The gaming industry in Korea experienced rapid growth from the release of the legendary "" (Shingum) in 1987.
While Japan and the United States saw gaming industry growth through console market developnts, Korea's expansion was fueled by the proliferation of PCs. However, due to insufficient legal restrictions on illegal ga software duplication, even outstanding masterpieces crumbled due to poor sales.
What's even more chilling is that almost anyone with a PC at that ti had experienced these underperforming ga software titles, making up at least half of the user baseif not a thirdwho could've purchased genuine gas, potentially preventing the collapse of Korea's packaged ga industry.
"Arc Tonesia Story" remained a sad mory for , contrary to its cheerful and grand story.
The illegal replication of gas was largely attributed not to consurs but to the retail stores responsible for interdiate distribution at the ti. Driven by imdiate gains, they recomnded illegal copies to users instead of selling legitimate ones.
When I first saw the introduction of "Arc Tonesia Story" in a famous PC magazine during my childhood, I thought Korea had finally released a masterpiece comparable to Japan's Dragon Warrior or Final Frontier.
No, I dare say it had better graphics and gaplay than Japanese gas of that ti. The "Symbol in Count" battle system, transitioning into a simulation RPG system upon combat initiation by encountering monsters in the field, was a groundbreaking combat style, combining two genres.
The mont I witnessed a knight riding under the blue sky, starting his journey through the open plains in the opening scene, I stood frozen in front of the ga store.
"I can't believe such a ga exists."
It wasn't just about console gas. Moreover, it was in Korean, a language I could understand. It sent shivers down my spine just at the touch of my fingertips.
But there was a problemI didn't have a computer back then.
Not just , but none of my friends had one either. Computers were luxury items, especially the 286 PC, costing around 2 to 3 million won per unit, a substantial sum by the standards of that ti. Moreover, the internet wasn't widespread, limiting a ho PC's capabilities to basic graphic work and simple docunt tasks.
Despite the governnt's efforts to install computer labs in every school nationwide and promote the proliferation of PCs with the slogan "One PC per Household" as part of Korea's future developnt in technology, a single PC was still more expensive than the monthly salary of an average office worker.
Yet, despite the exorbitant cost, there weren't many things one could do with a ho PC, making it almost as extravagant as a gaming console in the eyes of adults. And buying such an expensive item for an 11-year-old kid like ? Well, we weren't rich.
Still, I sohow managed to scrape together enough money to buy the "Arc Tonesia Story" ga package. Unlike the usual family software, the package was huge, resembling a thick spellbook from a fantasy world, with an impressive illustration of a personified sun in the middle.
I did buy the ga package against all odds, but I couldn't play the ga. I vividly rember poring over the manual inside the package until I turned 13 and finally had the chance to try it out.
However, when I finally played the ga after hoarding it like a prized possession for two years, there was another obstacle waiting for the never-ending stream of bugs.
Particularly severe were the bugs that hindered battles in the simulation RPGsotis enemies or even my character got stuck between trees, rendering movent impossible. So events even crashed to DOS as soon as they began, making every mont of gaplay nerve-wracking.
There were monts when I forgot to save, and if the ga froze or crashed, I felt an intense frustration that made want to punch the monitor.
"Did they fix all those bugs?"
&
The next morning at work, Hayashi approached .
"Sir, this ga is incredible. Despite it being a demo version, the quest to retrieve the stolen sacred staff and the unique battle system resembling an SRPG are captivating. I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. However..."
I felt uneasy and interrupted Hayashi's last words.
"However...?"
"It's a ss of bugs. I'm skeptical if they've done enough debugging..."
I had a feeling...
"But if they can just fix those bugs properly, I believe it has the potential to be a great ga."
"Really? Team Leader, can I give it a try too?"
With Hayashi's strict praise, so of the developnt team mbers began showing interest in "Arc Tonesia."
Eventually, during a calm morning, the second developnt team copied the demo version of Arc Tonesia and enjoyed playing it together.
"This is fun, isn't it?"
"Especially the character Passman? It's so hilarious! I'm loving this anti-piracy vibe."
"Hehe. Oh, these scattered humor codes in between suit my taste."
Indeed, a good ga transcends borders.
Moreover, Arc Tonesia's gaplay was easily digestible on the handheld device Laon, if not more imrsive than when played on a PC.
That afternoon,
During lunch with Kawaguchi, I brought up Arc Tonesia, sent from Korea's Mantra.
"If there's such a great ga, why not release it on Laon?"
"But, there are so technical issues. Given the poor developnt environnt, it's sowhat challenging to comrcialize a console version."
Unlike patchable PC gas, bugs in console gas could be fatal. If a bug halted the story progress, it might lead to recalling all the sold cartridges.
In fact, during my ti at Mintendo, I've witnessed several instances where a company sank due to a recall caused by an unplayable bug.
So, I made up my mind.
"Kawaguchi, could I take a short trip to Korea?"
"What!? No, Junhyuk. I understand work, but what about the wedding?"
Oh... right. I got carried away with old mories and didn't realize the wedding is just two weeks away...
>
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