The creator of Video Game Fables, and Momiji Studios, solo developer Matt Sharp, has been enamored by role-playing games for the longest time. After the younger years of being an enthusiastic gamer, he found out that creating games was not at all an impossible task but indeed a very achievable one. Coming across RPG Maker was a pivotal point, and set him on a course to bring back role-playing games to their former glory.

Sharp was especially intrigued by turn-based RPGs where a gripping story meets strategic battles. Creating a fantastical world is exciting but what makes the game, and the turn-based battle system, in particular, tick are the formulas and calculations underneath it all. Some of his early inspirations came from platformers, after all those were the first games he ever played, but a true influence for creating games came from later on with RPGs. Everything culminated in establishing Momiji Studios, which was created for his first-ever RPG. Game Rant spoke to Matt Sharp of Momiji Studios about developing Video Game Fables and the fraught future of turn-based RPGs.

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Conceptualizing of Video Game Fables

momiji studios rpg screenshot

The first game he ever created with RPG Maker was a classic turn-based RPG called Lucid Awakening. The game would not see a wide release and was mostly enjoyed inside the RPG Maker's supportive developer community, that 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 a significant milestone in his game development career. It determined that Momiji Studios would create more RPG games for the broader public.

"I was just proud to have finished a game from start to finish. I used to tell my students that when I taught game development. Just go make something... just finish something."

While teaching game development at Delaware's Wilmington University, he would draft his upcoming game. For a few years, the game concept slowly came together. After his work at Wilmington University ended, it was time to focus solely on creating his next game. Video Game Fables would still need a lot of work, and as a full-time independent solo developer, nothing came 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 were released on Steam.

The release of Video Game Fables was the second major milestone of Momiji Studios and Matt Sharp but was not a conclusion of any kind. Sharp started developing turn-based RPGs, but not to release them on Steam or receive fame or fortune. Instead, he loves the genre to the core and wants to be one of the voices pushing them forward. Creating games like Lucid Awakening 2 and Video Game Fables is fun for him, but there's a broader, more important picture. Turn-based RPGs have been a big part of the gaming culture for decades. Every 90s kid has their favorites and the gamers got to pick from a list of massively influential titles, like Chrono Trigger, Fallout, and Final Fantasy to just name a few. Sharp's first introduction to the genre was the first Dragon Warrior, or Dragon Quest as it was known at the time only in Japan. 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 Fables and the Future of Turn-Based Strategy

momiji studios video game fables screenshot

Times have changed in twenty years, though. The future doesn't look as bright for turn-based RPGs as it used to when Sharp fell in love with the genre. Companies are steering away from turn-based elements in their RPGs, and strategy is giving room to perhaps flashier real-time combat mechanics. For a lot of the community, and Sharp, in particular, this has been devastating. Developers that were in large part responsible for the boom decades ago are now turning down 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 that they want Final Fantasy 16 to appeal to younger people. That's why they don't want to make turn-based RPGs... that kind of hurt me, and a lot of turn-based RPG fans."

There's room for positivity still. Sharp and his community are creating original turn-based RPG titles, alongside 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 big-budget superhero turn-based RPG, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, is launching in December. It's safe to say that Video Game Fables is not alone in defending the fortress of turn-based gaming.

Video Game Fables is available now on PC.

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