Japanese and Western RPGs - The Differences

By Sherrin English

Just how different are Eastern and Western RPGs?

We know that the gulf between Eastern and Western-made RPGs is wider than a Chocobo stride, but exactly why there is a difference has as much to do with culture and upbringing as it has gaming preferences.

The biggest and most notable difference is, of course, colour. You can tell immediately where a game is made by the use of colour. Western RPGs tend to be drab and dull, almost monochromatic, while Japanese RPGs are extravagantly colourful and vibrant. Whereas Western game developers strive for realism, drawing on their backgrounds of movies and TV, the Japanese developer, brought up on the ornate, bright, swirling colours of Kabuki Theatre, anime and manga, has a larger colour palette from which to work. There is no doubt that realistic-looking Western RPGs backgrounds can, and do, look breathtakingly gorgeous, but the Japanese have it in spades as their spectacular mythical landscapes seem to spring out at us and come to life before our eyes.

Character creation is another area where the East/West gap is wider than a sword span. Western faces are created on computers and based on real life, yet Japanese artists are masters at portraying a character's meaning and intent with just a few lines. The characters look superb, yet the details aren't there, but somehow this makes their expressions much more powerful.

Western RPG game developers strive for male characters that are manly and strong, well muscled and toned beneath their flashing armour. They're portraying the ideal hero - the hero that male players want to equate themselves with. The Japanese male character is the exact opposite. He's Mr. Average - small, slight and almost feminine in appearance in his stylish clothes. He seems more inclined towards being a fashion model than a fighting man. And while the Japanese leading man, with his spiky blue hair, is androgynously good looking in a 'pretty-boy' emo way, the Western man is angular and rugged with an air of suppressed violence about him. He's a man's man. The presence of these emotionally charged young men in Japanese RPGs is a reflection of their society. These characters are often a mirror image of the frustrated and confused young Japanese male who cannot discuss his troubles, or medicate them away, like the Western male can. The Japanese way is to keep everything inside and private.

Japanese female characters are usually portrayed as innocent girls who participate in combat almost unwillingly. The pigeon-toes, clasped hands and downcast eyes signify femininity and subservience. She's waiting for the man to take the lead. Her manner of dress seems almost at odds with her body language. Yet somehow those very short skirts and midriff tops, although displaying flesh, still manage to look prim and proper. Western women are more likely to be bold and brash, almost mannish, in their behaviour. They look like they revel in swordplay and could wield a claymore with ease. The steel bikini says it all. The Japanese developers are mindful, indeed respectful, of their large female audience when creating characters. The men are sensitive and their slim supple bodies tend towards the martial arts rather than the hulking, weight lifting, Western male character. Although the female characters are covered, the player infrequently catches a tantalising glimpse of panties. Western developers, on the other hand, seem to forget that a growing section of their audience are women, and create female characters that look more like they belong on the pages of Playboy. That the male character is often covered in head to toe steel armour seems incongruous.

The camera brings the artist's characters and settings to our screens - and thereby begins the debate for a free or fixed camera. Aside from the fact that many Japanese suffer motion sickness, the fixed camera allows for a better cinematic presentation. Of course, it's cheaper too. Imagine the extra cost involved merely because a player might want to look at the ceiling at one point in the game. A fixed camera gives the Japanese developer the opportunity to give the player the exact view and experience that he envisioned when he created the game. By controlling the camera he in fact controls the player's gaming experience. Besides, if the fixed camera movement is managed correctly then the player shouldn't want to move it. To some RPGers, looking around the environment increases the gameplay potential, but to others having to multitask by moving the camera is something they would rather avoid so that they can focus on playing the game. Having said that, the Western idea of a free-ranging camera does allow the player much more flexibility and freedom.

Freedom of movement is another area where the difference between the East and West is marked. Many Westerners like the freedom and independence that a free-range RPG provides. The story line and its accompanying side quests are secondary to the free-roaming adventure that can be had on their own. The personal freedom to go anywhere, do anything and cope with challenges as they arrive appeals to the Western mind. The Japanese RPGer, however, likes to know what's coming next so they can lay plans, and a linear game caters to that need. The Japanese player actually feels uncomfortable with the unknown and would much rather have clearly defined goals by which to progress. If you gave a Japanese RPGer a free-roving game and told them they could do anything and go anywhere they choose, they would probably go nowhere. Westerners, on the other hand, are excited by the challenge of the unknown. This, of course, harks back to the Japanese game developer providing a definitive gaming experience, and in this case a linear story is the backbone of the RPG. And the more epic and dramatic the storyline is, the further the player is transported from reality. Japanese developers make an entirely new world and invite the player into it, whereas Western developers want art to imitate life.

The save point in a Japanese RPG can, at times, seem like an unreachable goal, and at times like that there's much to be said for the in-game save ability. In fact it's only been a generation of console gaming that has given the space to allow for in-game saving, yet Japanese developers still tenaciously cling to the save point. In actual fact the in-game save isn't an easy thing to implement, but it's done to make things easier for the gamer. The Japanese point of view, however, is that if the gamer doesn’t expect it then why give it to them. And if it's done correctly, the save point becomes a part of the gaming experience. Besides, knowing there's a monster between you and the save point adds tension to the encounter.

Combat is approached and treated differently in Western and Eastern RPGs. The Japanese view it as a means to an end, while Western developers tend to use it as a focus point. The defeat of a final boss in a Western RPG marks the climax of the game and is a signal for the credits to roll. But because a Japanese RPG is more story-driven, after the end game boss has been beaten to a bloody pulp the game continues and the story's final scenes play out to reach a gentle, sometimes tearful, close. Western RPGs most commonly feature single person real-time combat, which typically means one button is designated to an ordinary hit, a second to a heavy hit and a third to defend. This usually translates into a button-mash fest. The often-used three or four party turn-based combat style gives the Japanese RPGer time to think about what foe he’s facing and to strategise about the best way to vanquish it. But within those two combat styles there are, of course, many variances, from single button combat to the 'Judgment Ring' from Shadow Hearts. Of late, however, several long-running Japanese series are experimenting with real-time, single button combat (I'm looking at you Final Fantasy XII and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner), albeit unsuccessfully if the comments on gaming forums worldwide is any indication. But you never know, it may just catch on.

So will the East / West RPG gap ever be narrowed? I don't think so. We're the product of our differing cultures after all, and that's something that takes several generations to change. But console 'generations' occur much more quickly, and as each jump brings us closer to interactivity, and whether we want to adventure in an exact replica of a rain forest or to push our way through fantastical plants and flowers that could only have come from someone's imagination comes down to individual preference. But I know already which I prefer. And I bet you do too.

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