Megami Tensei I ・II OST Notes (Nishitani Aya)

I haven’t done much translating in about 100 years, so I decided to slowly get back into it, this time with a short message by Nishitani Aya of Megami Tensei fame. The message is part of a booklet accompanying the Megami Tensei I and II OST, kindly shared by @eirikrjs, like, five years ago. I’m slow.

Message under the cut!

An RPG of Chaos (Nishitani Aya)

Is there any other piece of entertainment where the creators’ heart speaks to the players as directly as role playing games? It’s only natural, since it takes you about fifty or sixty hours to finish one, not to mention all the tension that builds up until the end. I don’t think anything compares to a game you spend so much time on, not even movies or music. That’s why the game’s image, or style, obviously ends up as an appropriately strong projection of the player. If I were to describe popular role playing games along those lines, Dragon Quest would be a Renaissance style painting, Final Fantasy would be the Diamond Realm Mandala, while Megami Tensei would be a deep purple Chaos.

Now, the first game aside, everyone knows that II takes place in a world completely separated from the original story. However, I still have the feeling this game has the same ‘image’ as the original, since it feels like the flow of one will through the world of the present; perhaps I am going with the same flow as the staff.

For example, the fantasy value system brought about by the existence of a hero and a villain does not apply to this game and, to me, the good thing about Megami Tensei is that you don’t feel that eagerness to destroy an already existing system of values. It’s extremely interesting how it gradually makes you get used to a system of values that was already there.

The strength of that is definitely sealed in this CD, no doubt about it. Enjoy the Chaos CD to your heart’s content.

(Source).