Chapter 69: And So, the Legend Begins...
Psych Battle had been smoothly selling since its launch. Especially in the official version, thanks to Chandra's coding, it boasted even smoother gameplay than the demo, receiving acclaim from gaming magazines. While there were still some issues with supply, the unique gameplay and graphics set it apart from other games of its time, earning enthusiastic responses from players.
The Psych Battle cartridges, despite their high price, sold out as soon as they hit the shelves, much to the satisfaction of President Kamaucci, who was pleased with the pre-order system.
But where there's joy, there's also frustration.
"Hey! Stop fooling around and give me the Ura Code (cheat key)!"
"Did even the mighty Junhyuk surrender and throw in the towel?"
"Hey, you crazy guy! You need to let us clear this, right? Is it really possible to clear this?"
"Of course, that's why we added boss characters as a clear bonus when you reach the ending."
"Woah! You ruthless brat! I want to try Ryu Hwayoung!!!"
Ryu Hwayoung.
She was the final boss of Psych Battle and had recently become immensely popular among players for her formidable combat abilities. Known as the character with devastating skills, including teleportation, martial arts evasion, a powerful barrier that repelled all attacks, and a screen-filling barrage of laser beams. Particularly infamous was her instant kill move, the "Shunkak-Satsu," capable of annihilating players with a single swift strike.
"Has anyone even managed to clear it?"
"All we've got are tips and strategy requests. So, give us the Ura Code! Do you want to see us getting crushed by the players?"
Disappointing. I thought at least a couple of players might have made it. I suppressed a chuckle and teased Junhyuk.
"Alright, I get it. Instead of cheats, I'll give you a hint."
"Really? What is it?"
"Originally, you can't win in the early stages of the Ryu Hwayoung battle."
"What!?"
"You have to survive no matter what. Don't rush to attack for ten minutes, and then you'll understand the meaning behind my words."
"Hmm... Is there some kind of event?"
That's why perceptive gaming journalists are in demand.
"Yes, exactly. Try to survive even if you die once."
"You devilish guy... Alright, I'll clear it, and then I'll get in touch with you."
Junhyuk grumbled, but he didn't press for more details about the event. It seemed he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
In reality, games from the '80s and '90s were quite unforgiving. Games from the 2000s had tutorial systems that explained everything about the buttons' functions and where to go on the map for events. However, games of this era don't make it easy for players to lower the difficulty level. The satisfaction of overcoming a challenge on your own is something indescribable.
So, what happens if you survive for ten minutes during the Ryu Hwayoung boss battle?
A specific event triggers, and two allied characters, excluding the character you're controlling, come to your aid. This scenario was initially abandoned due to device limitations, but Chandra's coding skills made it possible.
Morita and Hayashi had both worked on this game, and they had tears in their eyes during the final event scene, even though it was a game they had developed.
After the release of Psych Battle, which had been the largest project I'd ever developed, Morita and Hayashi returned to their respective departments.
However, one day...
Returning to the office after lunch, I spotted Morita gazing blankly out of the break room window.
"Mr. Morita?"
"Oh... Mr. President, hello."
"Why are you in the break room at this hour? Have you had lunch?"
"No, I just didn't have much of an appetite."
Morita weakly smiled and brought a cup of vending machine coffee to his lips. Pushing coins into the vending machine, I decided to strike up a conversation.
"How's work going lately? Is the team doing well?"
To this, Morita raised his head and replied with a heavy heart.
"Working with you, Director, was much better. I'm in Development Team 2, and we're planning a new project, but it doesn't seem to match my style. Plus, it's aimed at portable gaming consoles."
Portable gaming consoles, huh? Morita, who loved colorful, cute characters, was probably not thrilled.
His illustration skills were top-notch, but they were primarily limited to cute girl characters. However, Mintendo, our company, focused on developing games with cute and whimsical characters rather than sexy or mature themes. From my perspective, the creation of Psych Battle was quite unexpected for Mintendo. I had faced significant opposition from the management at the beginning due to its explicit content.
"It's still in the planning stages, but I think I'll work on a Donkey Kong game for the Game Boy as soon as Shige's Super Mario 3 development is finished."
Hmm... It doesn't make sense to tell an outstanding illustrator who contributed to Psych Battle to work on a birthday game. "This is beyond me," I thought.
"Well, there's nothing I can do to help."
"Director, do you have any plans to make Psych Battle 2?"
"Psych Battle 2? I do have plans to make it, but I won't make it a family-oriented game. I'm considering developing it for the next-generation consoles."
"Well, then it will take a few more years, at least."
"That's right, isn't it? Haha..."
"I briefly tried picking up a pen this morning, but I just couldn't find the inspiration. When I drew Ryu Hwayoung and Azusa Ren, I felt so into it, but it's all thanks to me that the team leader scolded me for not doing anything this morning."
When we were working on Psych Battle, Morita used to produce four or five high-quality illustrations a day, but it seems that his preferences were the issue.
"But is Hayashi doing well?"
"That guy entered Development Room 1 to work on the final stages of Super Mario 3."
At that moment, as if on cue, Hayashi opened the door to the break room and walked in.
I extended my hand with a welcoming smile, but it seemed that Hayashi didn't notice us. He immediately lit a cigarette as soon as he entered the break room.
"Hayashi?"
"Ah!? Director!!"
"What's wrong?"
"Well... Uh... it's nothing."
Even without looking, I could tell. Working with Development Team 1 and Hayashi's personality must be quite a challenge. After taking a deep drag of his cigarette, Hayashi exhaled and asked me.
"Director, do you have any plans to make Psych Battle 2?"
... Are these two in cahoots? Why are they doing this?
"Well, Hayashi seems to have the same idea as me. Director!! Please, help us out. I want to draw cute girls. I'm even thinking of looking for another job if I have to draw Donkey Kong."
"I can't work with Development Team 1 either. Just this morning, I discovered a pile of bugs, and I'm too complacent. Shige did not take my sarcastic jokes well and gave me a piece of his mind... You're not the type to scold people in that way. Honestly, it was much more comfortable working with you, Director, and there was so much to learn."
Of course... It doesn't seem like Hayashi's personality fits well with the atmosphere in Development Team 1. I looked at Morita and Hayashi alternately while sipping my coffee.
A professional illustrator specializing in cute girls and a coding genius...
This combination doesn't seem too bad...
After gazing at them for a while, I spoke up.
"Morita and Hayashi, it seems like you both have more than just minor grievances. Maybe it's because you were both members of the team that created Psych Battle. I feel a bit sorry, but for now, I have no plans to create Psych Battle 2."
"Oh..."
"Sigh..."
In response to my answer, both of them let out deep sighs and wore disappointed expressions.
"So, what do you think about trying this?"
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