THE HISTORY OF: DISASTER REPORT

Sometimes, a single idea can change everything. During the late Nineties, Kazuma Kujo was a key developer behind renowned shoot-’em-ups, having produced In The Hunt, Metal Slug and R-Type Delta. However, as with many creative individuals, he soon developed the urge to try something a little different, and this would set him on a path that would shape his career for decades to come. “Around 1999, I had a strong urge to ‘make a game that was unlike anything else’. At the time, novels and films often had themes of surviving through a disaster, but I realized not many games dealt with those themes,” says Kujo, who was then a producer at Irem. “The PlayStation 2 was about to come out, and I thought that this would be a good time to try creating a game that dealt with disasters.” This was the origin of Zettai Zetsumei Toshi – released in North America as Disaster Report and in PAL regions as SOS: The Final Escape. The game cast players as rookie newspaper reporter Keith Helm, arriving for his first day of work on Stiver Island only to be caught up in an earthquake.

Kujo was able to draw on real-world experience, which is what led him to choose earthquakes as the primary obstacle to contend with. “Living in Japan, we often deal with earthquakes, typhoons, volcanic activity and other natural disasters, but even amongst all those, earthquakes are by far the most feared,” he explains. “Thanks to climate satellites, we can now forecast typhoons. For volcanic activity, you can remove yourself from the areas that will be affected and limit your chances of being involved in something. However,