Chapter 31: Sponsorship Game
A grand and impressive title track played as I leisurely enjoyed the game, comparing it with the guidebook given to me by the uncle.
First, this game had something called "levels."
In other words, you couldn't just enter the cave near the village without a care. You had to raise your level by defeating weak monsters around the village.
As you got used to defeating the nearby monsters, you could withstand the cave without dying like you did at the beginning.
With each level increase, your character grew stronger. I quickly immersed myself in the story of the warrior who sought to find the missing children and ascend the tower.
The story of Dragon Warrior 4 was unique for an RPG at the time, featuring an omnibus-style narrative. Chapter 1 was about the warrior Lyan. Chapter 2, the story of a princess dreaming of becoming a fighter in the kingdom of San Maria. Chapter 3 was about the weapon merchant Torneco. Chapter 4, the story of the shrine maiden sisters. Only in the final chapter, Chapter 5, did the protagonist make an appearance.
In the early part of Chapter 5, the protagonist's girlfriend transformed into the appearance of a warrior using magic to save him, and I cried alone in my room.
After that, sometimes while playing the game, I visited the ruined village where the protagonist used to live. I wondered what conversations the hero and his companions might have had in the ruined space.
In the era of crude graphics, it was fun to cover up with your imagination.
Oh, the story got off track for a moment...
Anyway, back in those days when I was a Japanese illiterate, everyone called the protagonist "Aaaaa" because the first letter of his name was 'A'.
Since I couldn't read any of the text anyway, what did it matter what his name was? However, at that moment, the door to the development room opened, and a man in his early thirties entered.
"Oh, hello there!"
"Ah, Toriyama-sensei! You've come."
"I heard they're reviewing Dragon Warrior 2 here, so I decided to drop by."
Huh!? The author of Dragon Ball, Toriyama-san, has come? I quickly placed the controller on the table and stood up.
Toriyama-san, meeting my eyes, immediately recognized that I was a former Nintendo employee and offered a handshake.
"Ah, you're the employee from Nintendo. What's your name?"
"I'm Kang Junhyuk. I'm responsible for the new console department at Nintendo."
"You look quite young to be managing a department. Impressive."
"I'm enjoying your Dragon Ball. Actually, I like Slam Dunk even more, but there's no need to mention that. In 1986, Toriyama-san was already over thirty."
After that, he became the illustrator for all the Dragon Warrior series and had a deep connection with Phoenix, working as a character designer and eventually overseeing character inspections.
Knowing someone like that wouldn't hurt, right? After shaking hands with Toriyama-san, I went back to the inspection work with the other developers.
In truth, the inspection for Dragon Warrior 2 was a formality because the first installment had already been a big hit.
Nintendo's inspection wasn't about finding every bug in the game but about checking whether the game had a framework suitable for playing.
"You've fixed all the bugs, right?"
In response, the main director, Yuzi-san, nodded at my question.
Since a recall could be a disaster in the case of game-breaking bugs after cartridge production, any company was meticulous about bug checking.
"In the previous game, the hero was alone, but from this installment, you can party play. I thought it would make battles easier, but it seems the enemies have been adjusted, so there's still tension."
"We've added a story for each companion to increase their camaraderie. I think the players will like it."
If you're a game developer, you should always prioritize the players. In that regard, Yuzi-san, the main director of Dragon Warrior, was a thorough planner.
"Even the Famitsu reviews have given it almost a perfect score, so all that's left is for it to be a huge success after release."
"I have some expectations, but can we really recreate the spectacle of The Legend of Karin? I was there at the time, and the players' reactions were incredible. Especially those 500 limited edition gold cartridges are now trading secretly for 20,000 to 30,000 yen. Are you aware of that?"
"Some unscrupulous store owners probably didn't sell the items on time and set them aside separately. In such cases, we immediately cut off deliveries when they are caught. We cannot tolerate any action that deceives the players."
Toriyama-san and Gunpei-san nodded in agreement with my words. After about two hours of system inspection, as I got up from my seat, Gunpei-san asked me with eager eyes.
"May I ask for your impressions, Mr. Junhyuk, who came to inspect personally?"
This guy didn't seem to have much expectation earlier, but now, after the inspection is over, he's looking at me with those eyes. What's up with that? I hesitated for a moment.
"Well... Can I be honest?"
"Oh, yes, of course."
"To be honest, I don't see anything particularly exciting compared to the previous installment."
"What?"
"Well, of course, the companion system is nice, and the fact that you can sail on a ship is new, but considering the one-year preparation, the result doesn't seem that rich."
"Oh, I see."
"Could it be that in the third installment, the descendants of the two main characters won't appear either? The main story of Dragon Warrior is all about the story of a hero defeating the Demon Lord, so as the series continues, it may lose its appeal. Just as a gamer who enjoys Dragon Warrior, I'd like to make a suggestion... Hmm, it would be interesting to have the story progression in an omnibus format."
"Omnibus format...?"
"For example, the story of the highly anticipated third installment is actually a much older story than the first, like the origin of the hero's legend."
"Oh! That's a good idea! A similar world, but after the last ending, it continues with the story from the first one! Brilliant! I love it! You have a unique sense, as Shige-san mentioned. It's very inspiring."
Wait, Shige and Gunpei-san knew each other... In fact, the initial idea for this field inspection was also Shige-san's suggestion. They all had busy schedules, and when I said I would go, they all made strange expressions, but this was the meaning behind it...
On the Shinkansen ride back to Kyoto, I took advantage of the man sleeping next to me and opened the game & watch to check the sponsored game. As I pressed the play button, various messages began to appear.
- A relationship has been established with Toriyama-san. -
- A relationship has been established with Gunpei-san. -
- Gunpei-san's liking has increased by 3 points. When you reach 10 points, your relationship will rank up. -
Is this a dating game?!
Just thinking about your liking going up made my skin crawl. Trembling from the sudden cold, I looked at the people I had met up until now one by one.
Sure enough, among the acquaintances, the relationships with Gunpei-san and Shige-san were the highest.
"Darn it, they're all men..."
Well, how many female producers would there be in the 1980s? While sighing, I turned the page and stopped at President Kamawuchi's face, which was different from others because it had a speech bubble next to it.
"It's like looking at KakaoTalk's status messages in 2015..."
I chuckled and clicked on President Kamawuchi's speech bubble.
- Kang Junhyuk is talented but a dangerously unpredictable guy. We must not raise him too much. -
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