Chapter 48: Bizarre Marketing
"Stop staring at it. I'm afraid the paper will get holes in it. Geez..."
"This is amazing! Wait, does that mean every other magazine is putting each character on the main cover?"
"Yeah, next month, every game magazine will feature Psych Battle."
"Wow, you really... This marketing strategy is incredible!"
"Marketing genius, I'd say!"
Furthermore, to collect all these eye-catching illustrations, readers will have no choice but to purchase magazines from all four publishers. The publishers are reaping the rewards, and I'm sure word of mouth among users will help too. I grinned while taking a sip from the cup Junhyuk had given me.
"Huh? Is this a game cartridge?"
"It's a demo cartridge. You can enjoy it up to Stage 2."
"Oh, that's great news. Other reviewers were curious about Psych Battle as well. But this cartridge looks bigger than the usual ones, doesn't it?"
"We added special chips inside to assist with the family's calculations."
"Oh, that explains the extra size. Still, it feels more special this way. So, how about we give it a try?"
"You want to try it already?"
"Why not? It's a chance to promote it to other journalists as well. Is that okay?"
"Go for it."
As soon as Junhyuk left the reception room, he shouted to his colleagues who were hard at work.
"Hey!! The demo cartridge for Psych Battle that I praised so much has arrived! The one who laughed at me for dying in the first stage, come out!"
"Oh, Psych Battle!? I want to try it!"
The demo version of Psych Battle, which they had brought with them, quickly became popular among the staff at Family Communications. A short while later, they gathered around a small TV and started admiring the spectacular bullet patterns in Psych Battle.
"When you turn the D-pad one rotation while pressing the B button!"
Junhyuk chuckled as he instructed his colleagues who were dying before even reaching half of the first stage.
"Damn, why is it so difficult..."
"During the new game presentation, I was the only one who made it to the boss. I said it was extremely challenging, right? Move aside; I want to give it a try!"
Junhyuk pushed his coworker who was about to give up and took a seat.
"Alright, watch my fantastic gameplay!"
Junpei was more skilled than his fellow employees. The longer he stayed in one place, the more bullet patterns seemed to concentrate, and he skillfully maneuvered through the wide stages, avoiding the barrage.
Although the program adjusted the bullet patterns to not exceed a certain limit, there were occasional slow frame moments, but it didn't affect the gameplay significantly.
"It seems more stable than before, doesn't it? The frame rate doesn't drop much."
"Of course, I simplified the coding. There are some variable frame rate sections, but I suppressed them as much as possible."
After a while, Junpei encountered the first insect boss again.
"I'll pay my debts from before today!"
Junpei didn't let himself get hit twice by the same number. As the bullet patterns began to fill the screen after a while, he had a hunch that the boss's finishing move was approaching. He quickly moved his character to the edge of the screen to dodge the laser beam.
In the end, Junpei defeated the first boss with his skillful gameplay and proceeded to the second stage with confidence.
"Yah!"
He engaged, using his barrier skill effectively, but the second stage became even more challenging with rotating bullet patterns in a set range. No matter how skilled he was, his character's HP was running low when he reached the second boss.
"Can I clear this?"
An unexpectedly large boss appeared in front of Junpei, causing him to tense up, unsure if another giant boss would appear.
"The second boss is also a psychic! Let's give it a shot!"
Unlike the giant boss in the first stage, Junpei couldn't help but smile when he saw a psychic character of similar size as the protagonist. It looked easier due to the ample dodging space, didn't it? A relaxed smile formed on Junpei's face.
"Let's see who can clear the second stage before the next issue comes out."
Junpei casually dodged the enemy's attacks, inputting commands to fire the guided laser beams. In an instant, the charismatic boss character disappeared as soon as the laser beam hit.
"Teleport!"
In an instant, Junpei was caught by the boss, who used gravity to pull him in like a magnet. He couldn't escape the boss's grasp. And then, the boss's massive laser attack struck 'Azusa Ren,' the protagonist, directly.
"Ugh!"
When a screen filled with a wounded Azusa Ren's perilous pose appeared, everyone gasped. Of course, compared to the illustration Junpei had received earlier, it was somewhat crude. Still, it seemed like the illustration he had seen earlier overlapped in Junpei's mind.
"When you're hit by the boss's finishing move, your parts get stripped away. Conversely, if you defeat the boss with a finishing move..."
Interrupting me, a journalist beside me grabbed Junpei's hand and said, "Junpei, please. Defeat the second boss with a finishing move, no matter what!"
"Woah!"
It's easy to please the male crowd... What's one illustration missing a few parts compared to the one Junpei handed me earlier? In fact, the concept of parts flying off was first introduced in the game "Golden Castle," which was famous in the game center.
Using a shield to block the enemy's magic and advancing through the game, if you accidentally got hit by the magic, your armor parts would fly off one by one, according to the area.
The problem was that it was a male character, but still, players at the game center cheered wholeheartedly, hoping to strip the parts off the enemy knightess. Although it was unrealistic for the current Family Communication's specs to strip parts when you died and revived, it was replaced with illustrations, but it still had a significant effect here.
&
"You're leaving already?"
"Yeah, I have to meet someone. You play well and write a good article."
"You can leave the article to me. I'll write an amazing one!"
"Yeah, thanks."
"But by the way, Junhyuk."
"Yeah?"
Junpei's unusually anxious expression as he scratched his cheek made me feel a bit uneasy. What's wrong? Is there a problem with the Psych Battle I created?
"You mentioned that you gave different character illustrations to four different magazines before coming here, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Is one of the illustrations the second stage boss, the psychic Catherine?"
"Yes, it is. Why?"
"Where did you give that illustration?"
"I submitted it to Game World before coming here."
"Oh no! You should have given that one!"
"... Was that your preference?"
"What's this all about? Are you making such a serious face just for that? Seems like this guy's the Queen's type." I chuckled as I looked at Junpei's suffering expression.
"Don't worry. I'll talk to our staff and have them send you the complete set of all four."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Okay! While I might have mixed feelings, your game is fantastic, so write a good review!"
"All right, I'm really off now."
I glanced at my wristwatch and realized it was almost time for my appointment, so I quickly moved towards the subway station, waving goodbye to Junpei.
"If you ever come to Kyoto, get in touch!"
"Sure thing. Take care!"
&
-A moment later, this train will arrive at Shibuya Station.-
Instead of the usual automated announcement, the confident voice of the train conductor, who was personally operating the train, came through the speakers.
"It's always a nice voice, no matter how many times you hear it."
I carried my lighter paperwork bag and prepared to exit the train.
I wasn't late, but it was a close call. I had only five minutes left until my appointment time.
Swish... As soon as the train doors opened, I rushed up the stairs in front of me. Shibuya Station at 6 PM was packed with commuters.
"It's incredibly crowded... Must be because of rush hour."
Shibuya Station's iconic meeting place was the Hachiko statue, known for the loyal dog Hachiko who waited for his owner. Making an appointment with someone in this era, setting the exact time and place, waiting at the designated spot – there was a certain excitement in it.
Without a cellphone and no pagers at the time, you couldn't know where your companion was. It was inconvenient, but the anticipation and excitement of waiting for someone at the prearranged place outweighed the inconvenience.
I might be a bit late, but I checked my wristwatch once more and exited the station.
Hachiko, the famous meeting place, was already surrounded by numerous people, each looking at their watches and waiting for someone.
And among them, it wasn't difficult to spot Yuki.
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