Hey there! I'm Yoshinori Ono, CEO at Lasengle.
Welcome to my blog and thanks for dropping by!
Following on from my last blog, I'm going to catch you up on some of the changes we're making to the working environment at Lasengle.
Right now, we're looking at both the remote and the office environment. This means we're figuring out ways we can all effectively work remotely, while also considering how we can get together in-person, and make the most of that time.
To brainstorm ideas, me and the management team stepped away from the Tokyo office and found a sunny spot to have some focused discussions. (Don't worry, we took the necessary precautions: masks, temperature checks, and avoiding crowds!)
I wanted to take this discussion offsite for a couple of reasons. The obvious one being the change of environment, and how being in nature might spark some different ideas.
But, to be honest, my main motivation was to get away from all the distractions. When you're in the office, there's always something to do, phones ringing, PC's pinging, people coming over with urgent requests...we had to escape from all that if we really wanted to focus. So, I rounded up all the members, dragged them to a secret location and locked them in a room until they came up with a great idea (I'm kidding of course. The door wasn't locked).
And it was so worth it.
It wasn't like we were getting into heated debates, with people scrabbling over desks, grabbing collars and getting in each other's faces (it'd take a lot to get anyone at Lasengle that worked up!), but there was a palpable difference in everyone's intensity and focus.
There's just something about talking to people in person that a screen can't replicate. It's about having the person right there in front of you, close enough to touch, that makes it such a different feel to meeting online. It was great to have that reminder, and nice to get out of the office too.
As we think about the next five, ten years and consider our future as a gaming company, we'll keep exploring ways to create the best working environment, thinking about how to approach the physical space of the office and how to make sure we're all sharing experiences in real-time, wherever we're working from.
If you're interested in what we're already doing at Lasengle to make the working environment better, check out this interview with our management lead, Shin Yamene, where he talks a bit about how we're using tech to communicate. It's a fun read and really gives you an idea of what we're about here.
And on the topic of escaping, here's my featured game for blog #13, Hades.
A lot of you will already have heard of Hades. It's from a small studio with a team of just 20, but it's already won a bunch of awards, including the Nebula Award for Game Writing, and is getting a lot of praise for its stellar storytelling.
Hades is a roguelike action presented in an isometric view.
You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, ruler of the underworld. Your goal is to escape from your dad's realm and make it to the world above.
But even though you're a prince, it's not like you can just waltz out of the land of the dead and into the land of the living. The game throws all sorts of enemies, bosses, and traps, to keep you in the underworld. Of course, dying puts you right back in the underworld too so not even that's a relief!
Hades is a really well-crafted roguelike action.
Combat is seriously fast-paced with the dash ability taking center stage. The variety of weapons and builds is kept relatively streamlined, and you have some control over random elements each run. You can mix things up by choosing to focus on close, mid, or long-range attacks, or go for skills that spray damage everywhere, or specialize in evasion. I had a lot of fun playing around with the different combos and finding out what works best for me.
I liked the cohesive visual style, with characters, backgrounds, and UI all inspired by comic book designs. And even though it's not photorealistic, I still found it really immersive.
Because of the awards and hype around the game, my expectations for the story were pretty high even before I started playing. Which is possibly why I wasn't immediately blown away.
I do like how they've played on the roguelike mechanic of "die and start over", by having you restart your game after dying in the literal land of the dead. This adds an extra layer to a fairly generic rule.
And I've got to hand it to them on the characters. They did a great job making them feel human, despite being gods. Hades, Zagreus, and the Olympians like Zeus, Ares, Athena, and Poseidon-they all have these relatable quirks and flaws that make them feel more down-to-earth (get it?!).
You have Hades, the work-obsessed dad who's always on his son's case and can't seem to accept him for what he is. Zagreus, the rebellious son who refuses to work and keeps trying to leave home. Poor Cerberus, curled up in the corner, helplessly watching his masters bicker. Not to mention the nosy Olympian relatives always butting in with their unsolicited advice. And of course, the absent mother.
So yeah, these all-too-human characters are dealing with some pretty modern themes.
When I first started playing, I figured Zagreus was just acting out, running away to spite his dad. But as Zagreus kept trying to escape, dying over and over and always ending up right back in front of Hades, it began to dawn on me that he had a reason for leaving. and that's what keeps him fighting his lonely battle. His family is broken, his mom and dad no longer talking or willing to communicate. Zagreus is trying to save his family, and he's determined to keep trying until he succeeds. Once I realized that, my game experience was on a whole different level. By the end of the game, I could empathize with each of the characters, which just made me even more invested in Zagreus's pliight.
I so wanted him to achieve his aim. I'd be like, "Don't worry Zagreus! You can depend on me! I'll do whatever it takes to get you back with your mom and dad! I'll help you fix your family." At one point, I was so caught up in the story, I couldn't tell if I was controlling Zagreus or if he was controlling me! I just kept dying and trying to escape, over and over.
Watching the end credits, the epilogue, and then the picture that's shown at the end, I was left with the feeling that I'd just finished a movie or an epic novel, not a game. In the end, I understood why Hades is so highly rated for its storytelling, it really is incredible.
That's my take on Hades!
Thanks for reading.
The next game is calling my name so gotta go--till next time!
Yoshinori X（Twitter）