Another case of AI-generated games! Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has unveiled a new mystery game called Interrogation Room Komiya, revealing that the entire production took only about 30 minutes. The 72-year-old Horii recalled that when he made the 1983 title The Portopia Serial Murder Case, he had to handle the story, graphics, and programming himself. Now, with just AI prompts, even those who aren’t good at drawing or coding can independently create a respectable game. He’s quite amazed by how far the technology has come, and this work has once again drawn attention to just how low AI can lower the barriers to game development.
Players Take on the Role of Police, Interrogating Suspects Through Dialogue!
Interrogation Room Komiya is a text-based puzzle game playable in a browser where players take on the role of police interrogating a suspect named Komiya, accused of robbing a pawnshop safe. The core gameplay involves choosing different dialogue and questions, finding contradictions in the suspect’s responses, and using evidence to gradually tear down their lies. Players don’t just passively read through the story — they also need to pay attention to the suspect’s reactions and changes during the interrogation process to effectively advance the investigation. While this work is clearly still a far cry from a full commercial game, it demonstrates a possibility: games that once required programming, art, and scriptwriting skills can now be quickly produced as playable prototypes by individuals using generative AI.
Will AI Become a New Game Development Tool?
This isn’t the first time Yuji Horii has expressed enthusiasm for AI. He’s previously discussed wanting to add AI chat functionality to mystery or quiz games in the future, allowing players to naturally converse with characters to find clues instead of just following fixed options to advance the story. On the other hand, his enthusiasm for AI has sparked debate, especially since generative AI still faces many controversies regarding content quality, originality, and its impact on development work. Players also worry whether this rapid generation approach might affect the making of Dragon Quest XII in the future.
The game is still highly anticipated, but Horii’s 30-minute demo doesn’t mean large commercial games can be completed in the same timeframe. AI may allow more people to cross the threshold into game creation, but whether it can truly produce memorable works still depends on how creators use this tool.