Haruhiko Shono
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese computer graphics
artist. He has served as director for numerous computer games and has provided CG work for motion pictures with , where he serves as corporate representative. He is best known to Western audiences for his steampunk
-inspired visual novel
, Gadget
, and for his work on the 2004 film, Casshern.
Shono's creative career began in 1985 with the formation of Radical TV. Shono was hired as a member of the visual performance unit, and here he gained an interest in the visual aspects of the film industry. With evidence of visual artistry talent already apparent, Shono was entrusted with the responsibility to act as lead visual display artist in Radical TVs audio-visual display showcase at Expo '85
entitled TV War. The display would be recognized as one of the most significant affirmations of the Japanese IDM
subculture.
Shono's first solo-work came in the form of Alice
(1991), a highly stylistic visual novel
based on the Alice in Wonderland
stories. This game won Shono the Multimedia Grand Prix MITI Minister's Prize. In 1992 Shono would again win the MITI Prize for his game L-Zone, which would remain on Japan's list of best-selling CD-ROMs for several years. In 1993, Shono was again awarded the MITI Prize as well as the Multimedia Association Chairman's Prize for his game, Gadget
.
For his striking visual style and his mastery of lavish computer graphics at the dawn of the point-and-click adventure game genre, Newsweek named him one of the "most influential people to watch in Cyberspace," and coined the term "cybergames" to describe his highly-realistic visual games whose visual style have been compared to those of Cyan
's 1993 best-seller, Myst
.
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
artist. He has served as director for numerous computer games and has provided CG work for motion pictures with , where he serves as corporate representative. He is best known to Western audiences for his steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
-inspired visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
, Gadget
Gadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure
Gadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure is a videogame or interactive movie, first released by Synergy Interactive in 1993. Gadget resembles a point-and-click adventure game similar to Myst, but with a strictly linear storyline culminating in a fixed finale. Thus it tends to be classified more as...
, and for his work on the 2004 film, Casshern.
Shono's creative career began in 1985 with the formation of Radical TV. Shono was hired as a member of the visual performance unit, and here he gained an interest in the visual aspects of the film industry. With evidence of visual artistry talent already apparent, Shono was entrusted with the responsibility to act as lead visual display artist in Radical TVs audio-visual display showcase at Expo '85
Expo '85
Expo '85, officially called , was a world's fair held in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan between Sunday, March 17 and Monday, September 16, 1985. The theme of the fair was "Dwellings and Surroundings - Science and Technology for Man at Home"...
entitled TV War. The display would be recognized as one of the most significant affirmations of the Japanese IDM
Intelligent dance music
Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
subculture.
Shono's first solo-work came in the form of Alice
Alice: An Interactive Museum
Alice: Interactive Museum is a 1991 click-and-go adventure game, the elements and idea of which were much inspired by Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was designed for Windows 3.x and later released for the Windows 95 platform. The game was developed by Toshiba-EMI Ltd and was...
(1991), a highly stylistic visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
based on the Alice in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
stories. This game won Shono the Multimedia Grand Prix MITI Minister's Prize. In 1992 Shono would again win the MITI Prize for his game L-Zone, which would remain on Japan's list of best-selling CD-ROMs for several years. In 1993, Shono was again awarded the MITI Prize as well as the Multimedia Association Chairman's Prize for his game, Gadget
Gadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure
Gadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure is a videogame or interactive movie, first released by Synergy Interactive in 1993. Gadget resembles a point-and-click adventure game similar to Myst, but with a strictly linear storyline culminating in a fixed finale. Thus it tends to be classified more as...
.
For his striking visual style and his mastery of lavish computer graphics at the dawn of the point-and-click adventure game genre, Newsweek named him one of the "most influential people to watch in Cyberspace," and coined the term "cybergames" to describe his highly-realistic visual games whose visual style have been compared to those of Cyan
Cyan Worlds
Cyan Worlds, Inc. is a video game development company, founded by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller in 1987, and best known as the creators of the Myst series. After Myst and its sequel Riven sold several million copies each, Cyan went on to create the massively multiplayer online adventure, Uru,...
's 1993 best-seller, Myst
Myst
Myst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan , a Spokane, Washington––based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Mac OS computer on September...
.
Film
- 1992 - Virtual Drug Trance
- 1992 - Virtual Drug Zone
- 1995 - Gadget Trips/Mindscapes - A kaleidoscopic 79-minute retelling of the 1993 GadgetGadget: Invention, Travel, & AdventureGadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure is a videogame or interactive movie, first released by Synergy Interactive in 1993. Gadget resembles a point-and-click adventure game similar to Myst, but with a strictly linear storyline culminating in a fixed finale. Thus it tends to be classified more as...
story intended to explain the development of the Sensorama weapon and the war that serves as backdrop to the game. - 1998 - Gadget Trips/Mindscapes - A remake of the earlier Mindscapes employing enhanced graphics.
- 2004 - Casshern (Conceptual design / CG Supervisor)
- 2006 - (Mechanical designer)
Television
- 1985 - Radical TV (Video performance unit)
- 1989 - (Opening CGIComputer-generated imageryComputer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
)
Games
- 1991 - AliceAlice: An Interactive MuseumAlice: Interactive Museum is a 1991 click-and-go adventure game, the elements and idea of which were much inspired by Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was designed for Windows 3.x and later released for the Windows 95 platform. The game was developed by Toshiba-EMI Ltd and was...
(PC) (director) - 1992 - L-Zone (PC) (director)
- 1993 - GadgetGadget: Invention, Travel, & AdventureGadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure is a videogame or interactive movie, first released by Synergy Interactive in 1993. Gadget resembles a point-and-click adventure game similar to Myst, but with a strictly linear storyline culminating in a fixed finale. Thus it tends to be classified more as...
(PC) (director) - 1995 - Zeddas Servant of Sheol (PC) (director)
- 1997 - GADGET Past as Future (director) - An enhanced remake of the 1993 Gadget (PC) (director)
- 1997 - Preview & Reprise Haruhiko Shono (PC) - Including preview version of the unreleased Underworld
- 2002 - (PS2, PSP) (CG Supervisor) - Sequel to ChunsoftChunsoftis a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix...
's 1994 Kamaitachi no YoruKamaitachi no Yoruis a sound novel developed and published by Chunsoft. The game was first released on November 25, 1994 for the Super Famicom. It became available on the Virtual Console in February, 2007 for 800 Wii Points... - 2007 - ImabikisōImabikisois a visual novel developed by Chunsoft for the PlayStation 3. It is the first visual novel to be released on a seventh generation console. The game imagery consists mostly of static or animated photographs, though live-action clips scattered throughout....
(PS3, Wii) (art director, CG work)
Books
- 1994 - - A detailed look at the steampunkSteampunkSteampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
-inspired world of GadgetGadget: Invention, Travel, & AdventureGadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure is a videogame or interactive movie, first released by Synergy Interactive in 1993. Gadget resembles a point-and-click adventure game similar to Myst, but with a strictly linear storyline culminating in a fixed finale. Thus it tends to be classified more as...
.
Awards and honors
- 1991 - (for AliceAlice: An Interactive MuseumAlice: Interactive Museum is a 1991 click-and-go adventure game, the elements and idea of which were much inspired by Lewis Carrol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was designed for Windows 3.x and later released for the Windows 95 platform. The game was developed by Toshiba-EMI Ltd and was...
) - 1992 - (for L-Zone)
- 1993 - MITI Multimedia Grand Prix Award (for GadgetGadget: Invention, Travel, & AdventureGadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure is a videogame or interactive movie, first released by Synergy Interactive in 1993. Gadget resembles a point-and-click adventure game similar to Myst, but with a strictly linear storyline culminating in a fixed finale. Thus it tends to be classified more as...
) - 1995 - Named one of the "most influential people to watch in Cyberspace" (NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Magazine)