When the great geniuses of the industry open their mouths, it is necessary to put the ear and listen carefully. that’s what you just did Masahiro Sakura, father of the Super Smash Bros. saga, on his YouTube channel. A lifetime linked to the Nintendo franchise, along with Kirby and Kid Icarus.
In his latest installment, the creative reveals that the first three minutes of any game are the key. That is the time in which the studio must capture the user’s attention to catch him and send him the message that what he is going to play is fun.
Sakurai details that his vision comes from the time when arcade titles dominated the market. For example, referring to digital stores, the person in charge points out that a trailer is usually shown with a cinematic, which he himself usually avoids. He believes that it is better to offer a gameplay clip so that the viewer gets an idea of what awaits him.
“A game that starts off slow is usually a game that starts off on the wrong foot,” Sakurai details. He completely rejects prologues without rhythm and therefore believes that the key bet is to launch ourselves as soon as possible to control the game. “For example, don’t have the player start at the beginning of their journey,” reveals Sakurai.
For him, a fantastic example of how to do things right is Persona 5 Strikers. Atlus launches us into the action in a fairly advanced time frame, which allows us to be clear about how it will actually play. Another option is to make let’s play with other characters different from the protagonist.
However, the creative is clear that each game and genre has its own approach, so these tips are only recommendations. Of course, he believes it is essential that, if there is a tutorial, it must be as camouflaged as possible and that it feel organic in the title