The game began.
After the title screen passed, the gameplay officially started.
As Tetsu Kobayashi played, Iwata Satoru's calm explanation followed alongside the on-screen action.
"The game you're seeing now is titled Sonic. Sonic is a space hedgehog who can run at speeds exceeding sound, and even approaching the speed of light. Accordingly, the core of the gameplay revolves around high-speed movement and parkour."
"Parkour refers to using agile movement to traverse obstacles and urban environments. It's extremely popular among young people in the United States."
"As the game progresses, players continuously collect energy. This energy not only contributes to the score, but also functions like the energy blocks in Jörmungandr, directly enhancing Sonic's abilities. At maximum output, his speed can reach the theoretical scrolling limit of the MS hardware."
"There aren't many traditional enemies in the game. Most minor enemies exist primarily as part of the environment, appearing as obstacles that interfere with the player's movement and force engagement."
"Even so, the stages are filled with carefully placed mechanisms, and enemies are positioned precisely along mandatory routes the player must pass through."
Iwata Satoru continued explaining the game's design.
He pointed at the background on the screen. The current stage showed a close-up of towering skyscrapers. Thanks to the machine's color capabilities, the image was highly detailed—steel reinforcement bars were even visible.
The platforms and obstacles resembled reinforced concrete structures. The hazards consisted of electric currents, pools of water, and water that became electrified once current passed through it.
"For example, in the first stage, the villain's subordinates sabotage a high-rise building. In our setting, Sonic races at full speed through the collapsing structure, rescuing people trapped inside before the floors give way, and ultimately confronting the mastermind responsible for the destruction."
By this point, Tetsu Kobayashi had smoothly reached the end of the stage.
Waiting there was a grotesque stitched-together humanoid.
As Tetsu Kobayashi fought the boss, Iwata Satoru continued his explanation.
"This boss possesses relatively advanced AI and reacts differently depending on the situation. Destroying different limbs causes its behavior to change. Initially, it approaches Sonic while swinging a massive axe."
"Once the axe arm is destroyed, it switches to charging attacks using a chainsaw."
"After the chainsaw is destroyed, it begins attacking with a heavy hammer."
"These patterns are not fixed. The stitched man doesn't always begin with the axe. If the player destroys a different arm first, the boss may be unable to transition phases and will be forced to rely on a single type of attack."
With a flurry of punches and kicks, Tetsu Kobayashi defeated the stitched monster.
The screen switched to a simple black background with white text summarizing the stage. Immediately after, another string of characters appeared.
One of the executives frowned. "Is there still a bug that hasn't been fixed?"
"That's not a bug," Iwata Satoru said, pointing toward him. "Sir, that is intentional. It's a continuation password."
"When a player clears a stage, they receive a password. The next time they play, they can enter that password and start directly from that stage."
"Because Sonic places heavy emphasis on boss battles, forcing players to restart from the very beginning after dying would create extreme frustration."
"What we want isn't frustration, but excitement, joy, and satisfaction. That's why every stage provides a continuation password."
Someone else asked, "Does the first stage need a continuation password too?"
"No," Iwata Satoru replied. "That's why the first stage's password actually starts the player right before the boss fight."
The demonstration complete, Tetsu Kobayashi removed the cartridge and bowed toward the room.
"I want this game released alongside the MS as a launch title, bundled with the console."
"I've heard Sega has been dealing with some internal issues recently, but that has nothing to do with me."
"Resolve the North American situation as quickly as possible. Once the game launches, we'll all be making large amounts of American money—you, me, everyone here."
"Or I can simply take the game to Nintendo for release."
"That's all. Happy Valentine's Day."
Tetsu Kobayashi bowed once more, grabbed Iwata Satoru, and turned to leave.
Only after he had already pushed the door open did someone belatedly stand up.
"Outrageous! Absurd! Completely inappropriate! Just because he has connections, he barges straight into Sega's internal meeting—what does he think this place is?!"
At that moment, Nakayama Hayao raised his hand.
"This meeting was originally meant to discuss MS software support and regional distribution plans. Since that's the case, let's change the topic."
He raised one finger.
"First: how is the game? Second: what should we do next?"
The room buzzed with discussion until it gradually quieted under the sound of Nakayama Hayao knocking on the table.
They had to admit it—the game's quality far exceeded their expectations.
At present, the MS had no true launch titles. Sega's original plan was to begin emergency ports of existing games starting in April, including Kobayashi Blocks, to serve as launch titles.
But those were old games—reheated leftovers. Their impact would be limited.
Now, however, a brand-new, high-quality launch title had appeared.
"Since everyone has more or less made up their minds," Ōkawa Isao finally spoke, "let's proceed with a vote."
"Those in favor of the North American release plan, raise your left hand. Those opposed, raise your right. Anyone who doesn't raise a hand will be counted as abstaining."
Out of more than forty people in the room, the decision was made quickly.
Twenty-three voted in favor. Nine voted against. The rest abstained.
Ōkawa Isao nodded slightly.
"Then domestically, we will proceed as usual. As for North America, the resolution passes. We will directly apply pressure to the U.S. branch and require them to follow the plan strictly."
"I will be traveling to North America soon. Prepare one MS engineering unit for me to take along."
Only then did the room finally release a collective sigh of relief.
With the vote concluded, responsibility was clearly defined. If North America failed, the blame would fall on Ōkawa Isao and the twenty-three supporters. The dissenters could later say they had opposed it from the start.
As Ōkawa Isao stood up, someone stepped forward to support his arm and escort him out.
He shook his head faintly.
Sega was still, at its core, an old company. The symptoms of bureaucratic stagnation had already begun to show.
An unwillingness to take responsibility. Sluggish execution. Tasks that required repeated orders before anything moved.
Nintendo wasn't free of these issues either, but its difference lay in Yamauchi Hiroshi.
Yamauchi was overwhelmingly strong-willed. Even if a vote went poorly, he could force a decision through sheer authority.
The advantage was efficiency. The drawback was complete dependence on a single individual.
"So Sega needs reform," Ōkawa Isao thought. "It can't rely on veterans resting on the achievements of the arcade era. That path only leads to decline."
"It needs new blood—and a major overhaul."
He wanted to dismiss a large number of senior executives immediately, but he couldn't yet.
CSK's acquisition of Sega hadn't even reached a year. No one yet held enough authority to make decisive moves. At best, only limited promotions were possible.
After some thought, an idea surfaced.
Perhaps the home console division needed a formally appointed department head.
After three years, the home console business was no longer a temporary project—it had become a core part of Sega. In both revenue and influence, it was now indispensable and impossible to cut away.
Previously, Sato Hideki had served as Development Division Director, overseeing everything—hardware, software, R&D, publishing—all by himself.
But under a division director, there still needed to be proper department heads.
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