My Favourite Game Michelle Zauner

The singer/songwriter known as Japanese Breakfast on making games, soundtracking them, and the divinity of Switch.

Michelle Zauner is a musician who writes and performs under the name Japanese Breakfast. With two albums under her belt, she’s now turning her talents to videogames, producing the soundtrack for forthcoming indie adventure Sable, which was announced on Microsoft’s stage at E3 in June.

How did you first get into videogames?

My dad had a Super Nintendo. It was a thing we did together, playing games in our den. I got really into Secret Of Mana; it’s still one of the only RPGs that’s two player, and it was a big part of my relationship with my dad. It took months. After my dad got off work and I got off school, we’d play it for an hour or two. As I grew older and my dad got busier at work, I eventually graduated to a PlayStation and started playing the Final Fantasy games. I got really into FFVIII when I was in middle school. My cousin in Korea, an older boy, introduced me to the series. I grew up going to Korea every other summer, and it was a big thing to go to arcades with my cousin.

What draws you to RPGs in particular?