The creator of Video Game Fables, and Momiji Studios, solo developer Matt Sharp, has long been enamored with role-playing games. After the younger years of being an avid gamer, he discovered that making games was not an impossible task at all, but a very achievable one. Meeting RPG Maker was a pivotal point and set him on a course to bring role-playing games back to their former glory.
Sharp was particularly intrigued by turn-based RPGs where a gripping story and strategic combat meet. Creating a fantastic world is exciting, but what makes the game, and especially the turn-based combat system, are the formulas and calculations that lie beneath it. Some of his early inspirations came from platformers, they were the first games he ever played after all, but a real game making influence came later with RPGs. It all culminated in the creation of Momiji Studios, which was created for its very first RPG. Game Rant spoke to Matt Sharp of Momiji Studios about development Video Game Fables and the fraught future of turn-based RPGs.
Conceptualizing video game fables
The first game he ever made with RPG Maker was a classic turn-based RPG called Lucid Awakening. The game wouldn’t get a wide release and was especially enjoyed within the RPG Maker’s supportive developer community, which was crucial for the indie developer struggling with his first game. With the sequel, Lucid Awakening 2, Sharp wanted to test the waters. The game became his first-ever Steam title in 2015 and an important milestone in his career as a game developer. It stipulated that Momiji Studios would make more RPG games for the wider audience.
“I was just proud to have completed a game from start to finish. That’s what I always told my students when I taught game development. Just go make something… just finish something.”
While teaching game development at Wilmington University in Delaware, he would draft his upcoming game. For a few years, the game concept slowly converged. After his work at Wilmington University was over, it was time to fully focus on making his next game. Video Game Fables would still take a lot of work, and as a full-time independent solo developer nothing was easy. After years of grueling work, the fruit of the labor was ready to be released to the public. In July 2022, Video Game Fables have been released on Steam.
The hatching of Video Game Fables was Momiji Studios and Matt Sharp’s second major milestone, but it didn’t come to any conclusion. Sharp started out developing turn-based RPGs, but not to release them on Steam or gain fame or fortune. Instead, he likes the genre to its core and wants to be one of the voices pushing them forward. Making games like Lucid Awakening 2 and Video Game Fables is nice to him, but there is a broader, more important picture. Turn-based RPGs have been a big part of gaming culture for decades. Every 90s kid has their favorites and the gamers could choose from a list of hugely influential titles, such as Chrono trigger, precipitationand Final Fantasy just to name a few. Sharp’s first introduction to the genre was the first dragon warrioror dragon quest as it was known only in Japan at the time. The 90s were the golden age of turn-based RPG and JRPG, which explains a lot of why Momiji Studios is what it is.
Video game myths and the future of turn-based strategy
However, times have changed in twenty years. The future doesn’t look as bright for turn-based RPGs as it used to be when Sharp fell in love with the genre. Companies are turning away from turn-based elements in their RPGs, and strategy is giving way to perhaps flashier real-time combat mechanics. For much of the community, and Sharp in particular, this has been devastating. Developers largely responsible for the boom decades ago are now turning away fans of turn-based RPGs. The fact that Square Enix opted out of turn-based combat in Final Fantasy 16 was a huge blow to Sharp.
“They said they wanted Final Fantasy 16 to appeal to younger people. That’s why they don’t want to make turn-based RPGs… that hurt me and a lot of turn-based RPG fans.”
There is still room for positivity. Sharp and his community create original turn-based RPG titles, among other RPGs, and hope is not lost on AAA titles either. Sharp is happy that Sega’s Persona franchise is going strong. Even a new turn-based RPG with a big budget, Marvel’s Midnight Sun, will start in December. It’s safe to say that Video Game Fables isn’t alone in defending the fortress of turn-based gaming.
Video Game Fables is now available on PC.
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