I read The Strange Works of Taro Yoko, and it was amazing

Written by the esteemed game journalist Nicolas Turcev, The Strange Works of Taro Yoko attempts to be the perfect companion book for any Nier enthusiast. It sheds light on the entire journey of development starting from the first Drakengard until the worldwide successful Nier Automata, in addition to providing a complete chronological timeline to all events in both the Drakengard & Nier series.

That doesn’t mean that is book is only intended for fans or players who have enjoyed the games referenced in the book. Taro Yoko himself is a very enigmatic person who has a unique perspective on gaming and life. I am really fascinated by how he thinks and I took out some excerpts of what I think are the most important things to learn from him. However, all of the book was a wild ride that was worth the money and time.

Strange Works of Taro Yoko is now available in Paperback and Kindle on Amazon.

The Vision

First of all, I was very enamored with Taro Yoko’s continuous vehement effort to create something different. Despite appearing as a person who says or does whatever he wants, he is very aware of the world around him, particularly the political world and the effects of terrorism on the human psyche. He is always arguing about what justification methods do we implement to allow ourselves to feel good about the things we do, even if they sometimes happen unconsciously.

The justifications of killing, a prime conflict in all his written narratives are inspired from the events of September 11, or rather from its direct consequence: the war on terrorism. The pre production script was also about a group of antagonists in a fairy tale world, who realize that their destiny was to be eternally punished, so the antagonist was a scientist was to revive them and relieve them from this torment.

This might have been the primary inspiration as well for the android game Twisted Wonderland, considering that according to the author, the attention to classic fairy tails was primarily inspired from the Kingdom Hearts series. The goal in the end was the broaden our perspective through unique approaches to things that we think are predetermined, and inner conflicts that always stay hidden and distorted under the accepted norms of history, culture and society.

The Universe

The author of Strange Works made a wonderful comparison that I think makes a clear distinction between Taro Yoko’s works from the rest. Despite the small number of the Nier and Drakengard entries, the story timeline they represent encompasses more than ten thousand years of history, but on the other hand, they don’t share the depth and consistency of global works like the ones created by J.R.R Tolkien or Frank Herbert.

This is owing to - that the author argues - Taro’s fascination with humans above all else, and the lengths he goes to to explore their contradiction. Yoko Taro has little concerns about what unfolds in the background, and doesn’t build a new structure from scratch. He prefers instead of dip into what already existed, weather its medieval fantasy literature, science fiction, philosophy or psychology, and even Japanese otaku culture.

That’s what I mostly feel when playing any Yoko Taro game, and even the newly released House of Cards has contained some of the same vibes. I am discovering more about myself, or the things I didn’t know I had in me, rather than trying to get acquainted with what is the author is trying to build or say. It’s very refreshing and mind provoking to get into Yoko Taro’s mind, simply because he is always talking to me, and all the things I need to know, are already within me, and not locked away any outside resource.

The Sincerity

“I am convinced that video games have the power to influence the real world” that’s what Taro Yoko said before, and is something I agree with as well. He distinguishes himself as a developer and as a person by emphasizing the pride and sincerity of this statement. He exposes players to topics that may considered taboos, and make declarations that other developers might refrain from for any reasons.

He is always making creative choice and mechanical choices that might seem annoying or even anger some players, such as the need to repeat the game a number of times. Taro also said he is not very good at writing lies. If he is going to write about a loving relationship, he is going to portray every aspect of it, about the rise and decay of love. This dichotomy of ideals is portrayed perfectly into all his characters and their respective story conclusions.

This is just a tuft of what Strange works has to offer for fans of the developer and his magnificent creations. It contains a lot more than what I just described on the vision and mission of each game, how the music speaks into the subconscious of the players, and an appendix of glossary points on all the sources and cultural cross-references that were used to make one of the most sophisticated inside looks in gaming, and for some, it might be a life changing experience.