Nostalgia (video Game) - Development

Development

Nostalgia was first announced in a July 2008 issue of Japanese Famitsu magazine, where it was revealed that both Matrix Software and Red Entertainment would be teaming with Tecmo to bring the game to players the following November. The game was produced by Tecmo's Keisuke Kikuchi, best known for his work on the company's Fatal Frame series, whose goal was to inject traditional role-playing elements with simple gameplay, aspiring to "make a product that everyone could play. Project director Naoki Morita of Red Entertainment envisioned the game's historical setting as an alternate 19th century Earth, which was wholly supported by Kikuchi who remarked that "I knew this game had such potential when I saw Mr. Morita's project book - It is an adventure game set in another Earth, offering an enjoyable story that involves various cultures in many diverse locations." Morita originally wanted to produce an alternate history-style role-playing game as far back as 1996, but became sidetracked due to the runaway success of his Sakura Taisen series on the Sega Saturn and shelved the project until work began on the Nintendo DS. Despite the large delay in production, Morita remained confident of his original vision, declaring that "I was confident that no matter how long it took, our designs for wouldn't lose their luster." The staff of Matrix Software were largely responsible for the game's programming, and had previously worked with Square Enix to create the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV. The music for Nostalgia was composed by Rei Kondoh, Kaori Komuro, and Shinichiro Sato, who were credited alongside their musical unit "T's Music". Tecmo released a special promotional album featuring ten songs from the game to players who pre-ordered the title in Japan, along with an artbook that included design sketches and official artwork.

In December 2008, North American publisher Xseed Games announced that the game was already claimed by another company to be released in the English under the title Nostalgia. The following April, Ignition Entertainment officially announced that they had secured the publishing rights to the title and would be bringing it to North America in September. Shane Bettenhausen, the company's Director of New Business Development, stated that he was "deeply honored" to be given the opportunity to release the game in English, and felt the game would have a place in the current western game market as a unique and original title, stating that "amid a sea of remakes and rehashes, this endearing adventure blazes its own unique path".