While Hiroki Kikuta is best known for his SNES-era scores to Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana, he’s also been an indie game developer himself, and worked on productions big and small, from his time doing a lot of eroge titles and original works up through his partnership with Scarlet Moon where he’s constantly in demand to contribute to indie RPGs. His biggest titles recently include Indivisible, Trinity Trigger, Infinity Knights: Xross, and Visions of Mana.
Read his full biography, credits list, and hear some sample music on his Scarlet Moon Artists page. Check below for an interview with Hiroki Kikuta about his style, inspirations, and collaboration with Scarlet Moon.
Working on Indie Games
Of course, if you are involved in large-scale game development, there is excitement, hardship, and emotion that can only be obtained on that scale. However, at the same time, there are also constraints and crampedness. On the other hand, the development of indie games has the freedom that can only be obtained on a small scale, ease of movement, and ease of communication. This is actually an important point. Ease of communication is directly related to the lack of trouble. It is a truly valuable attraction for developers to be able to use their power 100 percent without being disturbed by unexpected sudden troubles. As everyone knows, time is always finite.
Favorite Kinds of Projects
First of all, scale is not an issue. I have experience in the production of ultra-large-scale games and in the development of extremely small, which almost everything is created by one person. Therefore, in any case, I have learned how to make the most of my power.However, as a personal wish, I would like to participate in the development of games that have their own worldview, no matter what genre it is. Because expressing the worldview of the game with music is my greatest joy.
Creative Philosophy
It’s not anything else, it’s about being close to the work. That’s the most important thing for me. I believe that it is the best job as a composer to accept the image that the director has, understand the atmosphere and emotion inherently of the work, and create the best musical world for the game. Of course, it goes without saying that I use a melody that only I can write as a means of expression.
What Makes Me Unique
The most unique thing about my talent is that I can deeply and intuitively understand the image of the game even where the director is not aware of it, and I can transcribe it into a melody. In my case, when I listen to the content of the game from the director at the meeting, the music often comes out of my head naturally. It’s not about thinking and making, it’s about feeling and flowing. The reason why the melody I transcribe naturally penetrates into someone’s heart is because it was created naturally. Don’t you think it’s a little attractive to have that kind of experience by working with me?
Partnership with Scarlet Moon
Trust, that’s all. The shortest way to improve the quality of the work is to be able to concentrate on the production. Scarlet Moon spares no effort to ensure that the composer can focus on his work. So, I have full confidence in Scarlet Moon.
Learn more: https://scarletmoon.com/bio-hiroki-kikuta
Contact: https://www.scarletmoon.com/contact.html