Sasaki, Producer of Faaast Penguin & Founder of historia Inc. — Interview Series

LIVE A LIVE creator historia Inc is sharpening a fresh set of tools to carve into a new type of glacier—a glacier that, from the looks of it, sports all of the same hallmark qualities of the beloved slip-and-slide zone that originally featured in Super Mario 64, of all things. Not ringing any bells? Well, to put you in the picture, we’re talking about the studio’s latest creation, Faaast Penguin—an oddly chaotic Total Wipeout-like racing game in which players will be granted access to a plethora of icy trails, boosters, and, if you can believe it, penguins.

To learn a bit more about the penguin-centric racer, I decided to reach out to historia Inc founder and Faaast Penguin producer, Sasaki.

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us! Firstly, do you mind if we ask you a bit about your background? How did it all start for you, and what brought you to the world of game development?

Sasaki: I’m Sasaki, the Producer of Faaast Penguin. I’ve loved games since childhood, and after graduating from high school, I attended a game-focused vocational school, which led me straight into the game industry. For the past 20 years, I’ve been continuously creating games, primarily for consoles like PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. I’ve worked as a game designer and engineer before founding historia on my own in 2013. Today, the studio has grown to around 115 people. Before going independent, I worked on many music games, including The Black Eyed Peas Experience. As for historia’s notable works, they include LIVE A LIVE and The Caligula Effect 2.

It’s official: the glacier has been cleared, and Faaast Penguin has been revealed — and we’re curious to know more about it! Tell us, what’s the deal here, and above all, why penguins?

Sasaki: From the initial concept of a racing game where players slide down a course in large numbers, the motif was penguins. (There may have been some inspiration from the penguin race in SuperMario 64.) We had many discussions during development about whether penguins were the right choice, but we really liked the penguin characters and felt they represented the sliding-down racing game concept well, so we went with penguins.

Could you tell us a bit more about the tracks that’ll be coming to the game? Are we right in thinking that there’ll be sixteen courses in total at launch?

Sasaki: Yes, at launch there will be a total of 16 courses, with 4 courses per world. The worlds are themed around Hawaii, the Sky, Palau, and Egypt. More worlds are planned to be added through updates after the release.

Faaast Penguin has a myriad of unlockable cosmetics and in-game perks, too. Care to share a few more details on what players will be able to earn by competing with others?

Sasaki: The types of items that players can earn include colors and costumes for their penguins, rides, Ultimate Rides, trails, emotes, effect consumables, and nameplates. Costumes and rides provide experience points as you use them in races. As you level up, you can unlock additional items associated with these costumes and rides.

【Important announcement 🐧】
historia's first major publishing title "Faaast Penguin" will be released in September!

It is a survival action racing game for up to 40 players with free basic play and PC console cross-play support!

▼Please follow our official account!▼ https://t.co/wQI3UIh47z

— historia Inc. (@historia_eng) August 21, 2024

With the Open Beta currently available, it seems only right that we ask, what’s next for the game? Are there any keystone dates that we should be taking note of ahead of the next quarter?

Sasaki: We plan to release the game in September, although some platforms may be slightly delayed. We apologize for this. Since we aimed for a simultaneous release, we expect to deliver it to you soon.

At launch, we will have only addressed a portion of the feedback from the Open Beta Test, so we plan to release updates as soon as possible to improve playability. Additionally, we aim to update the game approximately every two months, so there should be at least one important date to look forward to before the end of the year.

Let’s talk tips and tricks. Do you have any words of advice for those who are looking to learn the ropes of the penguin-centric slip-and-slide?

Sasaki: The most important action in Faaast Penguin is the attack. By attacking other penguins and the pink seals, you can fly forward significantly and access shortcut courses. Even from the last position, you can quickly climb to the top by executing a combo of attacks.

With the arrival of Faaast Penguin swiftly approaching, we’d love to be able to stay in the loop ahead of its global debut. With that said, could you tell us where the best place is to find all the latest updates on the game?

Sasaki: The official X and the official Discord are the best places for the latest updates. Please check them out!

Is there anything you would like to add for our readers?

Sasaki: We designed the game with a resort theme to be easy to play and provide instant thrills. When you pull off consecutive attacks, you’ll experience a fresh and exciting sensation. We hope you give it a try!

Thanks for your time, and good luck with the Open Beta!

For more information on the upcoming launch of Faaast Penguin, you can visit the official social handle here. Alternatively, you can also check in with historia Inc. for additional updates and pre-launch coverage here.