One month later.
Once the decision was made to create three cartridges featuring different heroines, the developnt of My Hotown without began smoothly, as if catching the wind.
Hayashi, initially reluctant, picked up the pace as we began working on the first character, Hasegawa Miyuki.
The first reason was that having one character per cartridge allowed us to streamline the complex event scripts for the three heroines that were tangled in Part 1.
The second reason was that with fewer characters than before, there was more space in the cartridge. This allowed Morita's art quality and the BGM sound team's quality to improve significantly.
However, as I've ntioned before, where there are smiles, there are tears. I fell into the latter category.
"Darn it. We can't reuse the sa scenario, and we have to prepare new scenarios for each character!"
So, except for the very early developnt, we had to completely overhaul the Part 1 story.
While focusing on one heroine, there were several aspects to consider in order to stimulate interest in other versions of the ga. We had to provide so insight into the connections between the other heroines as background characters.
But, as fate would have it, a savior appeared for one day.
She was my girlfriend and a part-ti writer at the broadcasting station, Ishikawa Yuki.
"Junhyuk, if it's okay with you, can I write Nanae's story as the younger heroine for this project?"
We enthusiastically agreed to her proposal since she had already received approval for her writing during the last scenario work. Yuki then added with a mischievous smile, "But it won't be free. I expect fair compensation since I'm participating in this project."
"Of course," I replied.
Morita, delighted to work with Yuki, chid in, "We'll even include your na in the production staff roll."
"Wow, that's great!" Yuki's face lit up as her na was promised to be in the production staff roll. At that mont, Hayashi, who had been drinking coffee, looked concerned and said to , "Mr. Kang, my concern is whether this sales approach will work."
Hayashi was understandably skeptical about the unprecedented marketing strategy of My Hotown without .
"Don't worry. If it's not there, they won't buy it. Once soone starts buying one, they'll keep coming back."
"Indeed, Dragon Emblem and Psychic Battle also demonstrated successful marketing, so we'll give it a try this ti."
And so, My Hotown without , produced by , Yuki, Morita, and Hayashi, entered a concentrated production period with the goal of launching as Nintendo's Super Family title.
&
October 29, 1988.
In Japan, a new console called the NEGA Drive was released.
Developed by Motorola, the NEGA Drive was a 16-bit console with two 8-bit CPUs, and it would later be released in Korea under the peculiar na "Aladdin Boy" through a major Korean corporation.
The NEGA Drive, designed in an elegant black color, was released with a high price tag of 21,000 yen, including one controller. The most notable title developed by NEGA was "The Odyssey," with gaplay inspired by Greek mythology. It was an action ga depicting the adventures of a muscular humanoid man rescuing Athena from the clutches of demons.
Thanks to its popularity in arcades, it enjoyed success as a ho console port on the NEGA Drive, contributing to the initial success of the console.
The fact that the NEGA Drive's controller had three buttons was largely due to the influence of "The Odyssey." To accommodate the three actions—punching, kicking, and jumping—of the ga's protagonist, a three-button system was adopted. (This three-button system later beca a headache for ga developers working on NEGA Drive gas.)
"At that ti, three buttons were sufficient for many gas..."
Furthermore, the concept of "The Odyssey" was also famous for its resemblance to the end-of-the-century legend, a manga called "Bokdu's Fist."
When continuously consuming Spirit Balls, the protagonist's muscles gradually inflated, and eventually, he transford into a giant and energetically smashed the enemies to pieces (really shattered them into fragnts), which gained great popularity.
"Looking at it now, the scenes are quite gory, huh? I can't believe I found it so fun back then. Incredible..."
As I played the NEGA Drive installed in the Nintendo eting room, I put down the ga controller after a while.
"What do you think? Kang, how does the NEGA Drive console look to you?"
"It certainly has a fast processing speed, fitting for a 16-bit console. However, it's a sha there are no titles that can drive the console."
Then, Kamauichi, the president of the rival company, who had been looking at the competition's device from his seat at the eting, spoke up.
"Well, in the end, having a launch title that can drive the device's sales is crucial."
"Furthermore, currently, there's no third party that can support the NEGA Drive."
"Haha, that's because our Family is doing so well. What software company would invest in making NEGA Drive gas at a high cost? If Super Mariji 3 is released next month, nobody will even glance at the NEGA Drive."
He was oozing confidence.
anwhile, the world was eagerly awaiting the release of Kumamoto Shigeru's Super Mariji 3. So, launching the NEGA Drive at this ti was the worst possible timing.
"In this situation, if it were , I'd delay the console's release to secure more launch titles. But NEGA is excellent at making their own gas, while their marketing skills are lacking..."
At least until the blue hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound is released.
Then, President Kamauichi turned to Gunpei with a sowhat aningful look. Usually, when the president makes that expression, it ans he's about to say sothing foolish.
"In my opinion, you see, launching a next-gen console isn't a bad idea, but it seems a sha to leave all the great titles released on the Family console behind. Moreover, if we launch a new device, we're bound to struggle with a shortage of titles in the early stages..."
Upon hearing President Kamauichi's words, both Gunpei and I were shocked.
We've already completed the design, including the CPU and mory. What's this absurd talk about now?
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