Santa Monica Studios’ God of War: Ragnarok recently launched to great success (including a glowing review from our good friends at Push Square), and its director Eric Williams recently shared some of the games that inspired him and influenced his career. Speaking with IGN (thanks, GoNintendo), Williams listed five classic NES titles that informed how he approaches various aspects of game design, including combat, stats, and day/night cycles. Unsurprisingly, some of his choices may seem pretty obvious to many of our readers here, but there are a couple that might come as a bit of a surprise. The first game mentioned is, as a rule, The Legend of Zelda. While not exactly a game that ranks highly in Nintendo’s Zelda franchise these days, the impact of its introduction to the NES cannot be overstated. Williams states that “being from the Midwest and playing in the woods as a kid made this game feel so familiar and fantastical at the same time.” The second is Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. The second entry in the Castlevania franchise, Simon’s Quest is often overshadowed by both its predecessor and its immediate sequel, but Williams is a big fan of the game’s “town, the day/night, the insane Secrets” and “the Monster mythology. “ Next up is Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!!, a game we just recently covered in the regular Box Art Brawl mode. Williams is a big fan of the combat featured here (as are we!) and states that “the patterns, mechanics, techniques, and challenge of this game informed all of my early perceptions of what a ‘good “battle system”. The fourth game is Baseball Stars, an SNK game that became highly successful in the US when it was released in 1989. It was well received by critics at the time for its gameplay, but Williams found more inspiration from the game’s economic mechanics, stating that “this game had a salary system that taught me the basics of statistics and economy systems”. Finally, the last game Williams lists is River City Ransom, a title the director says influenced his approach to video game themes. He states, “the theme is very important to me and this game’s theme of being a ‘kid’ was so strong. Playground gangs, sports, guns, skill-learning comics, even the low-money cap looked like lunch money or period allowances.” So there you go! It’s always nice to see how the creators behind some of the world’s most acclaimed games find their inspiration. Although NES games may seem somewhat primitive to the youth these days, there is no denying the diverse influence they have had on modern gaming. Nice one, NES! Have you played Ragnarok yet? Do you agree with Williams’ assessment of these five NES games? Let us know!
