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Toho’s Godzilla franchise is bigger and better than ever. Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla x Kong have stomped the iconic Japanese kaiju franchise back into the modern lens, the current Godzilla comics have been fantastic, and the King of Monsters has even been the major draw of an awesome Fortnite event. But what about games focused just on the Big G?
Released in 2023, and just released on Nintendo Switch, Godzilla Voxel Wars is the most recent standalone Godzilla game. Inspired by Into the Breach, the voxel-based puzzle game was mostly made by a single, indie developer, but how does it feel when one guy has access to one of the most important franchises in history?
Godzilla Voxel Wars developer was new to the franchise
In an interview with VideoGamer, Voxel Wars director Ken “Waken” Watanabe explained that he only became a fan of Godzilla with the release of Hideaki Anno’s Shin-Godzilla, a bold new take on the franchise.
“To be honest, before making this game, I had barely seen any Godzilla media,” Watanabe told us. “However, while developing this game, I watched almost all the Godzilla movies and anime.”
After catching up with as much media as possible, Watanabe, found himself falling in love with the original 1954 Gojira movie. Inspired by the low-tech nature of the film, the developer was inspired to create his own take on the franchise, emboldened by the success of indie games like Into the Breach.
“I’m not the type of person who becomes a fan of anything, not just Godzilla, so I didn’t really understand the mindset of passionate fans.”
GODZILLA VOXEL WARS DIRECTOR KEN WATANABE
“After watching almost all the Godzilla works, the one that left the biggest impression on me was the original Godzilla,” the developer said. I was amazed that, despite being in black and white and from an era with limited technology, it could create such impactful visuals.
“I happened to be playing Into the Breach at the time, and I had many ideas about how I would design a game like that if I were to make one myself. Then, I got the opportunity to create a Godzilla game, and I was struck by the inspiration that combining my idea with the Godzilla IP could be a perfect match.”
Developing through anxiety
Working on such an iconic franchise with an often-rabid fanbase, Watanabe explained that he had never become a die-hard fan of anything, at least to the degree that people are online. With so much vitriol around major franchises—not just Godzilla, but also Star Wars, Pokemon and more—creating a game in the franchise was incredibly stressful.
“I had a lot of anxiety,” they said. “I’m not the type of person who becomes a fan of anything, not just Godzilla, so I didn’t really understand the mindset of passionate fans. Because of that, during development, I constantly checked with my friends and the Godzilla fans among our publishers to make sure we weren’t betraying fan expectations.
“Being an indie developer working on such a massive IP like Godzilla felt surreal. How would players perceive it? Would they see it as an indie game? Would Godzilla fans accept it? I had a lot of worries.”
On release, Watanabe’s concerns were met—there was pushback from fans who were upset that there wasn’t a new AAA Godzilla game, but instead a small, indie game. However, the game also found a small, appreciative fanbase that simply adored the small-scale, puzzle gameplay.
“At the same time, many Godzilla fans said, ‘This wasn’t what we expected, but it’s incredibly fun! You should definitely play it!’ I also received reviews saying, ‘This game is underrated!’ and ‘This game is filled with love for Godzilla!’ That made me feel that creating it was truly worthwhile.”
Godzilla Voxel Wars is available right now on PC and Nintendo Switch.
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