Answers from: Mr Masahiro Shidara the game director of Tokobot

Co-operation seems to be the central theme for the game. How did the notion of hand holding mini robots first come about?
At first, we came up with the key word 'Grouping' while we examining the new development options that the advancement in hardware made possible. Then, we thought it would be fun if the individuals of this group were to join to complete one task through co-operation rather than individuals working on multiple tasks.

With the environments there's an interesting balance between the futuristic and the ancient. What were the design influences behind this contrast?
We love the type of world concept that can be conjured up through concepts like, 'Futuristic, but with a nostalgic atmosphere', that Studio Ghibli regularly captures with their films. And this influence isn't just confined to us. A lot of Japanese game developers are influenced by their movies.

There are some fiendishly clever puzzles in the game. How did you manage to balance their challenge against potential player frustration?
We emphasized action as a game feature, and tried to make the puzzles reasonably easy to complete. We had a design rule that the player should always find hints to solve problems nearby. We didn't want them to go far to discover solutions.

Do you think that the PSP is a natural home for the platformer and, if it is, why do you think Tokobot is the first original title in this genre?
First, we were looking at the PSP and thinking that this is a console that will not always be played outside, but it is the home entertainment console that the player can take outside and still enjoy all genres of videogame.
When we started this project, we realised that this game would be released about half a year after the PSP had been released. As such, we tried to imagine what sort of games the users would be looking for at this point. We anticipated that the users would want a game that they could enjoy for a long period of time, or something that offered unique game action. We decided to go with the later candidate. As a result, we aimed to return to the origins of the action game and we're honoured that you think that Tokobot is the first original platform game on the console. I think we were lucky with our timing as far as this is concerned.

So far we've seen the Samuari, Train and Crane Karakuri Combinations. Could you briefly explain how these, and the other forms, fit into the gameplay?
The Samurai has a great striking ability and you should use it to defeat powerful opponents. Train is necessary for you to get from one particular area to another, while Crane allows you to solve certain puzzles within the ancient remains.

Does the team have a favourite Karakuri Combination at all?
It is refreshing to use the Samurai's consecutive attacks and the Mega Hammer's massive blow is very satisfying too.

The game's boss battles are cleverly multi-layered. How many times do you think it fair for a player to die while they're learning the enemies attack patterns?
The player may will be defeated and lose one life, but will also find out the attack patterns needed to defeat the boss by the second or third attempt. We tried really hard to ensure that this part of the gameplay was well balanced.