T-ONO: First of all, welcome to America! Are you enjoying your time so far?
Amaya: Thank you, San Francisco is really amazing, it's really beautiful. It might be really ordinary for the people who live here, but the lights look like fireworks in the sky.
T-ONO: The original Cave Story's gameplay is very interesting and reminds me of the old classic games which are different from the games today. What were the motivations or inspirations that drove you to make a video game like Cave Story?
Amaya: I got my inspirations from all the game I have played; however, the ones that inspired me the most are Metroid and Dragon Quest. Even boring games inspired me. Bad games has its good aspects, and those kept on inspiring me too.
T-ONO: What aspects of Cave Story are you proud of?
Amaya: I am proud of creating a game which people can easily pick up and play and the game's weapon power up system. It is always exciting to be able to gather experience points to power up; however, as the character increases his life points, players will tend to care less about getting hit by enemies. This kind of makes the game dull, so in Cave Story, if you get hit enough, the power level of a weapon decreases. This way, I felt like I was able to keep gamers more focused on playing the game.
T-ONO: With Cave Story 3D being produced by Nicalis, how involved are you with production of the game?
Amaya: Pretty much everything including the graphics and music. When the developers are done with anything, I do the final checks. Even with the characters, I draw them and ask the developers to make them like my drawings. Also there are some places where I let the graphic designers of Nicalis to design them, and usually come up with something different from what I expected, and that is actually pretty interesting to me.
T-ONO: Is Cave Story 3D a remake?
Amaya: It is a remake, but not like some games on the Wiiware that has just a little graphical enhancement, but this one the entire graphic is completely done in 3D. So just seeing a glance of it seems like you're looking at a completely new game.
T-ONO: What is your opinion on the Nintendo 3DS effects on Cave Story 3D?
Amaya: Actually the 3D aspect hasn't be added on yet so I haven't played Cave Story in 3D yet. From the developers, they say it is amazing, so I am looking forward to see the complete game!
T-ONO: Are you working on any current or future projects?
Amaya: I am only working on the Cave Story 3D with Nicalis; however, I am also working on individual projects including making a small action game for the iPhone.
T-ONO: Now for fun, we received a few questions from your fans. What snacks do you eat when during playing a game?
Amaya: I don't want to make the controllers dirty so I don't eat any snacks when playing a game. [chuckles]
T-ONO: What game are you playing now?
Amaya: I am currently playing Earth Defense Force 2 (Global Defense Force) and a little while back, I played Silent Hill 2 and 3.
T-ONO: Do you watch anime?
Amaya: I don't watch TV that much and also I don't watch anime that much, but my favorite movies are the 3D animated ones by Pixar. I do want to watch anime if I get an extra time; however, for now, I don't have the time to watch it. I'm thinking of watching One Piece when it's over, but that show never ends!
T-ONO: Any words for your fans out there?
Amaya: Please support Cave Story 3D!
