Shinji Mikami and Goichi Suda React to Tango Gameworks’ Liberation and Share Details on the Shadows of the Damned Remaster

As the October 31 release of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered draws near, we spoke with the 2011 game’s two legendary creators – Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil) and Goichi Suda (No More Heroes) – at gamescom.

While the conversation focused mainly on Shadows of the Damned and its remaster, the pair also reminisced on their work together on Killer7 and told us a tiny bit about what to expect from their next projects, with Suda’s Grasshopper Manufacture and Mikami’s newly founded Kamuy Inc each working on new games.

Mikami also gave us his thoughts on the closure and ensuing liberation of Tango Gameworks, the studio he founded.

How did the remaster of Shadows of the Damned come about?

Goichi Suda, Founder, Grasshopper Manufacture: We started receiving offers to port Shadows of the Damned about eight years ago. My studio Grasshopper Manufacture was keen to do it, but at the time, Shadows of the Damned was exclusive to Origin, the digital distribution platform operated by EA. As a result, the talks of a port fell through.

Since we couldn’t port the game, I gave up for a while. But I still had the desire to release some older Grasshopper Manufacture titles for modern consoles. I was able to make that happen with The Silver Case, and I was also able to release Killer 7 on Steam, and then release No More Heroes 3 as a new title. I thought Shadows of the Damned would be next, and I was finally able to make it happen.”

With Grasshopper Manufacture now under the umbrella of NetEase Games, did that help to make it possible?

Suda: Yes. After I joined NetEase Games, I talked about wanting to release a remaster of Shadows of the Damned. That was about two years ago. At that time, it was no longer an Origin-exclusive title, so the situation had changed to the point where Shadows of the Damned could be released on other platforms. NetEase Games gave me the OK, so we started developing the remaster. NetEase Games gives me a great deal of freedom and creates an environment that makes it easy to work. I ended up telling Mikami after the fact that I was making a remaster of Shadows of the Damned [laughs]. I asked him for a comment as part of the promotion, and he came with me all the way to gamescom!”

What are some of the differences in the remastered version?

Suda: We added a New Game Plus mode, where players who have beaten the game can go back in and play again with all the upgrades they got the first time around. This game has an RPG element where you can upgrade your weapon, and by the end of the story you will be much stronger; so if you use that weapon from the beginning of your second playthrough, you can mow down weak enemies like an invincible force.

We had requests for a New Game Plus mode ever since the original game was released, so we definitely wanted to include it in the remastered version. We have also introduced new costumes, some of which you can unlock in the second playthrough, so keep an eye out for those as well. The remaster has allowed us to implement everything we had hoped to include in the original game.”

How about the visual upgrades?

Suda: The remastered version supports a maximum resolution of 4K. It also supports a smoother 60fps. The PS5/Xbox Series X/PC version supports 4K, and the Switch version is 30fps. In the original version, some cutscenes were pre-rendered, but in the remastered version, they have been changed to real-time cutscenes.

Going back a little, why did you two first decide to work together on this game?

Suda: I made a game with Mikami called Killer 7, which was released by Capcom in 2005. After Killer 7 was finished, I showed Mikami an idea for a game called Kurayami [Darkness].

Shinji Mikami, Former Studio Head, Tango Gameworks: I really liked the outline for Kurayami, but there was no way the Capcom management would have approved it at the time. I had no choice but to give up, but we agreed to look out for other opportunities to work together.”

Suda: A few years later, Grasshopper Manufacture started to think about expanding overseas. We decided to present several plans to publishers outside of Japan, including Kurayami, and Mikami accompanied us. About three companies were interested, but we ended up signing a contract with EA.

Mr Mikami, what made you want to work with Mr Suda to develop a game?

Mikami: Because the idea for Kurayami was really good. The biggest reason was that I had been waiting for the day when I could make it a reality. Working with Suda is fun, so there’s no downside. When it was decided that we would work together on Shadows of the Damned, I was as excited as I could possibly be. Well, a lot happened after that.” [Laughs]

Suda: [Laughs] I’ve always been indebted to Mikami.

Mikami: When the development of Shadows of the Damned was reaching its climax, I was also working as the director of Vanquish (2010) at PlatinumGames, so it was really tough. In the middle of that busy time, I received an email from Suda. Apparently, he wanted to redesign the main character of Shadows of the Damned from scratch. I was surprised because the character design had already been finalized.

Why did you suddenly decide to change the design of the main character?

Suda: I got bored of it [laughs]. As I looked at the old design of the protagonist over and over, I started to feel like it didn’t quite fit. I thought that maybe players would feel the same, so I decided to change the character design. I think we changed him twice during development.”

Mikami: That’s right, this was the second time – that’s when we landed on the final design of Garcia Hotspur. I was horrified at the time. I couldn’t believe we were changing the design of the protagonist at such a late stage!”

And Mr. Suda, why did you want to develop a game with Mr Mikami?

Suda: Mikami gives me a sense of security. Sometimes when a game director has been working on a game for a long time, they may become unsure of some of their ideas. You think something is interesting, but you don’t know if others will feel the same. In those situations, Mikami will always give accurate judgment calls. Sometimes he would guide me by saying, ‘It would be better if you did it this way.’

Without wanting to over-analyze his talents, Mikami’s experience as a director has enabled him to make accurate judgments. Even after working with him on Killer7, I wanted to work with him again on developing a game. As a producer, Mikami takes the stance of ‘protecting’ the project from external influence, so it’s very easy to work with him.”

Mikami: I think we were able to fulfill most of Suda’s requests for Killer7. That said, we had wanted to rework the game’s cutscenes from scratch, but we weren’t able to.

Mr. Mikami, last year you left Tango Gameworks, the studio you founded, and then the studio was closed down in June this year. Then in August it was announced that Krafton would buy the studio and continue the Hi-Fi Rush series. How did you feel about that news?

Mikami: I had thought the studio would be safe as long as they continued to make Hi-Fi Rush games. That’s one of the reasons I left Tango Gameworks. So I was surprised when the studio was closed down.

Suda: It was a bolt from the blue, wasn’t it?”

Mikami: Now Krafton has taken over the business, so I feel like it worked out well in the end. I was reminded that if you make a good game, someone will pick it up. The hard work of the Hi-Fi Rush development team led to a new chapter for the company. I think that for a development studio, making a good game is more directly related to survival than making a popular game.

The Best PS5 Games

Can either of you tell us anything about what games you’re making next?

Suda: In addition to Hotel Barcelona, which Swery [Hidetaka Suehiro] is working on, we at Grasshopper are making a brand-new action game. It’s a completely new IP, so I can’t say much about it yet. But I’m glad that Hotel Barcelona was well received when it was shown recently at BitSummit.

Mikami: As for me, I’m working directly on a game [at Kamuy], but I can’t tell you anything yet.”

Suda: So you’re making something.”

Mikami: Yes, I’m not just a producer – I’m directly involved in development.”

If the two of you were to develop a new title together, what kind of thing would you like to make?

Mikami: I’d like to make a sequel to Killer 7. But it might be difficult, since Capcom owns the IP.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is due October 31, 2024, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC (Steam).

Daniel Robson and Esra Krabbe are editors for IGN Japan, and conducted the interview at gamescom. Ryuichi Kataoka is a freelance writer for IGN Japan.