Yuji Horii
Encyclopedia
(born January 6, 1954 in Awaji Island
, Japan
) is a Japanese video game designer and scenario writer best known as the creator of the Dragon Quest
series of console role-playing games, as well as the visual novel
adventure game
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
.
is recognized as the first role-playing game to posit the idea of spendable magic points for the resolution of spells and actions. As such, Mr. Horii is acknowledged as the "Father of Mana." Dragon Quest is said to have created the blueprint for Japanese console role-playing games
, after being inspired by Origin System's Ultima franchise. Horii is also credited with creating one of the earliest visual novel
s, Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
, a game that inspired Hideo Kojima
(of Metal Gear
fame) to enter the video game industry.
Horii graduated from Waseda University
's Department of Literature. He also worked as a freelance writer for magazines, newspapers, and comics. He placed in an Enix
-sponsored game programming
contest with Love Match Tennis, a tennis computer game, motivating him to become a video game designer. His works include the Dragon Quest
games, Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
, and the Itadaki Street
series. Horii was also a supervisor of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
game, Chrono Trigger
. Chrono Trigger had multiple game endings and Horii appeared in one of the endings with the game development staff.
Horii currently heads his own production company, Armor Project, a company that has an exclusive production contract with Square Enix
, a contract established with Enix before the company merged with Square
. He is currently working on Dragon Quest X
for the Wii
. He is on the selection committee for the annual Super Dash Novel Rookie of the Year Award
.
for his work on the Dragon Quest franchise.
Awaji Island
is an island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea between the islands of Honshū and Shikoku. The island has an area of 592.17 km²...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) is a Japanese video game designer and scenario writer best known as the creator of the Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
series of console role-playing games, as well as the 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...
adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
, is an adventure game designed by Yuji Horii and published by Enix . It was first released on the NEC PC-6001 in June 1983, and later ported to other personal computers...
.
History
Dragon QuestDragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
is recognized as the first role-playing game to posit the idea of spendable magic points for the resolution of spells and actions. As such, Mr. Horii is acknowledged as the "Father of Mana." Dragon Quest is said to have created the blueprint for Japanese console role-playing games
History of Eastern role-playing video games
Eastern role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in East Asia, specifically Japan, and, to a lesser extent, South Korea and China...
, after being inspired by Origin System's Ultima franchise. Horii is also credited with creating one of the earliest 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...
s, Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
, is an adventure game designed by Yuji Horii and published by Enix . It was first released on the NEC PC-6001 in June 1983, and later ported to other personal computers...
, a game that inspired Hideo Kojima
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese game director originally employed at Konami. He is currently the director of Kojima Productions and was promoted to Vice President of Konami Digital Entertainment in early 2011...
(of Metal Gear
Metal Gear
Metal Gear is a series of video games.Metal Gear may also refer to:*Metal Gear , bipedal tanks appearing in the Metal Gear series-Metal Gear video game series:...
fame) to enter the video game industry.
Horii graduated from Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
's Department of Literature. He also worked as a freelance writer for magazines, newspapers, and comics. He placed in an Enix
Enix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
-sponsored game programming
Game programming
Game programming, a subset of game development, is the programming of computer, console or arcade games. Though often engaged in by professional game programmers, many novices may program games as a hobby...
contest with Love Match Tennis, a tennis computer game, motivating him to become a video game designer. His works include the Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
games, Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
, is an adventure game designed by Yuji Horii and published by Enix . It was first released on the NEC PC-6001 in June 1983, and later ported to other personal computers...
, and the Itadaki Street
Itadaki Street
is a computer board game series originally created by Dragon Quest designer Yuji Horii. The first game was released in Japan on Nintendo's Famicom in 1991. Since then, sequels have been released for the Super Famicom and Sony's PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Playstation Portable and Nintendo DS...
series. Horii was also a supervisor of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
game, Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
. Chrono Trigger had multiple game endings and Horii appeared in one of the endings with the game development staff.
Horii currently heads his own production company, Armor Project, a company that has an exclusive production contract with Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
, a contract established with Enix before the company merged with Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
. He is currently working on Dragon Quest X
Dragon Quest X
is an upcoming MMORPG developed and published by Square Enix for the Wii and Wii U video game consoles. It is the tenth installment in the acclaimed Dragon Quest series...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. He is on the selection committee for the annual Super Dash Novel Rookie of the Year Award
Super Dash Novel Rookie of the Year Award
The is an annual award given by Shueisha's Super Dash Bunko imprint for the best new light novel of the year. The award was first presented in 2001. Submissions are accepted until October 25 each year, and announced on April 25 of the following year....
.
Published works
| Title | Year of release | Primary platform | Scenario writer Scenario A scenario is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the Commedia dell'arte it was an outline of entrances, exits, and action describing the plot of a play that was literally pinned to the back of the scenery... | Game design Game design Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as... | Producer Game producer A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982... | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Match Tennis | 1983 | NEC PC-6001 NEC PC-6001 The NEC PC-6001 was the first of the NEC Corporation personal computer line. There were several versions of the PC-6001, including the PC-6001 MK2, the PC-6001 MK2 SR, and the PC-6801. There was also an American version, called the NEC TREK, or NEC PC-6001A... |
- | - | - | Developer |
| Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken , is an adventure game designed by Yuji Horii and published by Enix . It was first released on the NEC PC-6001 in June 1983, and later ported to other personal computers... |
1983 | NEC PC-6001 NEC PC-6001 The NEC PC-6001 was the first of the NEC Corporation personal computer line. There were several versions of the PC-6001, including the PC-6001 MK2, the PC-6001 MK2 SR, and the PC-6801. There was also an American version, called the NEC TREK, or NEC PC-6001A... |
- | - | - | Developer |
| Karuizawa Yūkai Annai | 1985 | NEC PC-8801 NEC PC-8801 The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88".... |
- | - | - | |
| Dragon Warrior Dragon Warrior Dragon Warrior, known as in Japan, is the first role-playing video game in the Dragon Quest media franchise. It was developed by Chunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System and published by Enix in Japan in 1986... |
1986 | NES Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987... |
- | - | - | |
| Dragon Warrior II Dragon Warrior II Dragon Warrior II, known as in Japan, is a console role-playing game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix in 1987 for the MSX and Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Dragon Quest series .The game's story centers on the prince on Midenhall who is ordered to stop an evil... |
1987 | NES | - | - | - | |
| Dragon Warrior III Dragon Warrior III Dragon Warrior III, known in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix . It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series , first released for the Famicom in Japan, and then the NES in North America... |
1988 | NES | - | - | - | |
| Dragon Warrior IV | 1990 | NES | - | - | - | |
| Itadaki Street | 1991 | NES | - | - | - | |
| Dragon Quest V | 1992 | Super NES Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
- | - | ||
| Itadaki Street 2 | 1994 | Super NES | - | - | - | |
| Dragon Quest VI | 1995 | Super NES | - | - | ||
| Chrono Trigger Chrono Trigger is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a... |
1995 | Super NES | - | - | Supervisor | |
| Dragon Warrior Monsters | 1998 | Game Boy Color Game Boy Color The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than... |
- | Executive director | ||
| Itadaki Street: Gorgeous King | 1998 | PlayStation PlayStation The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000... |
- | - | - | |
| Torneko: The Last Hope Torneko: The Last Hope Torneko: The Last Hope, known as in Japan, is a console role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation.The game was co-developed by Chunsoft and Matrix Software and published by Enix in both Japan and North America in 1999 and 2000 respectively.... |
1999 | PlayStation | - | - | - | |
| Dragon Warrior VII Dragon Warrior VII Dragon Warrior VII, known in Japan as is a Japanese console role-playing game developed by Heartbeat and ArtePiazza, and published by Enix for the PlayStation in... |
2000 | PlayStation | - | - | Scenario director | |
| Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 Dragon Warrior Monsters 2, known in Japan as , is a video game published by Enix for the Game Boy Color. It is the second Dragon Warrior Monsters game for the Game Boy Color and features two different versions of the same game, Cobi's Journey and Tara's Adventure Dragon Warrior Monsters 2, known... |
2001 | Game Boy Color | - | Executive director | ||
| Itadaki Street 3 | 2002 | PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... |
- | - | - | |
| Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart is the third game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series, released only in Japan by Enix for the Game Boy Advance. The game was simultaneously announced with Dragon Quest VIII in Famitsu in 2002... |
2003 | Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
- | Executive director | ||
| Dragon Quest VIII | 2004 | PlayStation 2 | - | - | ||
| Itadaki Street Special | 2004 | PlayStation 2 | - | - | - | |
| Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is an action-adventure video game developed by TOSE and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It is the sequel to Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest: Shōgeki no Shippo Dan for the Game Boy Advance. It was first released in Japan, and later in North America... |
2005 | Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... |
- | - | - | Executive producer |
| Itadaki Street Portable | 2006 | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
- | - | - | |
| Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker is a Nintendo DS role-playing game published by Square Enix, and the fourth installment of the Dragon Quest Monsters series. Square Enix released the game on December 28, 2006 in Japan and in North America on November 6, 2007.... |
2006 | Nintendo DS | - | - | ||
| Itadaki Street DS | 2006 | Nintendo DS | - | - | - | |
| Dragon Quest Swords Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is a first-person adventure game by Square Enix exclusive to Nintendo's Wii game console. The game is a spin-off from the Dragon Quest series.-Battle system:... |
2007 | Wii Wii The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others... |
- | - | - | |
| Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies | 2009 | Nintendo DS | - | - | ||
| Itadaki Street Mobile | 2010 | Mobile phone Mobile game A mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet computer or portable media player. This does not include games played on handheld video game systems such as Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable.... |
- | - | - | |
| Fortune Street | 2011 | Wii | - | - | - | |
| Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest 3: Taikaizoku to Shippo Dan | 2011 | Nintendo 3DS Nintendo 3DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software... |
- | - | - | Executive producer |
| Dragon Quest X: Mezame Shi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online | 2012 | Wii, Wii U | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Awards
In 2009, Horii received a special award at Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association Developers ConferenceComputer Entertainment Supplier's Association
Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association is a Japanese organization that was established in 1996 to "promote the computer entertainment industry [...] with the aim of contributing to the strengthening of Japanese industry as well as to the further enrichment of people's lifestyles." It...
for his work on the Dragon Quest franchise.