Following on from its original worldwide release via Apple Arcade for Apple devices in June 2022, Air Twister was subsequently released for consoles & PC in November of 2023.
Air Twister Special Edition (Japan)
This 50+ page booklet (which can be seen near the bottom right in the image below) contains an extensive interview with Yu Suzuki, in which he talks about not just Air Twister but also his own background in the games industry - with one of the games discussed being Shenmue, of course!
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| Contents of the Air Twister Special Edition set (Japan) |
With the set being for the Japan market, the Special Interview booklet was only in the Japanese language.
Air Twister Collector's Edition (Strictly Limited Games)
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| Yu Suzuki Biography booklet cover (Air Twister Collector's Edition from Strictly Limited Games) |
While its exact content has not yet been confirmed, presumably this contains a translation of the Japanese Special Interview booklet.
Product Status - Update:Production files have been approved by licensor and are now with Platform Owners. Once completed, files will be handed to production.
Interview Translation
Yu Suzuki's Childhood
*Note from Switch: Sanriku Town was later merged into Ofunato City in 2001.
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| Looking down on Ofunato city, Iwate Prefecture Image credit: Koda6029 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Menko, a traditional card game Image credit: Nesnad |
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| "Mabuchi" brand motor |
Q: Your parents were music teachers, so I imagine they were more arts-oriented. While you seem to have an artistic way of viewing things, you also have a very logical, science-oriented way of thinking. Do you see yourself as more science-focused, arts-focused, or a mix of both?
Suzuki: I’d say I’m definitely more science-focused.
Q: In a game like "Shenmue," I think we see storytelling and a respect for Chinese culture reflected.
Suzuki: That’s true. As I research things that interest me, I absorb the knowledge as I go along. So that might not exactly fall under arts or science. However, my approach to thinking is definitely more scientific. It’s because I liked science—things like arts and crafts, where you create something, and science experiments as well. I wouldn’t say I was a fan of math, but I did enjoy things like physics.
Q: You enjoy understanding how things work, and then using that knowledge in your own way to create something, right?
Suzuki: That’s right. It’s kind of like turning it into a formula.
Approach to Game Creation
Q: When making games, I imagine there are many different approaches. For example, some people prioritize visuals or world-building, while others start with the system. In the case of a fighting game, someone might think, "Let’s make it 3D so they can fight in 3D." I assume everyone has their own way of approaching it. When you make a game, do you first think about the system and then add the world and visuals on top?
Suzuki: Yes, that’s generally how I approach it. I aim for a balance between technology and the playability or feel of the game, like a 50-50 split. I want to create something that’s a perfect combination of both. In the realm of art, there are things driven purely by aesthetics or intuition, and there are things driven purely by technology. But what I’d like to create is something where the right brain and left brain are in harmony. So, I start by laying down the technical foundation first and then build the playability or emotional experience on top of that.
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| Space Harrier |
Suzuki: That’s part of it. But in the end, what I want to do has always been the same, both back then and now. Back then, the approach we took led to Space Harrier. I’ve always liked sci-fi and that world where things can float in the air. So, using today’s technology, that vision evolved into Air Twister.
Q: The image of people floating in mid-air seems to be something quite powerful for you.
Suzuki: It feels good to see objects and people floating in the air.
Q: When we hear "Space Harrier," we think of hard science fiction, but with Air Twister, the world feels much softer.
Suzuki: Yes, it's more "floaty." Now that we have better technology and high-performance boards, we can make things move much more smoothly. There was something good about the old days, though. The limitations forced us to simplify things, and that somehow made us more attached to what we were creating. Simplicity was easier to understand back then, too. In the end, I always had something in my head that I wanted to do, and within those limits, I approached it with the technology available at the time.
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| Mystery House (Apple II) |
Yu Suzuki's University Years
Suzuki: Yes, I did. I ended up at a science-oriented university because I chose a school where there were no entrance exam subjects like Japanese or English. I wasn’t very good at those subjects, so I picked a school where they weren't required, and that’s how I ended up going down the science path. But now I’m working in a field where I use English and write scenarios, so it’s funny how things turn out.
Q: That makes sense, since game development is a comprehensive art form that includes liberal arts elements as well. How was your time in Okayama during your student days?
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| Replacing ballast on train tracks was one of Yu Suzuki's part-time jobs |
Suzuki: Yes, many of my closest friends are from that time. Even now, we still exchange New Year's cards.
Q: Were most of your friends from Okayama during your student days?
Suzuki: I had friends from places like Hiroshima, Kochi, and Hyogo as well.
Q: Were there many people like you who came from far away?
Suzuki: That was pretty rare. People would ask me, "Why did you come all the way from there?" (laughs)
Q: I’ve heard that at one point you considered Okayama as a setting for Shenmue instead of Yokosuka. Was Okayama a special place for you because you spent your student days there?
Suzuki: Yes, I went out with friends a lot in Okayama during my student days. We went to places like Mount Daisen, Tsuyama, Washuzan, and to the beach. Those memories are packed with various experiences. Also, Nagasaki has a unique international feel, but when you’re working in Tokyo, getting to Nagasaki for research is tough. Yokosuka, on the other hand, is close, and it has the U.S. military base, which gives it more impact and makes it easier to define. It has both Japanese and American elements.
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| Tsuyama city, near Okayama |
Yu Suzuki and Traveling
Q: Did you travel around Japan around that time as well? Did you have any memorable experiences?
Suzuki: Yes, I traveled around Japan and drove along the coast in Hokkaido about three or four times. I can’t remember exactly where, but somewhere in the Tohoku or Hokkaido region, we got our car stuck on a sandy beach in the middle of the night. It was just two guys in a Bluebird without power steering, and we couldn’t get the car out no matter how hard we tried. While we were struggling, a kind person appeared and helped us out.
He laid something like a blanket under the tires, and we managed to get unstuck. Then he said, "It’s getting late, and I run a beach house, so why don’t you stay the night?" I thought, "What a relief to meet such a kind person in such a tough situation." But when we got there, he turned out to be a bit intimidating (laughs). As soon as we arrived, he told us to "Sit properly" and said, "Do you know how much it costs to call a tow truck at this hour?" (laughs). It was quite an eventful and interesting trip.
Q: Do you enjoy traveling?
Suzuki: Yes, I’ve done solo trips on my bike. When you travel alone, you have no one to rely on, so you have to manage everything by yourself. When you travel with others, you tend to leave things to them. I remember one time when I bought a Coke, but I dropped it. I was a student back then and didn’t have much money, and the bottle broke. But the shopkeeper gave me another one. Another time, when I was hungry, I found myself standing near a cornfield. I couldn’t just steal the corn, so I kept staring at it (laughs). Then someone came over and asked, "Where are you from? You must be hungry, right?" and they gave me a few ears of corn. You know how, when you go to the countryside, you encounter a lot of kindness. I think those kinds of experiences might be reflected in my games as well.
Q: When you travel, you meet all kinds of people who help you, and sometimes you run into bad ones as well…
Suzuki: During the time I was working on Out Run, I traveled to Europe for about two weeks. Even though I couldn’t speak much English, I’d ask people, "Can you speak English?" (laughs). Europe has so many different languages depending on the country, and when you go into the countryside, there are lots of people who don’t speak English. We communicated through gestures and body language.
Q: That was during the Out Run era, so this must have been shortly after you joined Sega, right?
Suzuki: Yes, that was around 1985, maybe 1984.
Q: Did you travel alone?
Suzuki: I went with a senior colleague from the Planning team.
Q: It seems like you’re quite experienced when it comes to traveling.
Suzuki: Yes, I was the one who took care of things like renting the car, ordering food in restaurants, and booking hotel reservations. I didn’t want to join a tour because that wouldn’t be as interesting. We only booked accommodations for the first night in Germany and the last night in Rome. After that, we didn’t reserve anything. We rented a car, and in the worst case, we could sleep in the car. Luckily, it didn’t come to that. We would stay if we found a nice place, and if not, we’d move on. It was a very free-form research trip.
Q: For example, when you traveled to China for Virtua Fighter, I imagine that what you saw there influenced Shenmue as well. From your research trip for Out Run, which is an arcade driving game, I could see how elements of a road movie might come through. Have you ever been interested in making a story-focused driving game?
Suzuki: Actually, the original inspiration was The Cannonball Run, a movie starring Burt Reynolds. I wanted to drive the same route as in the film. That’s a cross-country race across America, but the scenery doesn’t change much, so I thought, "Wouldn’t Europe be more interesting?" and switched to that.
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| The Cannonball Run was a 1981 American action-comedy film |
In China, however, the freedom to travel wasn’t as high, and some areas weren’t as open. If you went into those areas, it could be dangerous. There were also many ethnic minorities, so we had to have two interpreters just to translate everything.
Q: One person would translate between Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, and the other would translate the languages spoken by ethnic minorities?
Suzuki: Yes, exactly. The laughter would come about a minute later (laughs).
Q: I imagine China at that time must have been very different from today.
Suzuki: Yes. When I went to use the restroom at a station in Beijing, there weren’t any doors.
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| Yu Suzuki and guides during his China trip (1994) |
Q: Were there any particularly memorable incidents you encountered there?
Suzuki: I think they were trying to pick a fight, but somehow they tried to take my camera. I ended up surrounded by five or six people. I had gone to China with an acquaintance, and at that moment, our eyes met. I thought he was going to help me, but instead, he looked away (laughs).
Q: That must have been tough (laughs). But since you’re here doing this interview, I guess everything worked out in the end?
Suzuki: Yes, the interpreter stepped in and helped resolve the situation.
Q: Did you visit any villages of the ethnic minorities as well?
Suzuki: There were several ethnic groups we wanted to research. We collected information on where we would be able to see them in their traditional clothing and where we could go to observe them. For example, someone might say, "There’s an event happening at that gymnasium over there."
We couldn’t simply stumble across these events by chance. However, when something unexpected did happen, it was always a fresh experience, and that left the biggest impression.
Q: So in that sense, was your experience in China quite impactful?
Suzuki: Yes, the range of experiences was vast, to say the least.
Q: You went to Okayama for university, traveled all over Japan, and even after becoming a working adult, you’ve visited many places around the world. Did you ever feel homesick when you first left Iwate?
Suzuki: Not at all. The first time I left Iwate, I went to Sendai and attended a preparatory school there for about a year. After that, I moved to Okayama. I never felt homesick.
Choosing a Career
Q: Backtracking a bit, I heard your grandfather ran a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn). Running a ryokan is a job where you welcome travelers, so did your grandfather influence you in any way?
Suzuki: My grandfather’s name was "Hachirō", and so the inn was named "Maru Hachi Ryokan" after him. We had guests who were hunters coming to fish or hunt deer and pheasants. Sometimes, if a bear showed up, they’d hunt that, too.
There was also a weather balloon observatory and a rocket launch site nearby. The air was clear, so it was ideal for launching weather satellites and rockets. Eventually, researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) started coming, and as a country kid, I got to hear all these stories about Tokyo, space, and the stars. Kids love hearing those kinds of stories, don’t they? My grandfather was quite cheerful, a real local character, and a fun guy (laughs).
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| A room in a ryokan (Japanese inn) Image credit: Deborah Austin |
Q: Did you often visit the ryokan?
Suzuki: Rather than visiting, we lived together when I was in elementary school, so the ryokan was also my home. I talked to all sorts of people when I was little.
Q: At that time, I imagine rural communities were very tight-knit, but it seems like you had many opportunities to experience the outside world.
Suzuki: Yes, that’s right. When there wasn’t much else to talk about, the adults would ask us kids the usual question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" It’s just one of those polite questions, and guests at the inn would ask me that a lot. As a kid, I always thought, "I have no idea how to answer that." But one day, I decided to try saying something cool like "illustrator" or "programmer" (laughs). In the countryside, the most common future paths were working at the agricultural cooperative or the village office. I thought using foreign-sounding words would sound impressive, so I went with that (laughs).
I learned a bit about being an illustrator from a correspondence course, like some calligraphy, but I had no idea what a programmer actually did. I asked someone from Tokyo, and they asked me, "Have you ever been to Sendai?" I said, "Yes." They told me, "You know that building in Sendai with the electronic bulletin board where the text scrolls across? Programmers are the ones who make that." I wasn't completely convinced, but I thought, "Well, that sounds good enough" (laughs). So, the first job I ever wanted was to be a programmer.
Q: Even if you didn’t have an electronic bulletin board at home, did you have household appliances?
Q: Have you always spoken such clear standard Japanese?
Suzuki: When I went to university in Okayama, I didn’t want to sound uncool with a thick accent (laughs). People call the Tohoku accent the "Zu-zu" dialect and I didn’t want to be made fun of, so it took some time, but I managed to fix it.
Q: So originally, you spoke with a Tohoku dialect?
Suzuki: That’s right. You don’t fit in if you speak differently from everyone else, so I had to adjust. But originally, I spent my early years in Kamaishi, which is a bit more urban. It might sound strange, but as a kid, I had this little superiority complex, like, "I’m from the city" (laughs).
Q: When did you first come to the Kanto region?
Suzuki: I can't remember exactly when it was, but once I tried to take the Yamanote Line and asked someone which train to take. Coming from Iwate, where trains only ran a few times a day, I was surprised when they told me that the trains came every five minutes. I got on the train but ended up going in the wrong direction. I had heard that if you stayed on for about an hour, you'd end up back at the same place, so I just kept riding it around (laughs). This was before I joined Sega, during one of my trips.
Growing up, I used to imagine Tokyo as something straight out of Astro Boy, with roads running in the sky and train stations inside buildings. That kind of imagery was science fiction to me. But when I saw Tokyo’s elevated highways and realized that cars were actually driving in the air, I thought it was incredible. Later, after I joined Sega and got my own car, driving on those very same highways felt like I was living in that futuristic world.
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| Astro Boy is a science fiction series set in a futuristic world where robots co-exist with humans. It was first published as a manga series between 1952 and 1968. |
Creating Games at Sega
Q: Did you join Sega right after graduating from university?
Suzuki: That’s right. I had to spend an extra year in preparatory school and then repeated a year in university because I didn’t have enough credits, so I ended up joining Sega at 25.
Q: Did you join Sega because you wanted to make games, or were the working conditions just appealing?
Suzuki: The two-day weekends were the biggest reason. I figured that when you enter a company, it’s not going to be all sunshine and roses, and most people probably don’t find their work fun. There are tough times too, so I thought I’d just push through the five workdays and live for my hobbies during the two-day weekend. But when I joined, work started feeling like a hobby itself, and I felt fortunate to be doing it. Back when I was a student and camping, I was just grateful to sleep without getting rained on or to have a flat surface to sleep on. I didn’t even think about wanting a warm, soft bed. I was just happy with a flat floor (laughs).
Q: So you were happy working during that time?
Suzuki: Yes, they taught me how to make games, and I was getting paid too. For me, working meant physical labor, so I found it hard to believe I could sit at a desk and still get paid. (laughs).
Q: When you joined Sega, there must have been various job postings. What position did you apply for?
Suzuki: I initially applied for a programmer position. Once I was in, we talked about what I could do. Since I had experience in music and could do some artwork through lettering, they explained that development included departments like sound, programming, and graphics. They asked me which department I wanted to join, and because I had experience in all of them, I wasn’t sure. The person in charge suggested that programming might be a good fit, so I agreed, and that’s how I ended up there.
Q: Your first work was Champion Boxing, but did you work on programming for other games before that?
Suzuki: In my first year, I worked on Champion Boxing, but before that, I was involved in creating an attendance system. It was a kind of warm-up project, where we electronically recorded timecards for attendance management. I also worked on taking apart televisions to attach them to cabinets, and then lined them up for mass production. I did durability testing for a large cabinet shooting game called Astron Belt. One time, they told me to "stay on the steel frame" while testing it, so my first job was basically to "be the weight" (laughs).
Q: (Laughs) So, there were some physical tasks involved as well?
Suzuki: Yes, we also did things like soldering and drilling with blueprints in hand for wrapping projects, although my work was so bad that they didn’t use it in the end (laughs). I wasn’t very good at it.
Q: You’ve mentioned before that you were good at taking things apart, though (laughs).
Suzuki: Yes, but as a new employee, it’s rare to produce things good enough for production on the first try. I think they had us do these tasks to teach us how things work, giving us hands-on experience with the hardware and other aspects of the development process.
Q: What was the company culture at Sega like back then?
Suzuki: Today, departments are much more specialized, but when I joined, there was just one development department where both hardware and software people were assigned together. At the time, we weren’t really creating our own games yet—Sega’s business was mostly buying games from other companies and selling them, like Head On or games we bought from America. Eventually, we began selling our own original games too, like Up'n Down.
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| Up'n Down (1983) |
Q: What led to the creation of Champion Boxing in just one year?
Q: But you weren’t from the Planning department, were you?
Suzuki: No, I wasn't. However, my supervisor said, "Yu-chan, how about you try making something?" Since I was given this valuable opportunity, I put all my effort into it. You feel nervous when you've finished because you never know if it will be a hit or not.
Q: Along with feeling responsible to the person who gave you that chance, did you also enjoy the process of creating something yourself?
Suzuki: Of course, there’s the joy of creating something, but more than that, I wanted to see the smile on my supervisor’s face. He was the one closest to me, and at the time, I wasn’t even thinking about seeing kids smile while playing with what I’d made. I just wanted to give something back to the person who cared about me the most in the company and see him happy.
Q: How did you feel when you finished the project?
Suzuki: At the time, the quality was so good that people were surprised and asked, "Can this really be done on a consumer machine?" I think we were working on the SG-1000, and I was told, "It’s impressive that it runs this well on the SG-1000." After we wired it up and put it into the cabinet, they even suggested a location test on an arcade cabinet. So, for a while after that, I continued my efforts in order to see my supervisor, Mr. Yoshii, smile.
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| Champion Boxing (1984) |
Q: When did you start focusing more on making games that would make children smile, instead of just your supervisor?
Suzuki: As long as Mr. Yoshii was around, I think it was always about him (laughs). Always.
Q: How long did Mr. Yoshii stay at Sega?
Suzuki: I’m not exactly sure… I don’t really remember.
Q: Mr. Yoshii seems to be the supervisor who left the strongest impression on you.
Suzuki: Mr. Yoshii and I have both left Sega, but we still occasionally have gatherings called “Let’s get together around Mr. Yoshii.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it the last time due to a scheduling conflict, but I do try to go out for drinks when I can.
Q: Even now, you feel like you’d like to see Mr. Yoshii’s smiling face, right? (Laughs)
Suzuki: He’s like a father figure to me at Sega.
Q: By the way, you worked with Ms. Kodama* on Champion Boxing. What was that experience like for you?
* Rieko Kodama was a pioneering Japanese video game designer and producer known for her work on iconic titles such as Phantasy Star and Sonic the Hedgehog, earning recognition as one of the first prominent women in the gaming industry.
Suzuki: Ms. Kodama joined as a new designer. I taught her the job from scratch, starting with how to make the boxing ring, which was struggle to make perfectly round. And here we go again talking about memory, but we could only create one quarter of it and used a technique that flipped it horizontally and vertically to make it round. That way, we only used a quarter of the graphics memory. It's something that might not be easy to grasp, especially for someone who was used to working with analog images. So, we worked together while she learned, and looking back, it's a fond memory.
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| Japanese video game designer and producer Rieko Kodama |
Q: After all these years, did you still keep in touch with your old Sega colleagues?
Suzuki: They were longtime comrades, you know. Even if I joined a bit later than some of them, they were already considered veterans by the time I arrived. But whenever I’d see them, it was like, “Oh! How have you been? What department are you in now? Are you still working hard?” Rather than discussing specific projects, it was more of a sense of camaraderie.
Q: Back when you were at Sega, Japan was in the middle of the bubble economy. During that booming time, games were thriving, and I’m sure there was a lot of energy in the air. Do you feel a difference in people’s energy between then and now?
Suzuki: Yes, the energy level was completely different. Every night, hundreds of 100-yen coins would be dropping into arcade machines all over Japan. Even wealthy people would be saying things like, “I don’t have time to save money.”
Q: Mr. Nagai is also said to have appeared in Shenmue as a gang leader, correct?
Suzuki: Yes, that’s right. That’s the image from back then. (Laughs)
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| Akira Nagai was a SEGA managing director whose character model features in Shenmue as the head of the shady Nagai Industries |
Q: Around this time, you worked with many famous people. Do you have any memorable stories about working with them?
Suzuki: Oh, definitely. For example, we worked on a commercial with Mr. Rickson Gracie, who was said to have an undefeated record of 400 victories. The concept for the commercial was that no one had ever defeated him, but then he finally meets his match in the form of Akira Yuki. That idea actually got approved! When we talked, he was very humble and was the perfect "samurai" type. He even invited me to his room and handed me a Japanese sword, asking, "Check this out!" I couldn’t tell whether it was a high-quality sword or not, but I still respectfully accepted it. That whole experience is a strong memory.
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| Fighter Rickson Gracie in 1980 |
Then, there was Michael Jackson, who would be the same age as me if he were still alive. He really wanted to create a game, and he directly reached out to Sega. But since he was a pacifist, he didn’t want to kill or shoot anyone in the game. Still, we had to make a game, so we ended up with things like having the character strike a pose, and then the opponent would fall down. (Laughs) There were times when Michael would suddenly call my boss directly with ideas. I wasn’t close enough with him to receive direct calls, but I did talk with him several times.
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| Michael Jackson and Yu Suzuki |
Air Twister
Q: You asked [Dutch composer] Valensia to create music for Air Twister, and his fresh style really stood out. Where did the idea of combining his music with the title come from?
Suzuki: I’ve always been a big fan of Valensia. His music mixes opera, rock, and classical elements, and when you imagine it as the background music for a fantasy game, it opens up a wide range of images in your mind. The visuals and various elements matched very well with my ideas. I’m not sure if the lyrics are in Latin or English, but somehow it fits perfectly with the fantasy-shooting world we were creating. I wondered, "Is he still active these days?" and looked him up on Facebook. Luckily, I was able to find him, so I reached out and contacted him, introducing myself as a developer named Yu Suzuki. (Laughs)
Q: He must have been surprised as well, right? (Laughs)
Suzuki: I told him straight, "I’ve been a fan of your music for a long time, and I really want to use your songs in this new game." He immediately said, "I’ll do it!" and that’s how it all started. He ended up creating around 17 tracks, including new compositions and arrangements.
Q: How many new songs were created specifically for Air Twister?
Suzuki: There are 8 new songs. Some of the tracks have Latin lyrics, and some are in English, though it’s sometimes hard to catch the words. But I was more focused on how the melodies, voice quality, and overall image fit the story, rather than the exact meaning of the lyrics. There were a lot of times when the lyrics didn’t quite match the story. For example, the lyrics might be about someone in love, so I asked him to rewrite the lyrics to fit the game’s story, and we adjusted the arrangements and mastering accordingly.
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| Air Twister Soundtrack cover art |
Q: Do all the songs in the game reflect the story of Air Twister?
Suzuki: Yes, I think we really managed to make that happen.
Q: The game has creatures like flying elephants and clock-like beings appearing in the sky...
Suzuki: I was just visualizing what was floating around in my head. When was sketching concepts, I thought it would be interesting if you were riding on a fish, or using a trout for a face. I also thought of creatures with wings, like Pegasus or a flying elephant. I had considered creating entirely original creatures, like in The NeverEnding Story, but due to production time constraints, we had to abandon that.
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| Air Twister |
Q: The game world of Space Harrier and Air Twister is quite different. Has your taste changed since then?
Suzuki: I’ve always liked things that float in space or half-gravity. What we used this time was the touch panel. The know-how from Psy-Phi is also present here. It’s not something I consciously carried over, but Psy-Phi was a touch panel-based game that came before smartphones were common. We were exploring the potential of touch panels back then, and that know-how is reflected here.
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| Sega's arcade fighting game Psy-Phi was notable for its use of a touch-screen interface, but its release was cancelled following limited initial testing in 2005. |
Q: Did you make any adjustments to the gameplay to allow more users to enjoy it?
Suzuki: The bonus stages were designed so that there are no elements that cause point reductions, making it more enjoyable. We also included some mini-games so players can relax and enjoy themselves. That’s a big difference from older games. Back then, the difficulty level was high, and there were fewer choices, but now it’s an era where players can choose from a wide variety of games to suit their preferences. Overall, we must design games to be more user-friendly than before. That’s something I always keep in mind.
Q: The game is now being released for home consoles, which should make it more accessible to many more people.
Suzuki: Up until now, only iPhone users could play it, so I always thought it would be great to have a wider user base. With the release on home consoles, there’s an opportunity for even more people to enjoy the game. I think it’s a good thing to offer a variety of options. There are users who find a game they like and stick with it, but there are also people who are just starting to explore this genre. Among the growing number of gamers and advancements in technology, it’s exciting to hear that people who haven’t played this type of game before are enjoying it and reaching out to us saying they like it. That makes me really happy.
Q: For long-time players, especially those who enjoy immersive arcade games, it must be exciting to experience something new.
Suzuki: Yes, that’s right. Just the fact that it's made by someone from the older days might give off a nostalgic vibe (laughs). People often say that they can recognize a game as “Yu Suzuki-like” without being told who made it. So, if people who played my older games can enjoy this one with a sense of nostalgia, I’d be really happy.
Q: After Shenmue 3, you moved on to Air Twister, which is quite different. Shenmue had a vast story, large play areas, and many characters, while Air Twister has its roots in arcade games. How did you feel about this transition? Were there any notable differences for you?
Suzuki: It’s always a challenge to be able to make exactly what you most want to create. Of course, it’s not that I didn’t want to make it (laughs). The budget, direction, and the people I work with, including the publisher, all influence the project. Since I'm a craftsman at heart, I don’t find it difficult to adapt to those factors.
Air Twister started when I clicked with the folks at Apple, and we developed the concept of the game. They wanted to create something that brought back the feel of the light-hearted, accessible arcade games of the past. They expressed interest in creating something similar to the games I've made in the past, and that’s how the conversation began. We started brainstorming, and ideas like Out Run, Space Harrier, and After Burner kept coming up. I suggested, "Let me think of something that would fit the current era," and that’s how the project began. It was a chance meeting and connection that led to it all.
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| After Burner, developed by Yu Suzuki at Sega and released in 1987 |
Q: Did working on the game bring back nostalgic feelings? How did the development process feel?
Suzuki: We were using Unreal Engine, so we needed to align with its requirements, and we also had to meet the standards prescribed by Apple. The creative side was easier to handle since I already had experience with this type of game. As we made the game cross-platform, both controllers and touch panels had to be supported. Controllers provide satisfying physical feedback, while touch panels offer a different type of engagement, even without that tactile feel. Arcade fans may prefer controllers for the atmosphere, while those used to smartphones might find the touch panel more comfortable. I'm excited for both new and longtime users to enjoy the game, and I hope they like it.
Q: Could you explain the meaning behind the title Air Twister? Were there any other candidates for the title?
Suzuki: The title went through many changes, starting with a code name. The one I remember now is "Guns and Wings", which had a Guns N’ Roses kind of vibe (laughs). But around that time, there was a mass shooting incident, so I decided to stop using the word "gun." We then considered several other options. The game features a move called "Super Slow," a mechanic which distorts space and time. Interestingly, when I looked up "Air Twister," I found that it refers to something used to improve air circulation in chimneys or vents. I thought, "So that's what it means?" (laughs).
Q: (Laughs) In the end, it's quite catchy, isn’t it?
Suzuki: Yes, it incorporates the idea of "distorting space and time."
Q: The protagonist being female is somewhat rare for one of your games. Was there a specific reason for this choice?
Suzuki: I initially tried both male and female characters. Since Space Harrier had a male protagonist, I thought I’d try a female character this time and see which worked better. That’s how I ended up with the idea of making her a princess.
Yu Suzuki's Interests and Character
Q: Lastly, can you tell us a bit more about yourself? What do you consider your strengths and weaknesses?
Suzuki: My strength is my creativity; my weakness is probably my lack of awareness of the world around me. Sometimes I’m not in touch with trends or the outside world, like when I don’t read the newspaper. People who do read the newspaper spend time learning about what’s going on and become knowledgeable. But since there are already many people who know a lot about current events, I purposely avoid reading it and focus on something else. I dedicate that extra time to what really interests me, which is why I may be unaware of things most people know about. Although nowadays, fewer people seem to read newspapers...
Q: People who are in tune with trends tend to create according to them, but not knowing trends can indeed be a strength. I feel that’s why you’re able to come up with so many new ideas.
Suzuki: It’s possible to create something new, but as a professional, you also need to make something that sells to a certain degree. So, I can't completely ignore trends. Creativity and originality are like two sides of the same coin — they’re both strengths and weaknesses. I’m not the genius type, but I tend to spend a lot more time focusing on things compared to others. Where others might spend about 30% of their time, I dedicate 90%. Then, I use the remaining 10% to manage everyday life, which naturally makes me a bit of an oddball (laughs).
Q: (Laughs) So you're intentionally avoid maintaining balance…
Suzuki: Yes, that’s true. But I could also say it’s because I can stay very focused. I’ve had times where I became obsessed with plastic models, or with things like stars and stones, thinking about them day after day. During the development of After Burner, I became fascinated with military aircraft and weapons. I would think about them all the time, to the point where I lost track of what’s normal (laughs).
Q: So, would you say that you feel the happiest when you’re deeply focused on something?
Suzuki: When I’m fully absorbed in something, that’s when I’m the happiest and feel the strongest. It’s probably when I’m at my best, being able to focus without anything distracting me. But on the flip side, when things go wrong, I tend to take it pretty hard (laughs).
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| Yu Suzuki at SEGA (1990s) |
Q: I didn’t expect that you get discouraged.
Suzuki: It does happen.
Q: When things aren't going well, how do you manage to bounce back?
Suzuki: When nothing is working no matter what, I shift my focus, whether it's to programming, graphics, or changing the contents of meetings and tasks.
Q: You mentioned changing the nature of your work. If you weren’t a game creator, is there another profession you would have wanted to pursue?
Suzuki: At first, I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. Then a dentist. After that, I wanted to be a guitarist. Later, I aspired to be a programmer, and now I’m a game creator. Most people have two-day weekends, don't they (laughs).
Q: Farming is also about creating things. What do you think about it?
Suzuki: Farming is physically demanding, so it might be a bit tough for me now (laughs).
Q: (Laughs) Do you still feel that creating games is when you’re the happiest?
Suzuki: Modern games incorporate many aspects of entertainment—there’s sound, visuals, and interactive elements. With things like eSports, games are even moving into the realm of live entertainment. Since games cover such a wide range of options, even when I feel stuck, there’s always something within the world of games that can fulfill me. It’s really nice because there’s so much variety.
Q: It’s like there are different types of "fruits" when it comes to games, not just a single one.
Suzuki: Even if it's all about "watermelon," that's fine too, and if it were to come to that, I'd just think, "I'm going to grow the best watermelon ever" (laughs). But games are what I've had experience in, and led me to my becoming a game creator, so I can speak a bit about that. Honestly, games aren’t bad at all (laughs).
Q: (Laughs) Of course. In the past, you mentioned that you didn’t play games yourself. Recently, have you been playing other creators' games more often for research purposes?
Suzuki: Well, I’ve always played games for research. For work, it's important to know how things are progressing in the industry. What’s changed over time is that, with age, I’ve realized I can’t play as well as younger generations. So, when I adjust the difficulty, if I set it to my level, the game might become too easy. There's always the debate about whether difficulty should be based on controls and mechanics. If the game does everything for you, it can reduce the player's involvement. Ideally, a game should allow enough participation while also being somewhat intelligent. Games that rely too much on player skill become more difficult, so I think it's interesting to create games where the fun doesn’t entirely depend on skill.
Q: A game where you become a wine sommelier sounds interesting (laughs).
Suzuki: It would be great if that became a successful business! (Laughs) With wine, you could make a really niche game.
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| Yu Suzuki is known for his fondness for wine (here pictured with Reiko Chiba and Hiroaki Takeuchi in 2015) |
Q: What’s your favorite animal?
Suzuki: I like dogs. I currently have two toy poodles. I set the air conditioner temperature to suit them, which leaves me feeling cold (laughs). My daughter named them Maple and Syrup - there was maple syrup on the table at the time.
(Laughs) Thank you very much for your time today.
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