From the very first trailer I got a glimpse of, I knew the team behind Jade Cocoon 2 had found, and perfected, the ability to create an immersive and fascinating sequel to it's widely-acclaimed first Jade Cocoon. Levant returns, along with many other familiar faces, to an all new look and all new battle system - looking to take fans of the first title on a PS2 journey with all the splendor and addictive gameplay of the original. There's no doubt that the team behind Jade Cocoon 2 have a wonderful tale to weave, and they've take the time to tend to every aspect of it's creation - from the aesthetic to the technical.

Jade Cocoon 2, soon to be published by Ubi Soft,  looks to bring all the best of the original title and combine it with the power of the PS2 system and it's own distinct style and flair. Featuring strategic elements of RPG play, the ability to recruit and command monsters of wide varieties and elemental attributes, a unique graphical presentation, an attractive score, and hip-humor - there's going to be a lot to like about this sequel. Journey through the world's Four Forests, each with their own elemental attributes, with Nico your narrator and companion as your guide. Discover the answers to unanswered questions from the first Jade Cocoon and unearth new questions to be answered. 

GameZone had the good fortune to catch up with Manabu Tamura, Director of Jade Cocoon 2, and ask him a few questions about the sequel to the successful first installation in the series. 

Katsuya Kondou is responsible for creating characters for Jade Cocoon 2. Can you tell us a little bit about the process of taking 2 dimensional character designs from their original mediums and translating that to the exceptional 3D characters we're seeing in the game?

From the first sketches of characters, we already had 3D finished images in mind as we designed the characters in the game. This time around our intentions were to design the pictures more complete and full-bodied instead of a flat image, common in most 2D animation. Therefore, our 3D characters have a 3D look, which allows the characters to be lively, with a realistic touch of space, depth, and weight. Actually, when I received the original sketches from animator Katsuya Kondo, the sketches were already in 3D image format and I could tell that Kondo had put an effort of designing the sketches in a way so that images can be faithfully expressed in 3D. I think that we were able to create characters with full existence. 

You've done quite extensive voice-over work on Jade Cocoon 2, and from what we've seen so far, it really adds a certain "lighthearted" aspect to the game that really makes a different. What kind of process do you go through to cast and match voices to characters? Also, on the topic of sound, what kind of music can we expect (the music that accompanies the trailer is magnificent!)?

At the writing stage of the script, I already had a vision for the voice casts that I wanted the characters to embody since we already knew that this game would be full-voice. The script was created in a colloquial style, as if actors are really talking to each other, and when we were writing the script we always thought about how voice talents will act to the scenario. 

So I think that's why the dialog is constructed differently from other commonly seen videogames scenarios, which normally build upon words. Nico was added to create a better rounded, casual "chit chat" atmosphere between the characters, not just two person conversation. We searched out various people ranging from stage performers to anime voice talents who best fit Jade Cocoon II. Fortunately, with animation being so popular in Japan, we had a wide variety of talented people to choose from, so finding the talents wasn't a problem. Rather, it was challenging that we, as a game creator, have to choose the best talent from these abundant resources, because it would ultimately determine the overall feel of the game.

For the game music we used the artist, Matsumae, from Jade Cocoon I. He composed a lot of music with a fantasy world sense, which was the perfect blend for Jade Cocoon II.

What will be the maximum number of monsters/allies that will be able to accompany you into battle? Will there be any advantages/disadvantages to larger parties? Will there be any "holding grounds" for particular monsters you might not have room to take on a particular journey?

The maximum number of monsters that can participate in the battle is eight. The point of this game is to enjoy creating a battle strategy, by choosing the monsters that will best fit the fight. We wanted players to have fun by fighting with monsters of their own. But rest assured… we do have a "storing" place for the other monsters.

What kinds of abilities will monsters have? Will there be more physical vs. magical attackers? Will you be able to equip your monsters with any items or special abilities after you have had them for a period of time?

The monsters and their abilities are divided into four different categories called "attributes". A player can place their monsters onto a disc that is divided into 4 categories: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Then a player has to choose a category for the monsters depending on the battle situation. In accordance with those 4 attributes, all of the monsters possess unique strengths in attack, attack spells, recoveries, etc. A player needs to know and understand the characteristics of the monster's attributes to win the battle. This is very similar to the dynamics of chess: the abilities of a monster are like that of a chess piece and the key to victory is up to the strategy of a player. Of course there are many items to assist a player to fight throughout the course of the game, so I want to encourage users to take advantage of items to better their game play. 

What kinds of familiar elements will return from the original Jade Cocoon?

Since this is a sequel, the game inherits the world setting and many of the characters from the first Jade Cocoon. One of the main characters, Levant, from the previous game, will be a key character in the new Jade Cocoon 2. The fairies Kikinak and Yamu will also appear. You will see a definite improvement in the design of the monsters. In terms of game system, the world setting is solid and you will see how the change in time in the game reflected in the story, and also the battle system is totally new. Some of the concepts you see in the game such as "purification" are very different, but because of the difference it causes some sort of "warp" situation in the story. Nevertheless, I feel that we were able to reflect this type of uniqueness to the game story and game setting. 

What part does your companion, Nico, play in JC2? Will you have the chance to team up with other allies, other than your minions of monsters?

Nico's role is a storyteller. Nico not only plays the "narrator" role in this story, but she also becomes a partner to the main character as she navigates him throughout the game. It's like "mood maker" to spice up the event. However, if you're looking to find aid from this cheerleader in your battle sequence, good luck, because she won't be able to help you, although she'll definitely add that spice of fun to whatever situation you're in.

There seems to be a heavy focus on storytelling and plot (as there has been in the past) for Jade Cocoon 2. If you had to pick one or two other of the most prominent features that set Jade Cocoon 2 apart from other games what would they be?

I don't want to just use the word "evil" when talking about enemies or trying to explain why the enemy exists. I am constantly thinking about this. Another thing is to construct the world carefully. The prominent feature of Jade Cocoon 2 is, that it is a unique fantasy title with a Japanese creator's influence. I have always been conscientious that this game has had its world based on our culture in designing costumes, colors, and relationships between game characters. You will see a lot of conversational scenes, which actually reflect the modern Japanese era. Since the motif is our everyday conversation that is taking place in Japan now, Jade Cocoon 2 is arranged in a way that is more pop than last Jade Cocoon, I think? 

JC2 promises over 200 event scenes, which is quite an impressive number for even a game of immense size and playtime. How will these scenes be worked into the flow of game play? 

The main part of story is Kahu's adventure story, however most of the conversational situations center around Kahu and other characters chatting to each other. This type of interaction will help draw the audience in and to have fun getting to know the world and atmosphere. This way, for those players who "really want to get into it," going through these events will be satisfying. At the same time, those who aren't really interested in this won't be distracted from their game playing. If a player just wants to focus on the battle you can. If a player wants to get to know about the world of Jade Cocoon, you can go talk to characters. It is up to the users to choose their game playing style. Have fun!

What RPG elements are strongest in Jade Cocoon 2? Will there be a focus on any facet in particular? What other genres, if any, will find their way into the JC2 experience?

One of the best points of Jade Cocoon 2 is focused on the ability to create a strong team and the battle system where you can be strategic. 

Will monsters in any way be affiliated with one of the "four elements" of the elementally based forest they are located in? Will there any be any other vital statistics (gender, etc.) that will come into play when they are attacking or being bred?

Those four forests are strongly connected to the "attributes." The monsters that inhabit each forest conform to the attributes of the each forest. It is no exaggeration to say that learning and understanding the advantage and disadvantage of each attribute is the basic of game strategy. If you want an Earth type monster, you need to go to the Forest of Earth. If you go to the Forest of Earth, you need to know the earth type monsters, and so on. 

One of the trailers we have seen has indicated there is a fair amount of humor and lightheartedness integrated into the storyline - very much like some anime series. Can we expect to see this same "spritely" sort of humor throughout the game? Are there any cultural or entertainment influences that are strongly present in the title?

The conversation throughout the story is very "hip", I think. The various characters are slightly comical and somewhat strange. If I have to choose someone who influenced me in creating a fantasy world, I'd think of Tim Burton and Jim Henson. I particularly like Tim Burton's style, it's a bit mysterious, a bit odd, but very comical. I want to create that kind of fantasy atmosphere. In creating Nico's opening movie, the motif was Mike Mijolla's picture where you see the distinct contrast of super deformed space expression. I wanted to make the movie simpler than normal toon style shading, but a little bit more of an edge, and I am very happy with how it turned out. 

Is there anything else you'd like our users to know (both fans of the original and new recruits) as they await the release of Jade Cocoon 2?

The fans of the first Jade Cocoon may have many different opinions for this new game. In this game you will re-encounter Levant who you fought together last time and find out what happened to him after that. It will be exciting to find out (which will be revealed in this game) what Levant was thinking in Jade Cocoon 1, and what is going to happen... The game is created so that a new user who didn't play the original can also fully enjoy the Jade Cocoon world so please enjoy the adventure journey with Kahu and Nico. The mysterious forests and unique company will welcome you in exploring our newly created wonderland.
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The Badger would like to thank Jade Cocoon 2 director Manabu Tamura for sharing details on this highly-anticipated sequel. From what we've seen so far - we're sure not to be disappointed!