Stan Sakai created the rabbit ronin Usagi Yojimbo nearly 30 years ago. Usagi may seem familiar to hardcore fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for his guest appearances there. This weekend, as part of a special event and samurai exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Sensei Sakai and game developer Mike Levine of HappyGiant are slated to talk about the first Usagi video game in over 25 years, Usagi Yogimbo: Way of The Ronin (iOS / Android). We spoke with Mike about what to expect about from the game, developing a special boss battle level of the game for MFA visitors to unlock, the MFA’s Samurai Saturdays talk with Stan Sakai, and about working with a master of the comic book form by way of bringing this fun side-scrolling sword and slashing game to market.
DIGBOSTON: Hi Mike – Thanks for coming! Can you tell me please about HappyGiant and what your role is there?
MIKE LEVINE: HappyGiant is my company, most of the company and myself have been in the games industry for 10-20 years. I worked for LucasArts in the ’90s for most of it and worked for some startups out in San Francisco. I came back here and started my own companies including Pileated Pictures, which was well known in Massachusetts for working with Hasbro and other properties. We were lucky to make some money and we’re now focused on mobile and the new company, HappyGiant.
Have you been a developer for a long time, or writing games for that long?
At LucasArts, I worked in the art department, constantly developing new techniques to create art. I would sit between really amazing artists and the programmers and we were in the middle making it all work in the games.
I’ve been a writer, designer and art director. We’re a small company so we all wear many hats.
Is this your first mobile game?
No, we’ve been doing it for a few years. We slowly crawled into it. We’ve done Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters and last summer we did the app for The Dictator film. We are also known for our high end pet sims Dolphin Paradise: Wild Friends. There’s another one that just came out, Orca Paradise: Wild Friends. We did Orca at the same time as Usagi. We used the Unity game engine to make both the games.
Very cool. Can I ask…are you a comic book fan?
Yes I am.
Usagi Yojimbo No. 1 - Stan Sakai
Have you been a Usagi Yojimbo fan for as long as I have?
Probably not. I grew up reading comics, now my kids are reading my comics. I was a heavy Marvel guy, Walt Simonson’s Thor, Frank Miller’s Ronin and Dark Knight Returns. I read all the Lone Wolf & Cub books. I knew of Usagi, but don’t remember reading it. The story goes that a couple of years ago, my friend brought me 5-6 Usagi books and urged me to read them.
As soon as I started reading them, I couldn’t put them down, I read one after the other. When I got to Book 10 or 12, I decided, “This needs to be a game”!
It came together very smoothly with Dark Horse and Stan and getting in touch with them. I like to think when things are meant to be, things go smoothly, and this was one of those cases.
Usagi Yojimbo: Way of the Ronin - Happy Giant
That leads me to my next question, I was going to ask if Dark Horse approached you, but it sounds like the other way around.
Yeah, it was all our fault. (Laughs) We wanted to do it, I wanted to do it, it was a labor of love, completely. Stan was in the background, saying “Sure, let’s do it”. We got through the contract stuff, which didn’t take long.
Usagi is not like other comics. This is Stan’s baby. He is Usagi. It was very important to me and the fans to have Stan involved and support it.
That does give you a whole different framework when you are developing the game, writing the script. What is important about Usagi Yojimbo is that it is a creator owned book, with one creator from the get go. People really into comics are into Usagi because it is a master work.
How closely did you work with Stan and Dark Horse on the game itself such as the structure, character designs and the flow of the game?
Dark Horse was incredible all around with support and marketing and PR support. They let me come with them to Comic Con and be with Stan in their booth.
When it comes to the game itself, that was dealing with Stan directly. HappyGiant does know how to work with ‘brands’ or ‘properties’ for lack of a better word.
If anything, I probably bugged Stan too much. I wanted to make sure that we were headed in the right direction.
He looked at and approved all of the character art and approved it. 90% of the art is ripped right from the comic. We did create new characters. We have boss monsters that never have been in the comic books.
Stan Sakai and Sketch
Stan’s such a nice guy. Everything you read about him is true.
I wanted him to criticize this more!
I guess we were doing a good enough job. We did a lot of homework. I’m going to talk about that at the lecture and show the evolution of the game and the art we put out. I felt like we were homaging it, as opposed to ripping it off!
It’s also a carefully researched—if not intuitive—historically accurate comic book. So with samurai in poses, Stan’s got it right in the first place.
Absolutely, and I took that very seriously to the bane of my story writer.
The story to the game is an epic story, and I was sure Stan was going to say “Don’t do it”. It harkens right back to Grasscutter and the Three Sacred Objects of Japan.
The game has over 13 or 15 levels. A couple of levels have three branches. There are unique enemies in every level.
People who know the comic know the different enemies and factions that Usagi faces. We needed a plot that could encapsulate all of that.
Lord Hebi and Yokai from the spirit world are all after this object.
Usagi Yojimbo: Way of the Ronin - HappyGiant
I’m slow at playing video games but I worked my way through a couple of levels. Let’s talk about the MFA. You have to visit the MFA to unlock a secret level, is that correct?
Right, there is a secret level that we did for the MFA. Initially, the MFA approached me, not knowing we were doing the Usagi game because they were interested in apps and promoting the Samurai exhibit.
Usagi in Samurai Armor - UNLOCKED!
Like you said before, these things were meant to happen!
Exactly. I educated the museum about Stan and his art and it evolved from there!
One of the ways we worked with them was to include content from the exhibit. The signature armor piece you are seeing around Boston now, we Usagi-fied that.
There’s a special bonus level you unlock where Usagi is wearing the armor.
He has better defense in the game because of the armor, and it’s a fun separate level.
That’s super cool! Besides the overarching story, it’s a side-scrolling game, similar to a Kung Fu (NES) or Karateka. I thought that was cool that this was in the past in that way. It pays homage to a video game history too.
That was intentional that we did that, thanks for recognizing that! Another great reference is the classic TMNT arcade sidescroller, where so many people may know Usagi from. We wanted to do this in 3D but also wanted to make it look like the comic book had come to life. The only way to do that was to make it pure and 2D.
It’s an old-school, side scroll, button masher, call it what you will.
I like that on the phone, I don’t want it to be too complicated.
Exactly, it’s not a huge 3D game where you can’t see it on the bus or subway or wherever. It’s simple to play and saves your progress as you complete each level. There’s 20 different combo moves you unlock as you play. You do get a bow and arrow, so you do get another weapon. Unless we do Space Usagi, you won’t get a laser gun or anything.
47 Ronin #5 - Stan Sakai and Mike Richardson (Dark Horse Comics)
Sounds like an idea for a sequel or unlocked level! Tell us about this Saturday.
The Museum is doing Samurai Saturdays in May, where they are doing events related to the Samurai Exhibit. I believe there is going to be a samurai sword demonstration. I’m really excited to see the armor as well.
I’m going to give a very short talk about who we are, how we made the game, showing early concept work, how we broke up the art and animated it.
It will get a little nerdy, hopefully not too much and hand it over to Stan and let him do his talk and draw and tell his story.
As a fan, I’m as excited as everyone else.
I got a chance to meet Stan with my Mom at Boston Comic Con ’11 and he was a super nice guy.
That’s what I saw at SDCC, parents with little kids, turning them onto Usagi.
Something that appeals to me in comics these days are the all ages comic books. Not comics meaning comics for kids, but comics that anyone can read.
Exactly, that’s the best stuff. Think about a Pixar movie that’s the same thing. That’s what we’re always shooting for, and it’s easier said than done. That’s why Stan and Usagi is so amazing.
It can seem so simple, but it’s really hard to pull off that type of elegance. It’s never gotten derivative. That blows me away. He has always kept it fresh.
I’m enjoying 47 Ronin, as Stan takes a break from Usagi to tell the story of Japan with (Dark Horse Publisher) Mike Richardson. He’s drawing people, real samurai. It’s nice to see him expand a little bit but also he’s still in his comfort zone. He’s a teacher.
I’ve seen people refer to him as that, a sensei. Especially when you know his whole history, he did the lettering for the Spider-Man Sunday strip. The guy has seen it all.
Samurai Exhibit at MFA Boston
SAT. MAY 11
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
AVENUE OF THE ARTS
465 HUNTINGTON AVENUE
BOSTON, MA 02115-5523
617-267-9300
FREE LECTURE:
STAN SAKAI, HAPPYGIANT,
USAGI YOJIMBO AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS
11AM – 12:30PM // FREE
MFA.ORG
FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT 10AM
FACEBOOK EVENT
SAT 5/18 BOWERY BOSTON & LEAGUEPODCAST PRESENT: ANAMANAGUCHI AT THE SINCLAIR
SAT 5/18
BOWERY BOSTON AND LEAGUEPODCAST PRESENT:
ANAMANAGUCHI AT THE SINCLAIR
52 CHURCH ST.
CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138
(617) 547-5200
WITH TIME WHARP,
INFINITY SHRED
ALL AGES // $13 ADVANCE / $15 DAY OF // 7:30PM
League of Ordinary Gentlemen Podcast Episode #151 — Clay Canon
All 4 Gents return for a romp on Free Comic Book Day, nouveau movie theater seating and Iron Man Three (anyone see that?).
Direct Download / Mp3 Stream (opens in new window).
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