Like many kids growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, Cyrille Imbert (CEO of Dotemu), Jordin Asensio (co-founder of Guard Crush Games), Omar Cornut and Ben Fiquet (founders of Lizardcube) spent countless hours playing Japanese video games such as Wonder Boy and Streets of Rage. Little did they know that almost 30 years later, they would be actively working on new versions of these classic games.
We spoke to these avid game lovers to learn more about how three French studios gave these gaming classics a modern spin.
The origin story
The huge undertaking of remaking Wonder Boy and Streets of Rage began when Cornut and Fiquet created a prototype of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap. They showed it to SEGA, the publisher of the original games, and from there, built a relationship that ultimately helped bring Streets of Rage 4 to life.
Seeing the smile on [Yuzo Koshiro’s] face when he tested the preliminary version was a proud moment.– Jordin Asensio, co-founder of Guard Crush Games
To make sure they stayed true to the spirit of the games, Cornut and Fiquet turned to the gamer community for their research into the originals. In the case of Wonder Boy, they even referenced the original source code that was fully commented in Japanese only. Their hard work paid off.
“We showed [Streets of Rage 4] to Yuzo Koshiro, one of the creators of Streets of Rage, early on,” says Asensio. “Seeing the smile on his face when he tested the preliminary version was a proud moment. He was even able to free up some time to compose a few tracks, giving the game even more legitimacy.”
When France meets Japan
While some might find it surprising for French studios to carry on the legacy of beloved Japanese games, French cultural industries have, in fact, long been influenced by Japan.
“My generation was bathed in the Japanese culture,” Asensio recalls. “I used to play games in Japanese although I couldn’t understand a word. It was all about the charm and wonder.”
When the two cultures collide, Cornut and Fiquet walk a fine line between respecting the game’s Japanese roots while incorporating elements of the French style.
As they put it, “We needed to have a personal connection with Japanese culture if we were to respect the heritage entrusted to us. The French culture is certainly reflected in some of the artistic choices around the drawings and animations. Not betraying the licenses was always a strong commitment for us.”
Adding a modern flair
Another aspect where the new iterations of Wonder Boy and Streets of Rage differ from the originals is female representation, with the addition of characters Wonder Girl and Cherry Hunter.
“Like all media, video-games have a role to play in shaping people’s consciousness, even more so considering they’re often played by a young audience,” says Imbert.
For Cornut and Fiquet, the story and characters they create are part of a social context that deserves to be talked about. “We believe inclusion, diversity and respect should be present in video-games whenever it’s possible.”
And that’s not all that’s new in these titles – Asensio manages to put his stamp on Streets of Rage 4 in a very big way.
“I’m an amateur saxophonist, and you can actually hear me play on one of the tracks! Olivier Derivière, the talented composer behind the soundtrack, integrated my stem off by three and a half beats. It seemed like an aberration to me, but I have to admit it gives it a very funky tone!”