Chapter 151: The Beginning
January 1, 1992.
While the first day of the new year in Japan usually involves paying respects at nearby shrines, for gamers, January 1, 1992, was the long-awaited day for the release of the Dragon Emblem 2 trial version.
Moreover, it was just yesterday, December 31st.
The Psychic Force exclusive arcade center, which held the country's first open event, was bustling with people from the early morning. The place, filled only with Psychic Force boards as per the "exclusive" tag, quenched the thirst of gamers who had been eagerly waiting.
Junpei, somewhat recognized in the gaming magazine circuit, had shared his heartfelt story of losing to a boss right at the start of the game in a review column, earning an incredibly positive response from gamers.
"Who knew Junpei had such writing skills…"
Reading his article, a pang of empathy washed over me due to the poignant expression in his words.
"Even after asking him to see the world a bit, he ended up fixating on diorama figures…"
In a way, it's karma. That sneaky guy. He dared to secretly collaborate with Yuki, making a public pose of me. What a letdown.
After parking my car in the building's underground lot, I ascended the stairs as usual, carrying my briefcase. While I usually brought a cigarette to light up before visiting the store, I dropped the one in my mouth as I witnessed the scene unfolding before my eyes.
"Wow… Were there this many people waiting for Dragon Emblem 2?"
Even though it was merely the trial distribution day, the download queue circled the building and stretched beyond the square in front of the subway station.
But there was a slight difference in the scene compared to before—everyone held a Laon in hand, enjoying communication battles using data cables.
Some were engrossed in Street Fighter 2... while others delved into Slam Dunk...
Customers who came alone were enjoying Final Frontier or Dragon Emblem with earphones plugged in.
Thanks to this, the waiting time became enjoyable as everyone remained in line, having a blast playing games.
"Director!? Already here?"
Turning to the voice calling me, I saw Miyazaki-san, who had just been promoted to TamaGo Shop branch manager, waving at me.
Despite her young age, having repeatedly been voted as 'Employee of the Month' by our store's customers, no one objected to her promotion to branch manager.
"Hello, Miyazaki-san. Congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you. It's all thanks to you seeing something good in me, Director."
"What did I do? It's the users who chose you, Miyazaki-san."
At that, she blushed and avoided my gaze.
"Anyway, it seems like it'll be quite busy today, right? Did you review the router instructions for data downloads?"
"Of course. After closing last night, the Pentagon staff upgraded the router, and I was the first to receive it."
Miyazaki-san took out a flash memory cartridge from her uniform pocket and showed it to me.
At that moment, murmurs arose from the people waiting.
"Looks like that female staff member there already downloaded the trial version?"
"Yeah, she must be from Pentagon. I'm jealous…"
Feeling embarrassed by the people's voices, she stuck out her tongue and quickly disappeared into the staff room.
A while later, after the final checks on the data routers in a corner of TamaGo Shop were completed and the bell signaling the store's opening rang, people rushed in without a moment to spare, leaving no room for greetings.
"Customers, please form a single file line in front of each router."
Experienced staff skillfully navigated between customers, rearranging the lines efficiently.
Though there was some commotion among the customers, the trial version of Dragon Emblem 2 began smoothly distributing with the help of the staff.
Employees stationed near the data routers assisted customers by copying the Dragon Emblem 2 trial onto flash memory cartridges handed to them.
Then, as the grand theme song of Dragon Emblem filled the event hall, sighs of excitement echoed from those waiting for the download.
"Wow, just hearing the title track makes my heart race."
"Yeah, wonder what kind of ruthless story they'll present this time…"
Watching the conversation between two men standing in line, I felt a bit uncomfortable and stepped back, maintaining some distance from them.
The download time for each person for the Dragon Emblem trial was approximately three to four minutes.
Users who received the trial were gathered around tables set up in the shop, engrossed in experiencing the trial.
Soon, however, people began to tilt their heads in confusion.
"What's this? What happened to it?"
"It feels like the genre changed?"
Users showed puzzled reactions to the character creation screen that prominently appeared on the screen.
Amidst this confusion, a few experienced players quickly finished character creation and started playing the main game.
"Doesn't this interface look like a raising simulation?"
"Huh!? Really?"
Then, some questions poured from the waiting line.
"A raising sim!? Seriously?"
"Did the genre change? Is it like Princess Maker?"
At that time, the concept of a raising simulation wasn't unfamiliar to gamers. Last autumn, a place called 'Cynx' had birthed a new genre with a work named 'Princess Maker.'
Of course, before that, there were games similar to Princess Maker in terms of character raising, but Cynx's Princess Maker laid the foundation for the genre, making it a significant work in the realm of raising simulations.
Here's the chapter you provided, revised in a light novel style:
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< EP. 26 : ??(胎動) (1) >
January 1st, 1992.
While New Year's Day for most people in Japan involves visiting nearby shrines to pay respects, for gamers, January 1st, 1992 was the day they had eagerly awaited for the Dragon Emblem 2 demo release.
And it was just yesterday, December 31st.
The Psych Battle-exclusive arcade center, which held the first-ever open event, was bustling with people from the early hours.
Filled only with Psych Battle consoles, the place quenched the thirst of gamers who had long awaited this moment.
Junpei, somewhat known in the gaming magazine world, narrated his near-death experience against a boss at the game's beginning for a review column. It received a fantastic response from gamers.
"Junpei's got skills with words I never knew he had..."
Reading his piece, I felt a pang of sadness in the expressive sentences, laden with regret.
"Even though I told him to focus on society, he's gone blind with diorama figures..."
It's almost like karma. That mischievous guy. Daringly, he secretly collaborated with Yuki to weave a story, pushing me into the limelight as a public pro-gamer. Total betrayal.
Parking my car in the underground lot, I grabbed my bag as always and ascended the stairs. About to light a cigarette before visiting the store, I dropped it to the ground at the sight before me.
"Wow... so many people were waiting for Dragon Emblem 2?"
Despite it being just a demo release, the download queue circled the building and extended beyond the station plaza.
Yet, something different from before was the sight of everyone holding a Laon in hand, enjoying data battles using communication cables.
Some played Street Fire 2, while others immersed themselves in Slam Dunk...
A lone customer plugged in earphones to enjoy Final Frontier or Dragon Emblem.
Thanks to this, the waiting time was enjoyable; everyone stayed in line and had a blast with the games.
"Manager?! You're here already?"
Turning at the voice calling me, I saw Miyazaki, newly promoted as the TamaGo Shop branch manager, waving at me.
Though young, she repeatedly clinched the top spot as 'Employee of the Month' in our customer polls, so there were no objections to her promotion.
"Hello, Miyazaki. Congratulations on your promotion!"
"Thank you. It's all thanks to you, Manager."
"What did I do? The users chose you just as much."
She blushed, turning away from my gaze.
"Anyway, it seems like it'll be really busy today, huh? Did you learn how to use the router for data downloads?"
"Of course! Last night, right after closing, the Pentagon staff upgraded the router, and I got the first spot!"
Miyazaki pulled out a flash memory cartridge from her uniform pocket and showed it to me.
At that moment, whispers among the waiting crowd reached our ears.
"That female employee over there seems to have already downloaded the demo?"
"Looks like she's from the Pentagon? I'm jealous..."
Feeling embarrassed by the whispers, she flashed a smile and swiftly disappeared into the staff room.
Soon after, as the inspection of the data router, set up in a corner of the TamaGo Shop, finished, the bell rang, announcing the shop's opening. The shutter rose, and people flooded in before I could even greet them.
"Customers, please form a line in front of each data router."
Experienced staff swiftly navigated through the crowd, rearranging the lines.
There was some commotion among the customers, but with the help of the staff, the distribution of Dragon Emblem 2's demo began smoothly.
Employees stationed near the data routers assisted customers by copying the demo onto flash memory cartridges they handed over.
Then, as the majestic theme of Dragon Emblem filled the venue, sighs of awe escaped the lips of those waiting for the download.
"Wow, just hearing the title theme gets my heart racing."
"I wonder what kind of ruthless story they'll show this time..."
Among the customers in line, a few who were more familiar with the game quickly finished character creation and jumped into the main game.
"This interface feels like a nurturing simulation, doesn't it?"
"Huh?! Really?"
Amidst the line of those waiting for the download, some questions were thrown at them.
"A nurturing sim?! Is that true?"
"Did the genre change? If it's a nurturing simulation, is it like Princess Maker?"
Nurturing simulations weren't unfamiliar to gamers of this time.
Last autumn, a place called 'Kainax' introduced a new genre called 'Princess Maker' with a work titled 'Creating Princesses'. Although similar character nurturing games existed before, Kainax's Princess Maker laid the foundation for the nurturing simulation genre in a significant way.
However, the abrupt change in genre, from a highly difficult strategy RPG like Dragon Emblem to a nurturing simulation, was related to the defeat showcased at last year's Pentagon-hosted production unveiling: the fall of King Croel.
The era of Dragon Emblem 2, Part II, where the fallen king and resurrected demon lord once again dominated the human world, set a very gloomy tone right from the prologue.
When the game started, players could allocate initial stats within the defined parameters, starting from gender to age, profession, and specialties.
It was akin to the foundational TRPG, Dungeon & Dragon.
Once character creation ended, users experienced another shock in a simple prologue.
Because they were thrown into a world where 'King Croel' had been defeated and it was already a 200-year era.
Users who had burned with revenge after the defeat of the previous protagonist rushed in again, shouting for the downfall of the demon lord. But the situation given to them was more serious than they had imagined.
In such a scenario, the player's story began in a small rural village.
If one chose the warrior or mage profession, they joined a mercenary group protecting the village from monsters...
Choosing a priest meant caring for the sick or concocting potions as a pharmacist...
Opting for a bard meant bringing comfort and stability to the townspeople as a musician...
With each profession chosen, players could become one of the village's
members and raise their character accordingly.
The gamers of this era had a fascinating point.
Even without tutorials at the start, they managed to grasp the game's system as they played, unlike in the future. That's the persistence of old gamers.
Gamers enjoying games in this era were eventually dubbed the 'Old Gamers.' Even in the midst of increasingly complex gameplay, skipping tutorials was a habit that remained consistent into the distant future.
"'Hase-knight... I thought I could easily defeat the boss just by throwing fire bombs, but I died like five times just swinging my sword... Did the Old Gamers really save game items? They won't carry anything useful when they die. They keep saying they'll use them in an emergency, but how many times have they ended up finishing the game without using any?'"
Taking a sip of my coffee, I swallowed a chuckle, watching the increasing number of Dragon Emblem 2 players.
"You can only raise one character... What profession should I choose?"
Then, a keen player dropped a peculiar theory.
"Warrior, mage, priest, archer, bard. These are all the initial professions of heroes from the previous game, right? Does that mean we can change classes later?"
"Whoa!! Seriously?"
"Beyond that, there seems to be something connecting this to the previous game..."
"Then I'll go for archer. The Archer-Lord Noctis... I honestly liked Noctis more than Croel."
"Then I'll be a female mage. Can I eventually become a fiery sorceress like Mirea...?"
Those confused by the sudden genre change soon began to indulge in Dragon Emblem 2 with hopeful eyes. Creating a single character at the start was just the tip of the iceberg.
The reason for being unable to create more characters was also one of the systems inherited from the previous game. Had they not noticed that yet...?
At that moment, the first player who had been commissioned to clear monsters outside the village spoke up.
"Huh? This battle system is no joke!"
"What? Why?"
"Timing appears when attacking. If you hit it right, you can chain attacks. And if you time your defense when the enemy attacks, you can block."
"What? Is this an RPG?"
"No, it's definitely a nurturing simulation from the start. But once you take on a task, you can wander outside the village like an RPG?"
"I got an alchemist quest, to gather materials and craft items?"
"Huh?? What the heck is this..."
"I don't think this'll work out. I'll go home and play it slowly."
Confused users quickly grabbed their bags and started leaving the event.
"Why doesn't anyone ask the Director right here about how to play the game?!"
Helplessly, I played the video I had prepared before people left the venue.
As the unexpected video started playing, the people halted their steps, staring at the screen hung from the ceiling.
"What...? What's this?"
The screen displayed Dragon Emblem's theme song along with instructions on how to play the game.
And moments later...
The mouths of those who had caught on to the character's nurturing and the consequential storyline changes widened with excitement. The act of creating a character in the beginning and nurturing it was just the tip of the iceberg.
Among the games I enjoyed when I was young...
There was a game called 'War Crusher' made by Blizzard. It depicted large-scale battles between humans and orc tribes. Based on that precise and elaborate world, they created a massive online RPG...
Through Dragon Emblem 2, I aimed to achieve just that.
A perfect and meticulous world. That's what I'd start with.
The video playing on the screen finally concluded after leaving a single line.
-The last player to claim victory in the colossal war... will become the hero of Dragon Emblem 2.-
"...Whoa... Woooow!!!"
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