Space Harrier – Developer Interview: Yu Suzuki – Designer
Fun read interview with video game designer Yu Suzuki, from shmuplations.
In this collection of decade-spanning interviews, former and current Sega AM2 members discuss the making of Sega’s classic 3D shooting arcade game, Space Harrier. As with so many classic games of the era, many of Space Harrier’s most distinct and memorable traits were not merely conceived through ingenuity or vision but as pragmatic solutions to immediate problems, be they related to hardware, software, manpower or just keeping the higher-ups at bay.
Interview with Yu Suzuki – Designer:
—From the new hardware, to the design of the cabinet itself, when Space Harrier was first released it felt like a gauntlet had been thrown down to the gaming world. With that said, while you were developing it, did you feel any anxiety about the game? Did the development ever hit any walls? Please share any particularly memorable experiences you have.
Suzuki: It was nothing but walls, to be honest.
—Is that so? (laughs)