Oni: Difference between revisions

Work on Oni began in 1997 when Bungie decided to found a second studio, Bungie West. The concept for their first project was devised by Brent Pease and Michael Evans, whose primary influence was the animé film ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]''.<ref>[http://oni.bungie.org/special/part1/brent.html Bungie.org, "Interview with Brent Pease", 1999].</ref> Pease and Evans had been working at Apple on game-related technology, and their first step was to begin work on the engine, gradually hiring employees to produce concept art and author content for the game. The name "Oni" was originally intended only as a code name during development; Pease intended it to be a reference to their inspiration, believing its meaning to be "Ghost".<ref>The meaning of "oni" is usually given by those familiar with Japanese myths as either "demon" or "ogre". Pease explains the origin of the code name [http://oni.bungie.org/special/part1/brent.html here], and seems to still think the word means "ghost"; however, Hardy, his eventual replacement, indicates [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=19851 here] and [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=18292 here] that he understood "oni" to mean "demon" and had re-written the story with that in mind.</ref><ref>At one time during development, the name "Mnemonic Shadow" was considered according to the [https://marathon.bungie.org/story/newjan-feb01.html Marathon Story Page].</ref> The characters of [[Konoko]] and [[Griffin|Commander Griffin]], members of the Technology Crimes Task Force, are analogues to [[wp:Motoko Kusanagi|Motoko Kusanagi]] and [[wp:List of Ghost in the Shell characters#Chief Daisuke Aramaki|Chief Aramaki]] of Section 9 in ''Ghost in the Shell''. Early development presented Konoko as a [[wp:Cyborg|cyborg]], furthering her resemblance to Motoko.

An additional influence came through Oni's concept artist [[Alex Okita]], who was a big fan of ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]'', calling it and ''Ghost in the Shell'' "the two main influences at the time."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170705124855/http://www.glixel.com/interviews/oni-bungies-classic-inspired-by-ghost-in-the-shell-w474297 Glixel, "Flashback: 'Oni', Bungie's Cult Classic Inspired by 'Ghost in the Shell'", Mar. 30, 2017].</ref> He particularly cited Kenichi Sonoda, character designer of ''Bubblegum Crisis'', as an influence on his work.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010118230100/http://www.onicore.com/interviews/alexokita.html OniCore, Interview with Alex Okita, 1999].</ref> Later, [[Lorraine Reyes]] also showed her familiarity with Sonoda and ''Ghost in the Shell'' creator Masamune Shirow in [[:Image:Konoko_Variants.jpg|a sketch]] showing Konoko in three different styles. In August of 1999, Hardy LeBel was brought in as Design Lead, and revamped the story.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010727151534/www.insidemacgames.com/features/00/lebel/ Inside Mac Games, "Interview: Oni's Hardy LeBel", 2000].</ref> He cited ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' as a personal influence when doing so.<ref name=conquer>[https://web.archive.org/web/20041209033107/http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2001/02/oni/ Apple.com, "Conquering Demons: Bungie on Oni", Feb. 2001].</ref><ref>[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=4618 OCF post by Hardy LeBel, "Re: The Analytical reasons behind Oni's influences", Sep. 2, 2000].</ref> The final version of Oni abandons the cyborg nature of the heroine and instead introduces original concepts such as the [[Daodan Chrysalis]] and [[SLD]]s.