Watching developers play other people’s games is always interesting. Most of the good ones end up looking at the other dev’s work both for what it is while also thinking about how it was made, making for more layered, insightful commentary. It’s even more exciting when they can point out what works about a game’s design and what doesn’t in the middle of a boss fight, though that takes both reflexes and oratory skill that few can muster.
Few are even willing to try this kind of thing on camera, in part because they are afraid to inadvertently insult anyone else’s work in public, but Koji Igarashi (Bloodstained, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) is an exception. He’s equal parts bold and polite, making him the perfect candidate for the job. Alongside former Capcom producer Ben Judd, he took ten minutes out of his schedule to play Minoria, the latest Metroidvania to hit the market. Along the way, Iga lets loose a few new facts on how Bloodstained was developed (who knew that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was an influence on Miriam’s idle animations?) before getting clobbered by a boss.
This actually isn’t the first time Iga has done Let’s Play with Ben Judd. A few years ago, he and Ben took a crack at Symphony of the Night with the help of Double Fine. It’s clear that for this cowboy, getting his butt kicked in a game in front of an audience of thousands is downright relaxing compared to the pressure of making one that will be played by millions.
Source: Destructoid Iga constructively critiques Minoria while playing it