normal motion stuff, just like the bosses and issues like this. I even have some enter into that, however it’s primarily on him. In terms of the story, it’s both me or our director, Ren Yamazaki, or each of us collectively. We give one another enter, bounce concepts backwards and forwards.
The best way Grasshopper is ready up, every ingredient of the sport has its personal individual in cost. The story man, the motion man, the artwork man, and stuff like that. We’ve all obtained a extremely good understanding and trusting relationship.
So, I do know that if I’m right here writing the story, this man goes to handle the motion half. I don’t want to fret about him. He doesn’t have to fret about me writing up some story that doesn’t match the motion elements in any respect. Having that trusting relationship among the many totally different folks accountable for the totally different parts of the sport makes it quite a bit simpler to place one thing collectively that actually suits and the whole lot is smart collectively.
If Travis and Romeo had been to combat, who would win?
Suda51: At this second, I’d say Romeo Stargazer. As a result of Travis is having a relaxation.
