Rika SUZUKI’s message – Game Preservation Society

鈴木理香

Rika SUZUKI
Born in Fukuoka, member since 2022
Game Planner, Scenario Writer

Début game:
1983 – Adventure in Hakata (Riverhill Soft / Union Planning)

Main gamography:
1986 – Murder Club (Riverhill Soft)
1988 – Kohakuiro no Igon [The Amber Testament] (Riverhill Soft)
1990 – Ōgon no Rashinban [The Golden Compass] (Riverhill Soft)
2005 – Another Code: Two Memories (Cing)
2007 – Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (Cing)

Statement from the member:
Game preservation is transmiting the entertainment heritage to the future.

I can only express my deepest gratitude for being kindly invited to be an honorary member of the Game Preservation Society. It is my great pleasure to be involved in the commendable engagement of the Game Preservation Society to carry into the future the precious documents and materials that laid the foundations for the creation and constitution of what is now globally renowned as Japanese game culture.
My design philosophy has always been centered on creating games that would be memorable for the player. I started to fumble my way through designing games when I first used a PC in the 1980s. At that time, I wanted to pick up the challenge of a new technology out of a youthful desire to do something new. That challenge did not die down in the way of a momentary glimpse of joy. Before long game programming became my life’s work, through which I learned the delight and hard labor of creating games, together with the satisfaction of offering people a form of entertainment.
As far as entertainment goes, games always grant much freedom, no matter the period. This definition of amusement gets regularly revised and built upon, as many creators produce titles they believe in, one after the other. Nonetheless, the continuous shifting of media platforms typical of a very harsh game industry shackles this abundance of works, as preservation and reemergence of old titles becomes a very complex matter. Even in my case, I am sure that the games I created are now no longer playable. However, when I was called to yesterday’s streaming celebration of 10 years since the establishment of the Game Preservation Society, I was moved by nostalgia when I saw the screen displaying some of my games from the past on whose reappearance I had already given up. It was in that moment that I realized that the games that I created would remain as cultural traces, a fragment of history. Immediately afterwards, I shared some information with international players, and received many enthusiastic responses about Japanese games, which made me extremely glad as a creator, and had me wish to face the world and continue producing games once again.
Currently, as the Japanese game industry faces a decline in foreign market shares, I do not think that it is the case to simply explain it away in terms of differences in taste or interest. In order to continue producing games that are loved globally, I believe that it is important to look back with pride at the past of Japanese games as we move forwards. To the best of my abilities, I am glad to provide what small support I can to the Game Preservation Society.

Biography:
In 1983, Suzuki started making games and founded Riverhill Soft in Fukuoka together with Okazaki Kazuhiko. She developed numerous adventure games where she took the lead in planning and scenarios. Being especially well-versed in mystery adventure games, in 1986 she presented the first installment of the J.B. Harold series: Satsujin Kurabu (Murder Club). With the titles that followed, Manhattan Rekuiemu (Manhattan Requiem), Satsui no Seppun (Kiss of Murder), D.C. Collection, Burū Shikago Burūsu (Blue Chicago Blues), the series became a flagship for the company. While working on planning and scenarios for many games, she presented the games set in the Taishō period Kohakuiro no Igon ~ Seiyō Karuta Satsujin Jiken~ and Ōgon no Rashinban ~ Shouyoumaru San Franshisuko Kōro Satsujin Jiken, which would form the Detective Todō Ryunosuke’s Diary series. The choice of setting the game in the 1920s and the worldbuilding became widely popular among players. In 1999, she assumed the position of executive vice president for Cing Inc. Working her way through console games, among others Another Code and Hotel Dusk, she is currently representative director at Bellwood Inc.

Other works:
Manhattan Requiem (Riverhill Soft)
Kiss of Murder (Riverhill Soft)
D.C. Collection (Riverhill Soft)
Glass Rose (Cing)
Another Code: Two Memories (Cing)
Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories (Cing)
Again FBI (Cing)
Last Window: The Secret of Cape West (Cing)
Black Rose Suspects (Bellwood)

Page updated on: 2024-12-08