Shin-ichiro Tomie
{{Short description|Japanese video game screenwriter}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Shin-ichiro Tomie
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| native_name = 冨江 慎一郎
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1961}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names =
| notable works = Tecmo Bowl
Mystery Dungeon
| occupation = {{hlist|Game designer|writer}}
| years_active = 1985–present
| employer = Spike Chunsoft
| known_for =
}}
{{nihongo|Shin-ichiro Tomie|冨江 慎一郎|Tomie Shinichirō|born 1961}} is a Japanese game director, writer and part of Spike Chunsoft's affiliation. Since 1995, he contributes to the company with the Mystery Dungeon franchise as the main writer for the Shiren the Wanderer, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. Prior to his affiliation to the company in 1992, he has also contributed in Tecmo's Tecmo Bowl series of sport games.
Career
His hobby is soccer, and the Captain Tsubasa series was his initial source of inspiration.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/201406/09054675.html |script-title=ja:『街』への想いから昨今のインディーゲームまで――チュンソフト30周年のすべてを中村光一氏と振り返るロングインタビュー【後編】
|magazine=Famitsu |access-date=April 21, 2022 |language=japanese |date=June 9, 2016 |quote=中村 これは、開発にサッカー好きのメンバーがいたんですよ。『シレン』のシナリオを担当している冨江（冨江慎一郎氏）がサッカー大好きで、以前テクモ（現コーエーテクモゲームス）に務めていたのですが、そのころに『キャプテン翼』を作っていた人物なんですね。サッカーを語らせると、うるさいんです（笑）。}}
=Tecmo=
Tomie joined Tecmo, now known as Koei Tecmo, after graduating from university. During that time, he was engaged in soccer-themed games, such as Tecmo Bowl in 1987 and Captain Tsubasa II in 1990.{{cite web|url=https://seafoamgaming.com/2022/04/17/interview-with-shinichiro-tomie-from-spike-chunsoft/|title=The Meeting of Destiny: An Interview with Shinichiro Tomie from SPIKE CHUNSOFT|date=April 18, 2022|access-date=April 20, 2022|author=Seafoamgaming}}{{cite web|url=https://www.louraguse.com/the-fathers-of-tecmo-super-bowl/|title=The Fathers of Tecmo Super Bowl|date=February 26, 2016|access-date=April 20, 2022|author=Lou}} For Tecmo Super Bowl, published in 1991, though Japan had limited NFL coverage overall in the late 1980s, him and programmer Akihiko Shimoji were recording games from NHK satellite TVs to reproduce it in-game. Tomie's passion on sports has also helped the team to work on Tecmo Super Bowl.
=Chunsoft=
Later in 1992, Tomie was transferred to Chunsoft and consistently worked on the scenario of the Shiren the Wanderer series since its first title in 1995. The reason of working as a writer comes from the company's Sound Novel series, as he was not inspired of Otogiriso, but thought it was an innovative game, in addition to the lack of writers in the company. His hobby for sport games is particularly noticeable in Shiren the Wanderer 2: Shiren's Castle and the Oni Invasion and Shiren Monsters: Netsal, where he oversaw both games as the director.{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0010/03/index.html |script-title=ja:チュンソフト開発者インタビュー |publisher=Nintendo |access-date=April 20, 2022 |language=japanese |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150805033633/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0010/02/index.html |archive-date=August 5, 2015 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://dengekionline.com/soft/recommend/chunsoft/index.html |script-title=ja:インタビュー『ネットサル』『HOMELAND』 - 電撃オンライン |website=Dengeki Online |access-date=April 20, 2022 |language=ja}}
The scenarios present throughout the Mystery Dungeon series were written so they would not interfere too much into the franchise's roguelike genre. The scenario for the Shiren the Wanderer series is smaller but also intriguing for each title as they are mixed with its difficulty. Initially, he has suggested to put the setting of the series in feudal Japan, compared to the earlier Mystery Dungeon title, Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/201807/19160741.html |script-title=ja:『風来のシレン』の制作陣が語る！ 新世代ローグライクゲーム『世紀末デイズ』の魅力とは |magazine=Famitsu |access-date=April 21, 2022 |language=japanese |date=July 19, 2018 |quote=長谷川 いえ、最初はぜんぜん決まっていなくて、『トルネコの大冒険』に引き続き、西洋の世界観をイメージしていました。『風来のシレン』が和風になったのは、シナリオを担当していた冨江（慎一郎氏）というスタッフの提案がきっかけです。}} In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, the scenario has more presence in the gameplay than the former series and its appeal comes from "their directions and sounds" rather than the scenario alone.{{cite web|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/pokemon-mysterydungeon-gti/0/1 |title=Iwata Asks : Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity : An Impossible Combination |website=Nintendo |author=Satoru Iwata |access-date=April 20, 2022 |page=2}} Furthermore, the series does not have a linear timeline between the mainline Pokémon franchise and this series so newcomers would be introduced easily into the series and the genre.{{cite web|url=https://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2008/00027207-pokemon-donjon-mystere-interview-kunimi-kawamura-shinichiro-tomie.html |title=Pokémon Donjon Mystère : interview Kunimi Kawamura & Shinichiro Tomie |website=JeuxVideo.com |author=Rédaction |access-date=April 20, 2022 |date=July 9, 2008 |language=fr |quote=Shinichiro Tomie : Il n'y a pas de références spécifiques ou d'indices cachés dans Donjon Mystère. Au contraire, le jeu a été conçu comme un titre indépendant afin qu'une personne qui n'aurait jamais touché à un jeu Pokémon précédemment puisse se lancer sans problème.}} In an interview held in 2022, Tomie claimed he was not aware of the western fanbase but was able to receive messages from Japanese fans of the series via letters, with some of them claiming Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, and its sister game Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, his "magnum opus".
In 2012, during the first Nico Nico Game Master event, him and Kaoru Hasegawa appeared in the finale of a real-time attack of the first Shiren the Wanderer game.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/201211/18024581.html |script-title=ja:最速のシレンは誰だ！ 第1回“ニコニコゲームマスター”本戦の模様をリポート |magazine=Famitsu |access-date=May 19, 2022 |language=ja |date=November 18, 2012 }} Even if both series have not received a brand new title since 2010 and 2015 respectively, Tomie left a secret message in the 2020 port of Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate, indicating he would still be able to work on the next games if there are enough voices from the fans to green-lit a new Mystery Dungeon game in the company.{{cite web|url=https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20201203-144938/ |script-title=ja:『風来のシレン5plus』Nintendo Switch/Steam版には、新作を思い悩む開発者のメッセージが秘められている。とあるアイテムが示す、ファンへの願いの言葉 |website=Automation |date=December 3, 2020 |author=Keiichi, Yokoyama |access-date=October 12, 2022 |language=ja}}Tomie: ...! Hey! Did you just push the switch on my back!? You're supposed to read the item description before you use it! Every wanderer knows that! It clearly says "DO NOT PUSH"! Geez, how did you make it this far? ...Well, might as well say my piece since you're here. My name is Tomie. I'm an old hand at Spike Chunsoft. So old that I'm nearly retirement age. Shiren the Wanderer, Banshee's Last Cry... I've seen some titles in my day. We devs got along good over the years. Old, young, age doesn't matter... They work us to the bone, all the same. Hasegawa... You may not know the name, but you know his art. His version of Shiren is iconic! And Nagahata, he's the only know who knows what to tweak under the hood to keep the game balanced. Then there's me, worrying about making a new Shiren the Wanderer. I gotta consider the budget and the needs of the company. Can we do it? More importantly, should we do it? I'm too wishy-washy to take the first step. If only... If only someone gave me a push. ...? Wait, didn't somebody just do exactly that? Ah, I'm going senile... Can you give me one more push? ...No? You can't? In that case... Can you make your voice heard? If all the Shiren fans across the world speak out, surely someone will hear... Who knows, your voices might make it all the way to the people in charge. Wouldn't be the first time our overlords got fired up over fan demand. Anyway, if a sequel gets green-lit, you can bet I'll give it my all. The series has a reputation to live up to. And the fans expect nothing less than the best! I won't let them down. Ah, this is all hypothetical, of course. But it's nice to think about, isn't it? Until we meet again, I'll be here, dreaming... Of a new Shiren the Wanderer title. - F A R E W E L L - (Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate) It eventually happened later with its Nintendo Switch version being better received than anticipated, leading to the completion of Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island with Tomie being the lead scenarist of that game.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/202309/15317102.html |script-title=ja:『『風来のシレン6 とぐろ島探検録』緊急メールインタビュー。Switch版『風来のシレン5plus』の好評を受けてプロジェクト開始 |magazine=Famitsu |date=September 15, 2023 |access-date=September 15, 2023 |language=ja}}
Works
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{MobyGames developer|259374}}
{{Tecmo Bowl}}
{{Mystery Dungeon series}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomie, Shin-ichiro}}