Another soothing episode of toco toco
This episode of toco toco has a similar appeal as theothers we’ve coveredon this site. It’s a day in the life of a creator — in this case Kazutoshi Iida, the designer ofAquanaut’s Holiday,Tail of the Sun, andDoshin the Giant— and it’s good for the creative soul. We get to tag along, seeing where he spends time and draws inspiration from in Kyoto. It’s the same 10-minute-or-so documentary format as before.
But unlike prior episodes that profiled the minds behind games likeSilent HillandNo More Heroes, here, I feel like I got some great insights into a creator I knew nothing about.Doshinhas long existed on my radar as something I’d like to one day seek out (for GameCube), but I never once connected the dots to see who made the game, why, and what else they’ve had a hand in.
“In art history, we saw a transition from realism to abstract,” says Iida. “I thought that it would be interesting to apply that to games as well. Facing a game that you don’t understand, but where you end up understanding yourself. This is the type of contemplative experience I wanted to create.”
With that quote in mind, I also need to playAquanaut’s Holiday. I’m worried I’m too late to the party since it’s a PS1 game that wasn’t particularly well-liked back when it was new, but its premise — a first-person ocean-exploration sim free of time limits and enemies — sounds liketotal blissto me.
Iida also had an interesting remark about his career. “From the moment I decided to make video games, I set myself a rule that I would create three titles,” he said. “I don’t know exactly why it was three.Doshin the Giantwas my last title. I put all my thoughts and everything I wanted to make in that game.”
