The Outerhaven was lucky enough to get a chance to interview the main mind behind Dungeon Antiqua, frenchbread. frenchbread is the main developer of the game, while the publisher is Shiromofu Factory.
Getselious: How long have you been a game developer?
frenchbread: During my student years, I developed games at a hobby level for a few years and had my friends play them. After a gap of about 20 years, I resumed game development, and it has been about 4 years since then
Getselious: What games inspired you to become a game developer?
frenchbread: The RPGs I played as a child, such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Wizardry, which were extremely popular in Japan at the time. Around the same time, I learned that I could make games myself if I acquired programming skills, which made me want to try creating my own.
Getselious: Was Dungeon Antiqua the first game you worked on as a game developer?
frenchbread: Before that, I had created a few fangames and some small-scale games for smartphones. I had also released one RPG that I made during my student days. However, those were all distributed for free, so Dungeon Antiqua was the first game I developed as a commercial release.
Getselious: In Dungeon Antiqua 1, there was an alignment system in the game. In the Second Game, Dungeon Antiqua 2, that alignment system was removed. What was the thought process of removing the alignment system?
frenchbread: While the core game system of Dungeon Antiqua 1 was designed to be quite similar to Wizardry, the concept for the sequel, Dungeon Antiqua 2, was to lean more into the style of 1990s JRPGs. With the goal of creating a more casual game system, I decided to tone down the Wizardry elements a bit, which led to the removal of the alignment and AC systems.
Additionally, in the first game, there were classes and equipment restricted by alignment, much like in the original Wizardry, meaning players couldn’t use them depending on the alignment of the party they initially chose. For the second game, I also intended to allow players to enjoy the benefits of all classes and equipment in a single playthrough.
Getselious: Were there any experimental mechanics or ideas/levels that didn’t make it into Dungeon Antiqua 1 or 2?
frenchbread: Basically, there were none. However, after releasing the games, I often found myself thinking “I see!” when reading ideas that players posted in reviews and on message boards. For example, since there are very few weapons that can attack from the back row in the first game, someone suggested adding a job like an Archer that can attack with a bow and arrow.
For me, I wanted to avoid disrupting the game balance, which had already been fully adjusted, by adding a new job through an update. Therefore, I decided to incorporate this idea into the second game instead.
Getselious: What is your favorite party setup in Dungeon Antiqua 1 and 2?
frenchbread: That is a tough one. In the first game, I like Ninjas and Samurais, so if I am playing thoroughly, I start with “Fighter, Fighter, Thief, Priest, Mage” and eventually end up with something like “Samurai, Ninja, Ninja, Ninja, Bishop.”
In the second game, my preference is to place just one Paladin in the front row (who has transitioned through Monk and Mage classes), and in the back row, place two back-row attackers who have mastered the Archer class, along with two spellcasters.
Getselious: What other games would you like to make if you weren’t making RPGs?
frenchbread: I sometimes think I would like to try making an action RPG someday, similar to the recently released hit Mina the Hollower, or the classic Legend of Zelda series. However, I am personally very bad at action games, and I always struggle right from the beginning in Zelda or Mina (laughs).
Thinking about it the other way around, there might be many players who would appreciate an action RPG designed so that even people who are bad at action games can enjoy it. If I were to make one, I would want to turn my own weakness into a strength for the game.
Getselious: Do you have any upcoming projects that you are working on that you can share?
frenchbread: As for Dungeon Antiqua, I am planning just one more sequel. Originally, I had no intention of making a second game, but while I was developing the second one, I just couldn’t help but want to make one more. I cannot say much more than that at the moment, but I can’t wait to share it with the world once its ready.
Thank you very much frenchbread for taking the time out of your day to answer our questions.
Both Dungeon Antiqua 1 and Dungeon Antiqua 2 are available on PC. If you want to try them out, you can also play demos for both games. They are both also available on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
