When he entered his office and sat down, Ichin stretched lazily in comfort.
Aside from home, this was his favorite place—quiet, where he could think freely about projects, then step outside to check on the team's progress.
Booting up his computer, he began working on his next proposal.
The GARO game proposal was already finished, and Tohokushinsha was very satisfied with it. Once Ichin wrapped up his current projects, development could begin.
Now, it was time to write the plan for Tales of Berseria.
The Tales series had many entries. Ichin hadn't played them all, but he had played plenty—especially the most acclaimed ones, both old and new.
To remake all the ones he liked would be a huge effort, especially since everything needed to be reimagined in modern 3D. So, instead of starting from the oldest, he chose one he knew best to set the tone.
Berseria, despite having a female protagonist, had excellent combat. Ichin planned to push it further, refining the system to make battles even more exhilarating than in the original.
Arise had a decent system, but it simplified too much compared to its predecessors. That might work for GARO, but not for Berseria.
So Ichin wanted to keep part of the classic input-command system—letting characters unleash a wide variety of moves and create dazzling combos.
Still, he'd need a simpler option for less skilled players. The ceiling, however, would remain different.
"Combo systems, huh…"
Rubbing his chin, Ichin decided that once the proposal draft was done, he'd build the combat system first. He'd model the heroine Velvet and create her moveset, so the dev team had a clear direction.
Flashy battles were fine, but there was another crucial element—impact.
The "feel" of combat came from many details: hit stop, sound and visual effects, screen shake, even controller vibration.
Of the studio's released games, only Hollow Knight had any real sense of impact, but even that wasn't perfect.
"Looks like I'll need outside help. I can muddle through, but it'd be better to learn from the best and avoid pitfalls."
And who better than Capcom, the king of action?
Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Monster Hunter, Sengoku Basara, plus countless arcade hits—Capcom was legendary.
Outside of Nintendo titles, Capcom games had shaped most of Ichin's childhood. Even Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6 carried solid action mechanics.
For Berseria, his goals went beyond story and open-world exploration. Combat had to shine: exhilarating combos, team synergy, stylish animations, and visceral impact—none of which could be compromised.
For delivering fluid moves, satisfying impact, and visual spectacle, Capcom was his ideal model.
Snapping his fingers, Ichin made up his mind.
"Once Velvet's combat demo is ready, I'll ask Nintendo to connect me with Capcom. We'll collaborate on the system and learn from them properly."
Nintendo and Capcom had been close ever since Monster Hunter moved to the 3DS, even developing Monster Hunter Rise and its Sunbreak DLC for the Switch's limited hardware.
Thanks to Capcom's optimization magic, those games still ran smoothly at 30 FPS on seamless maps. Visuals took a hit, but fluidity was flawless.
Optimization wasn't what Ichin needed, though. He wanted Capcom's expertise in action design—the way Devil May Cry blended flow, impact, and spectacle into one perfect whole.
Dark Souls had slower pacing, with bosses built around big, sweeping attacks—not high-speed action.
Could he really get Capcom onboard? Ichin wasn't worried. His ties with Nintendo were strong, his games sold well on Switch, and Nintendo had profited greatly. Acting as an intermediary would be trivial for them.
As long as he paid enough, Capcom would come.
"Alright. With a clear goal, time to work."
Flexing his hands, Ichin dove into the proposal.
That afternoon, Hazuki brought him milk tea and cake for tea time, only to find him still working tirelessly, just as in the morning.
Peeking at his screen, she saw Tales of Berseria's proposal.
She'd heard him mention it before—an ARPG with a female lead. It sounded right up her alley.
"This is the next project?"
"Exactly. Once Dark Souls is done, some of that team and the Fall Guys team will handle updates, while the rest move to GARO and Berseria. GARO's combat is simpler, but Berseria… my standards are higher."
Ichin explained his ideas, including seeking Capcom's guidance.
"Working with Capcom to polish the combat system? That's a great idea. We definitely need to strengthen our skills—especially since you plan to make so many action-heavy games."
Hazuki nodded in agreement, already excited for what was coming.
"But first, eat something."
She set the milk tea and cake on his desk.
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