🎤 Interview with Ekoda Bucho

2023年 12月 19日
Indie Tsushin 2023 December-January issueThis article was featured in our 2023 December-January issue. Check out more articles and interviews in the full issue.

We spoke with Ekoda Bucho of Alaska Ohdanbu about making doujin games in the 2000s, and working on the turn-based high school club SRPG, Dramatic Road: The Origin of Wind!


English (translated)

Translated by Renkon

Namiki Kenichi saying, 'If it's come to this, there's nothing to do but go for it! You will know the power of Namiki Kenichi!' before starting a battle.

(2023, early access) Dramatic Road: The Origin of Wind

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am Ekoda Bucho and I represent the game-making circle Alaska Ohdanbu. In the 2000s, we made doujin games but went on hiatus in the 2010s, and have resumed our activities starting from 2023.

How did you get started making games?

Around the 2000s, I came into contact with a group of people actively making doujin games, and I wanted to try to make my own full-fledged game, too! That's how I got started. After that, I found some other people who shared my interests, and we started making games together.

Can you tell us about some of your favorite games and genres?

The genres I like are simulation RPGs and tactical strategies.

Title card for Stage 1 with a close-up portrait of Kajiwara Shotaro and the text, 'A New Wind'

Please tell us about Dramatic Road: The Origin of Wind!

Dramatic Road: The Origin of Wind is a simulation RPG set in modern Japan. This game has a unique world view where motorcycle riders, baseball players, magicians, and other characters from our modern-day world stand up against evil gangs and criminal organizations. As a simulation RPG, there is a substantial amount of content, allowing you to develop the various characters and enjoy full-scale strategic battles.

Can you tell us about the process of making Dramatic Road? Was it different from the way you approached making your other games?

For this game, there was a story scenario I wanted to write so we started with that. I spent about a year writing the story all the way to the end (meaning, I have already written the story for the second and third parts, which have not been released yet.). After that, we worked out the basic systems of the game, such as the mixed turn order and such. Only after we cleared all those hurdles did we finally begin drawing the characters.

I'm not familiar with how other people make their games, but when I made games in the past, I created them in the order of artwork, then systems, then scenario. This time, we ended up making Dramatic Road in the complete opposite order.

Grid-based battle scene on top showing a blue character on a bike doing 25 damage to a red character. In the foreround are the two characters' portraits showing their health bars after the attack.

What was your greatest influence when making Dramatic Road?

In terms of the story, we were strongly influenced by the OVA version of Bari Bari Densetsu that we watched when we were kids. For the game, we used titles like Tear Ring Saga: Berwick Saga and Utawarerumono as references.

The protagonists are high school students yet are in a motorcycle racing club, which I think is pretty unusual. How did you come up with this and the other clubs that appear in the game?

In this game, unit types that are common in fantasy RPGs are instead assigned to real-life clubs and jobs. Cavalry become bike riders, flying units become Birdman engineers, archers become tennis players... you get the idea.

Out of all the modern units here, I thought that riders were the coolest, so we decided to make the motorcycle club the one to which our protagonists belonged.

Blue character on a bike highlighted on the grid battlefield, showing a wide triangle-shaped area that they can move in, and outlined with red to show their range of attack.

What was the most challenging part of making Dramatic Road?

It was our first time developing a game in Unity, so that was the biggest challenge.

Is there anything in Dramatic Road to which you want to draw the player's attention?

Besides the action-rewind function, we were particular about building systems that would satisfy SRPG fans, such as our game's unique Shift Change function. We would love it if you tried it out.

Portrait of Hirano Takeshi, a student wearing a yellow turtleneck and same school uniform as our protagonists, facing against Tokita on the battlefield. They stammer, 'It looks like I've found it. A real rider...'

Out of the many characters who make an appearance, to whom do you think you are the most similar?

In Stage 8 there is a character named Hirano Takeshi, and I believe he's the closest to me. He is also a very important character in the early access version.

Do you have any messages for your players?

Although we have just started out as indie game developers, as huge SRPG fans, we put our hearts and souls into creating a groundbreaking new SRPG.

Please look forward to the completion of Dramatic Road: The Origin of Wind.

Student wearing a baseball uniform and with arms crossed stands inside of the motorcycle club room. To the left is the menu UI to organize your members, save and load the game, and so on.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!


日本語 Namiki Kenichi saying, 'If it's come to this, there's nothing to do but go for it! You will know the power of Namiki Kenichi!' before starting a battle.

(2023アーリーアクセス) ドラマチックロード 風の発端

自己紹介してください。

ゲーム制作サークル **「アラスカ横断部」**の代表の **「えこだ部長」**と申します。2000年代に同人ゲーム制作をしていましたが2010年に一時休止、その後、2023年より活動を再開いたしました。

ゲーム作りを始めたきっかけはなんですか。

2000年代頃、活発に制作されていた同人ゲーム群に触れ、自分も本格的なゲームを作ってみたい!と思い立ったのが始まりでした。その後、興味を持つ仲間を集め、ゲーム制作に取り組む始めました。

もしよろしければ、ご本人にとって一番好きなゲームや好きなジャンルをご紹介お願いします。

シミュレーションRPG、戦略ストラテジーといったジャンルが好きです。

Title card for Stage 1 with a close-up portrait of Kajiwara Shotaro and the text, 'A New Wind'

この度の「ドラマチックロード 風の発端」という作品についてご紹介お願いします。

現代日本を舞台にした、シミュレーションRPGです。ライダー・野球部員・マジシャンと言った現代ならではのキャラクター達が、悪の暴走族や犯罪組織に立ち向かう、ユニークな世界観のゲームです。シミュレーションRPGとしても骨太な内容で、多彩なキャラクター達の育成と、本格的な戦略バトルが楽しめます。

「ドラマチックロード」を作るときに、どのようなプロセスで作成しましたか。他のゲームを作るときと何か違いがありますか。

本作は、作りたいシナリオありきで企画がスタートした為、まずは最終面までのシナリオを1年ほどかけて執筆しました(よって、まだ未公開の第二部・第三部のシナリオも、既に完成しています)。その後、「混合ターン制」など、ゲームの基本システムを練りこみ、目途が経った後にようやく、キャラクターの絵などを書き始める……という順序みで制作しました。

他のゲームの制作手法はよく存じ上げませんが、自分が過去にゲームを作った際は、絵→システム→シナリオの順で制作したので、今回はその時とはまるっきり逆の順番で進める事となりました。

Grid-based battle scene on top showing a blue character on a bike doing 25 damage to a red character. In the foreround are the two characters' portraits showing their health bars after the attack.

「ドラマチックロード」を作成するにあたり、最も影響を受けたものは何ですか。(例えば、ほかのゲームや映画など何でも構いません)

シナリオ面では幼少期に観たOVA版「バリバリ伝説」に強く影響を受けています。ゲーム部分については「ベルウィックサーガ」「うたわれるもの」などを参考としました。

主人公たちの部活動がバイクレースを中心とした二輪部というかなり珍しいクラブかと思いますが、バイクの部活動を選んだ理由を教えてください。

本作では、ファンタジーRPGでよくある兵種を、現実の部活動・職業に割り当てています。 騎兵→ライダー、飛行兵→鳥人間、弓兵→テニスプレイヤー…といった具合です。

出揃った現代版兵種の中で、「ライダー」が最も格好良い、と感じた為、主人公たちの部活動としました。

Blue character on a bike highlighted on the grid battlefield, showing a wide triangle-shaped area that they can move in, and outlined with red to show their range of attack.

「ドラマチックロード」を作成するにあたり最も挑戦したことなどはありますか。

Unityでのゲーム開発自体が始めての事だったので、それが最大のチャレンジでした。

「ドラマチックロード」において、プレイヤーに伝えたいこだわったポイントなどありますか。

行動巻き戻し機能の他、個性的システムである「シフトチェンジ」など、SRPG好きが納得できるシステムを構築する事にこだわりました。ぜひ、触ってみて頂けると嬉しいです。

Portrait of Hirano Takeshi, a student wearing a yellow turtleneck and same school uniform as our protagonists, facing against Tokita on the battlefield. They stammer, 'It looks like I've found it. A real rider...'

たくさんのキャラクタが登場しますが、ご自身に一番近いと思うキャラクタやお気に入りのキャラクタを教えてください。

STAGE 8で登場する敵キャラクター「平野 タケシ」が、自分に最も近いキャラクターだと考えています。彼は、アーリーアクセス版においても非常に重要な人物となっています。

プレイヤーの皆さんへ何かメッセージがあれば一言お願いします。

インディーゲーム制作者としては駆け出しでありますが、SRPG好きゲーマーの魂を懸けて「これまでに無いSRPG」を制作していきたいと思っています。

「ドラマチックロード風の発端」の完成に是非、ご期待ください。

Student wearing a baseball uniform and with arms crossed stands inside of the motorcycle club room. To the left is the menu UI to organize your members, save and load the game, and so on.

この度はインタビューにご協力いただき誠にありがとうございます。

Alaska OhdanbuVisit Alaska Ohdanbu's homepage for more of their works, including the original Dramatic Road and older doujin games.