[Analysis] JRPG as Ningyo Joruri: The Balance of 'Information Stripping' and 'Presentation' Achieved by Dragon Quest VII Re-Imagined

I've pretty much finished the completionist elements of VII Re-Imagined, and since things are settling down, I'd like to summarize my thoughts here.

The sense of discomfort with the 'information overload' of 8-head-tall proportions

Playing recent RPGs, especially blockbusters like Dragon Quest XI and the FF7 Remake, I've been unable to shake a sense of discomfort, like having a small bone stuck in my throat.

What's projected on the screen is 'ultimate realism' that reproduces even the texture of pores. FF7 Remake, in particular, needs no explanation. However, the more characters become realistic 8-head-tall figures, the more my brain (at least) begins a cold, analytical scan: 'Is this a real human?' This is the so-called 'uncanny valley.' There is also a lingering sense of discomfort in the fact that while the humans are realistically proportioned, the super-anime-style monster designs, represented by the Slime, remain unchanged.

Even if you spend enormous costs pursuing photorealism, doesn't it end up 'presenting' too much information, robbing the player of the space to step in—the play of imagination? I don't think the reason I didn't play FF7 Remake/Rebirth as obsessively as I did the original FF7 when it was released is just because I've become a working adult and don't have enough time, or don't have enough disposable time to spend on games.

What we were looking for in 'proportions'

The original Dragon Quest experience for our generation had 'deformation.' Take the early Akira Toriyama designs, like Dr. Slump or the Dragon Ball characters. The center of gravity is low, and they are round. We felt a strong sense of familiarity and energy in the way the small body of Goku from those days moved dynamically across the screen.

There was a 'lack' of information there. (Though that lack was perfectly designed by the ultimate designer, Mr. Toriyama.) But that is precisely why we enjoyed filling in (rendering) the movements of those small bodies with more dynamism and emotion than a living human, using our own imagination.

The 'mitate' (representation) OS that Japanese people traditionally possess

This sensibility is also connected to the aesthetic of traditional Japanese performing arts like 'Ningyo Joruri' (puppet theater), 'Kabuki,' or 'Rakugo.'

Take a Kabuki stage, for example. In an empty, pristine space, using only minimal props, the scene is vividly brought to life. The ultimate examples are the world of Rakugo, where everything is expressed with just a single folding fan and a hand towel, or Kyogen. Abstract movements symbolically depict the core of the story. There is a culture of 'mitate' (representation) where the performer's gestures act as a trigger for the audience to fill in the background and weight within their own minds.

I saw the pinnacle of this 'mitate' in the production documentary for 'Shin Godzilla.' The motion capture for Godzilla in the film was handled by Kyogen performer Mansai Nomura. On screen, Mr. Nomura was wearing only extremely simple equipment: a small beak and an attached tail. However, the moment he began to move using the 'kata' (forms) of Kyogen, Godzilla, as a being beyond human intellect, was undoubtedly manifested there.

The 'lack' of information is what drives the audience's ultimate rendering engine: 'imagination.' For Japanese people who know this sophisticated method of 'mitate,' reading infinite emotions from deformed symbols is an extremely natural activity.

The solo Budokan performance by The Idolmaster's Chihaya Kisaragi that I witnessed the other day was the same. Standing on stage was a 3D model idol, but it was imbued with the creator's immense 'feelings,' and the latest technology supported those 'gestures.' As a result, a sense of existence that went beyond physical reality—'Oh, she's really there'—reached the hearts of the audience directly.

The invention called 'Doll Look'

The 'doll look' adopted by this 'Dragon Quest VII Re-Imagined' can be said to be an update of the traditional OS of 'mitate' (representation) and 'puppet theater' using modern technology.

It is neither the realism of an 8-head-tall figure nor the symbolism of pixel art. By sharing the rule of 'doll-like figures' with the player, the brain stops performing unnecessary reality checks and begins to immerse itself purely in the 'story' and 'emotions.' While using dolls as a model, it breathes a certain amount of expression and 'gestures of a fleeting moment' into those dolls. This achieves both the 'emotion' that could not be fully depicted in pixel art and the 'margin for imagination' that is erased in realistic CG, going even further than puppet theater. I even think that humanity may have acquired a completely new method of expression.

I would like you to watch the official video. Despite being called a doll 'look,' it actually starts with craftsmen truly creating the dolls. In other words, based on Akira Toriyama's designs, a stylistic beauty is established as a slightly big-headed 'doll.' It is a state where the work of character design is done without any sense of discomfort from the beginning. This is an invention that fills the gap between the 2D expression of squeezing characters into a single square and the proportional expression seen since the 8th installment.

Why '7' now? — Its position as a strategic demonstration

To be honest, for me, Dragon Quest was completed with the 'Loto Trilogy,' which I was deeply immersed in during my youth, and the 'Zenithia Trilogy,' whose story depth I rediscovered through remakes after I became a working adult. Honestly, I had almost forgotten the existence of 7.

So, why was it 7, and why now? From here on is my complete delusion, but a cold and bold strategy can be glimpsed there.

The Loto or Zenithia trilogies are super-powerful IPs for Square Enix that absolutely cannot fail in the future, and they are the origin. They are even 'sanctuaries.' These need to be produced with a UI/UX that is unified to a certain extent as a series of continuous stories. Naturally, their sales scale is also on a different level, and if the direction of the presentation is mistaken in one work, all three works in the trilogy could collapse together.

While plans for the next large-scale remake were being discussed, such as 'How about the Zenithia series soon?', it is too risky to suddenly drop the 'doll look' method, which is a world-first challenge, into a sanctuary.

That is why I suspect 7 was chosen. For Yuji Horii himself, and even from the perspective of public evaluation, this is the original work that leaves behind the regret that 'there could have been a little more that could have been done.' I infer that this 7, which has an independent worldview, was the best and 'just right' testing ground for questioning the world with a new method and for accumulating know-how.

Expectations for the next adventure — The optimal solution for the Zenithia series

Now that this 'demonstration' has succeeded, the remakes of Dragon Quest 4, 5, and 6 must already be moving behind the scenes as a certainty. In the Zenithia series, where character personalities are depicted more vividly and dramatically compared to the Loto trilogy, this doll look method will surely be the 'optimal solution.'

Alena's tomboyish kicks, the heavy responsibilities carried by Papas, Terry's solitary stance. Nothing but this 'puppet theater that transcends puppet theater' can deliver those feelings and gestures in their purest form without wasting resources in the quagmire of the uncanny valley. I cannot help but look forward to the Reiwa-era Zenithia series, which will feed back everything learned and reflected upon from VII.

The importance of 'story' rather than 'realism.' I feel that this method, which Dragon Quest VII Re-Imagined has shown us, is the future optimal solution for JRPGs to deliver stories.