Chapter 42: Case by Case
With just one question from me, everyone, including Director Kamauji, was left dumbfounded.
It seemed like no one had ever considered this scenario before. Honestly, what I was about to say was a form of threat as a developer for Dragon Emblem. Mr. Shige quickly understood and hurriedly intervened.
"Well... thinking about it, Kang is right. With our marketing skills and development abilities, there's no reason we can't head over to NEGA Disc. Of course, our First Party games at Mintendo are excellent, but we can't ignore third-party developers like KAWATA's Bullion Fight, EEL Kung Fu, and Circus. We should also consider the backlash from major companies like Dragon Warrior and Final Frontier if we mishandle Dragon Emblem."
"So, you're saying if we mess with just one third-party game with a good reputation, it could harm Mintendo's image... This is..."
"Dragon Emblem is already hailed as a top game even by other gaming companies. It's a game that's ahead of its time, and openly shunning it at Mintendo might not be the best move."
"While Dragon Emblem hasn't paid any royalties, there are opinions that this has greatly improved the quality of family games. Just having Dragon Emblem come out through our family should be seen as a blessing."
"Ugh, seriously... we have to turn a blind eye like we don't know."
Unexpectedly, Mr. Shige offered a different answer.
"What if... we promote it instead?"
"Huh...? You want us to promote it, even after turning a blind eye?"
"Actually, lately, there have been some complaints from third-party developers about the increased cartridge initial quantities and royalty rates. In times like these, if we support Dragon Emblem together with other game developers, it would solidify our image as a console company recognized by the gaming industry."
...
A few days later...
"Hi, this is Pemi Communication's reporter, Junpei Ishimoto. Today, Director Kamauji has requested an interview. He has something he'd like to say to Dragon Emblem's creator."
"Oh~!! Director, you've been enjoying Dragon Emblem as well!?"
"Of course. And I've been having fun with Dragon Warrior and Final Frontier as well. Recently, while playing Dragon Emblem... I had a thought."
"What kind of thought, sir?"
"The power behind our family's leading games comes not from First Party but from Third Party. Even Japan's representative game, Dragon Warrior, is made by Phoenix, not Mintendo. The buzz surrounding Dragon Emblem is similar."
"That's right. Mintendo's First Party games like Super Marriage and the Legend of Karen are excellent, but the quality of games developed by third-party studios these days is something we can't ignore."
"That's correct. Mintendo and the game companies will continue to coexist and lead the gaming industry together. Therefore, Mintendo has decided to reduce the initial quantities of cartridges by half and lower the royalty payments."
"This is excellent news for the gaming industry."
"Out of a desire for more players to enjoy great games like Dragon Emblem, we have made this difficult decision. We also express our gratitude to the excellent developer of Dragon Emblem. We hope that there will be a sequel released exclusively for Mintendo's family!!"
Director Kamauji concluded the interview in a solemn tone, quite different from how he usually acted. His final comment, expressing concern about Dragon Emblem being taken by NEGA, was truly remarkable.
Shige and I barely held back our laughter and watched the entire interview. Then, we quickly slipped out to the company's backyard.
"Haha, did you see the boss's expression? Hilarious!"
"Oh, I almost died laughing too."
"Really, Dragon Emblem is something else. Who knew the boss would be so earnest in his request."
"That's right. Thanks to that, the initial cartridge distribution and royalty reductions have improved the game industry's response."
"That means the competition is going to get even fiercer. I better get to work on Super Marriage 3..."
"Wasn't 2 quite underwhelming?"
"Well, you know, I made a few crazy decisions..."
The unfortunate game, Super Marriage 2.
Among the well-known Super Marriage series, the old players considered the first and third installments to be the best. But surprisingly, Super Marriage 2 was somewhat forgettable. People weren't sure if it was even released, and if it was, they couldn't remember what kind of game it was.
In reality, Super Marriage 2, developed to capitalize on the success of the first, turned out to be a stress-inducing game with the worst difficulty level.
At the time, spurred on by complaints that the game was too easy, Shige ventured into creating a high-difficulty Super Marriage, but it resulted in minimal graphic changes. Plus, due to the failure in difficulty balancing, it received a cold response from Japanese gamers.
Meanwhile, Mintendo's US branch was eagerly anticipating the release of Super Marriage 2. However, in Japan, the response was lackluster, and even Shige himself found it unsatisfactory. He had gone a little crazy and made a significant mistake with the game.
He dressed the marriage characters in an entirely unrelated game called "Hockey Panic" set in an Arabian Nights theme, where players threw snowballs at enemies in the desert. They eventually released it under the name "Super Marriage USA." Gamers couldn't understand why the marriage characters, who used to stomp on enemies, were now throwing snowballs. The rumor even spread that Shige hadn't made the game himself.
"Anyway, since there's no other game development going on, I should really focus on Super Marriage 3..."
"I'll help you."
"Great, Kang, with your help, it'll be the best! How about we go for udon for lunch and discuss the sequel there?"
"Oh, this time, are you treating, Shige?"
"...You're quite demanding."
"Give me some dumplings too."
"Fine, I got it. I got it!"
&
Afterward, Shige and I found ourselves in a nearby udon restaurant, quenching our thirst with the warm broth they served. It was a small place, but the interior had a rather traditional and elegant look. As we explored the interior, we noticed three framed photos of men on the wall.
It seemed like a traditional udon shop that had been passed down through three generations. The food seemed promising. Shige then asked me a question.
"By the way, have you contacted her?"
"Hmm? What do you mean by 'contact'?"
"Ah, come on, you slug... Yuki, I'm talking about Yuki!"
"Ah, right."
"Ah, right? You haven't contacted her, have you?"
"No, I haven't. I haven't had any reason to go to Tokyo lately..."
"Hey, you crazy guy. Did you break your fingers or something? Why go all the way to Tokyo to make a phone call? If you're going to do that, just give me her contact information. I'm thinking about getting married too."
"Come on, Shige. You're not that much older than me, and you're talking like that."
"That's why you should at least make a call. It's been a week since the Dragon Emblem event. Think about the person who's waiting for your call."
"I've been busy, you know. But, you're right. After the Dragon Emblem event, I was planning to call her."
"That's a good idea. Work is important, but your personal life is too."
Jeez, the guy who says personal life is important is back to talking about work.
"Since we're here at the restaurant, let's place an order and talk."
"Oh, right. Boss, what's delicious here? Kitsune? Tanuki?"
"Our signature dish is Tanuki udon."
"Then, two Tanuki udon, please."
What's this? I don't get to choose? I quickly called out to the owner.
"No, I'll have Kitsune, and don't forget the dumplings!"
"Alright, two Tanuki and one Kitsune udon!"
The owner's call was met with a cheerful response from the kitchen. I enjoyed udon because the noodles were chewy and delicious.
"I forgot that you prefer Kitsune (not Tanuki, you fox)."
Tanuki udon had tempura crumbs on top of udon, and I wasn't a big fan of it. I preferred Kitsune udon, which had fried tofu skin and a dash of soy sauce. Shige looked at me with a slight smile and then got back to the main topic.
"In your opinion, what's Super Marriage's biggest strength?"
"Well, as long as it doesn't pick the worst option, more than half of the players will enjoy it."
At my response, Shige's face crumpled.
"Now, I'll never choose the radish... I've been taking out the radish and eating my fish cakes for a lifetime because of that!"
It seems that Super Marriage 2 made quite an impact on Shige. I chuckled silently and replied, "Super Marriage is all about jumping. It was even nicknamed 'Jumpman' in Donkey Kong, right?"
"That's right. Jump... We need to maximize the jump."
"How would you do that?"
Shige always carried a notebook and quickly sketched Mariji before tapping the character with his pencil, saying, "Let's enhance the jump... for example, when you step on something, you can jump higher... like the kids on a trampoline. There could be elements that allow tumbling... or maybe we could attach white angel wings, and they flutter down."
"Well... calling it 'white angel wings' like that Italian guy with a mustache... is a bit weird, isn't it?"
"Is it? Thanks for explaining it to me so directly. Sometimes, it's easy to understand when you hit me like a fastball. It hurts my heart sometimes, but..."
At that moment, the owner brought two bowls of udon to our table.
"Here you go, Tanuki and Kitsune udon. Enjoy your meal!"
"Oh, yes, we will. Wow, the toppings in the old man udon are super cute."
"Right? Our granddaughter loves udon, so we had naruto (fish cake) cut into shapes like raccoons and foxes. She loved it! How's it? Cute, isn't it?"
"Kids would definitely love it. Are you good at coming up with ideas, sir?"
"To make a living, you have to keep using your head. This udon shop has been around for almost 100 years, trying to cater to changing tastes. In the second generation, we had curry udon and tempura udon. You can't survive by just serving simple udon anymore. Now, eat before it gets cold."
"Yes, we will. Thank you."
I broke my wooden chopsticks and swirled the udon noodles. Shige, sitting beside me, gazed at his udon, muttering something to himself.
"Tanuki... Tanuki... Mariji... Tanuki... Mariji..."
After a moment, he sketched a fluffy tanuki tail behind Mario in his notebook and shouted, "Tanuki Mariji! How about this!? Instead of mushrooms, it transforms by eating leaves. And you can shake this tail to fly in the sky!"
First, he turned my favorite soup into a reptilian villain, then he turned peach dessert into Peach, the princess. Now it's a udon restaurant... Anyway, I can't eat with this guy.
&
That night, when I got off work, I sat in front of my phone at home. A piece of paper with Yuki's contact information lay on the table by the phone.
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