The New Year had passed. In the Miyazaki household, young Hidetaka Miyazaki, who had already set his sights on creating a major game, was watching a newly aired anime on television.
Pokémon, which premiered right after the New Year, seemed to be designed to complement the game. The first episode straightforwardly explained the world-building and what exactly "Pokémon" were.
Pokémon were creatures kept in Poké Balls; when thrown, they would be released for battle. The entire story centered around the training and raising of these Pokémon.
Naturally, this was also the core gameplay of the game itself.
In a place called Pallet Town, there was a young boy named Satoshi. Because he overslept, Satoshi missed out on receiving his very first Pokémon. Fortunately, the local Pokémon expert, Professor Oak, still had one Pokémon in reserve—a Pikachu.
However, this Pikachu was a bit different from other Pokémon. It wasn't very friendly, refused to go into its Poké Ball, and was quite disobedient. It was a Pokémon that no one wanted because of its unpredictable temperament.
According to Professor Oak, Pikachu was a "professional" Pokémon. It wasn't that no one wanted it, it was just—temporarily without a good trainer.
But for Satoshi, who had failed to receive his first Pokémon, even an unfriendly Pikachu was better than no Pokémon at all. So, Satoshi set off on his adventure with this Pikachu.
"Hmm... Pikachu, huh?"
Hidetaka Miyazaki crossed his arms and silently repeated the name.
Pichu, pichu, it went. It looked somewhat interesting.
As for the gameplay, the anime had already demonstrated it clearly.
Raising Pokémon and then battling—it could be called a role-playing game without any problem. The only difference was that instead of leveling up yourself, you were raising Pokémon.
At least in the eyes of Hidetaka Miyazaki, a high school student, he couldn't see any special potential in this game that would justify Atlas promoting it so grandly.
Pokémon was too childish for him. He had already grown up that evening he played Syobon Action. Now, he was a man determined to become the King of Game Development in Japan.
After the first episode of Pokémon aired, a commercial played, and only then did Hidetaka Miyazaki learn that two games from the fifteen developers sponsored at the Atlas Developers Conference were already preparing for release.
Though the ads weren't everywhere, for players who had been following the news of the Developers Conference, this announcement was no less impactful than a cannon blast.
Hidetaka Miyazaki fell into deep thought.
I didn't expect titles to be released so soon!
Even though these were games developed by sponsored studios rather than Atlas itself, from another perspective, this was a chance to see if the Persona Engine was actually as powerful as Atlas had boasted!
Besides, it was only just after the New Year. In Japan, there's a tradition similar to receiving New Year's money, meaning people had a sum of cash they couldn't spend before the New Year. It would be a shame not to buy a game when you have money burning a hole in your pocket!
Hidetaka Miyazaki hopped on his bicycle and pedaled straight to the nearest Atlas Offline Experience Store. After several years of growth, Tokyo was now dotted with these stores, making it incredibly convenient to buy games.
As Miyazaki kicked down his kickstand, he overheard two passersby chatting.
"I never thought Pokémon would be this kind of game."
"Catching Pokémon and then battling them... sounds so childish."
"Childish? Fine! Just don't come borrowing my cartridge when I'm playing it!"
Miyazaki shook his head inwardly.
Childish? Why couldn't these kids be as mature as he was?
The high schooler brushed past the college students and walked straight into the game store.
With the New Year's holidays just over, many people were still visiting relatives and friends. The streets were relatively empty, leaving the store feeling a bit desolate.
The familiar shopkeeper greeted him as he entered.
"Yo! Here for news on Pokémon? The game isn't out yet; it's still in development."
"Uh, I'm not here for Pokémon," Hidetaka Miyazaki said, trying to decline the topic but feeling a flicker of curiosity. "Do a lot of people ask about it?"
The manager nodded solemnly.
"Tons! Even more since the anime started airing. But I bet most of them don't even play games normally. They're probably just here because they saw the show."
Just as Miyazaki was about to ask another question, a middle-school-aged gamer squeezed past him from behind.
"Manager! Is Pokémon playable yet?"
The manager repeated his earlier answer, finally managing to shoo the kid away.
Only then did Miyazaki find an opening to speak.
"I heard a few indie games sponsored by Atlas were released. I'd like a copy of each."
The manager's expression suddenly turned grave.
"Then I need to tell you something first. These two games are a bit different. According to our headquarters, because they use experimental technology, the cartridges might not be completely stable. If you buy them, Atlas says—"
"No returns or exchanges?" Miyazaki interrupted.
He understood. This kind of thing wasn't all that unusual.
The manager replied, "—you can return or exchange them in-store with a proof of purchase within one month."
Miyazaki: ??
A look of bewilderment washed over the round-faced high schooler's face.
One cartridge costs a few thousand yen, so ten cartridges would be tens of thousands!
Tens of thousands of cartridges would cost tens of millions of yen!
He'd never even seen tens of millions of yen in his entire life!
Hidetaka Miyazaki raised a question. "But if someone finishes the game and then just brings it back for a refund, won't Atlus suffer a loss?"
The manager shrugged.
"So what? According to the President's highest directive—since the game uses a test version, it might negatively impact the player's experience. Therefore, Atlus will naturally bear all resulting responsibility."
Hidetaka Miyazaki was almost moved to tears.
Refunding a single cartridge would result in a loss of six thousand yen. If too many were returned, Kobayashi Tetsu might be forced to take the bus!
Deeply touched, Hidetaka Miyazaki bought one copy each of the two games, Metal Shell and Deep Sea Girl.
Although he lost over ten thousand yen, his heart felt warm. He could almost hear Uncle Kobayashi Tetsu saying to him, What you love is your life.
Hidetaka Miyazaki packed the two cartridges into his bag and prepared to leave.
Just as he was about to go, another customer walked in and immediately asked the same question Miyazaki had heard all day:
"Manager! I want to play Pokémon!"
The manager could only sigh in exasperation and explain—yet again—that Pokémon hadn't been released yet.
Miyazaki swore to the heavens: he really wasn't a fan of games like Pokémon or its anime style.
But with so many people asking for it, he couldn't help but get curious.
What's so great about this Pokémon game anyway?
If everyone wants to play it, maybe I'll buy a copy myself once it's out.
I'd have to buy a GG handheld, but my family is well-off enough that I can afford it if I want to.
When Miyazaki got home, the first thing he did was play Metal Shell.
Like most boys his age, he still preferred games with guns and cannons.
After a quick play session, his first thought was: It's so similar. It's almost exactly like Metal Slug.
However, the graphics were even better than he had imagined. The visuals were so polished and detailed that it hardly looked like an indie game.
Moreover, other visual effects—such as the explosions, the screen shake from gunfire, and the swaying of clothing—were all executed perfectly.
The cartridge says these were made with special technology. So this is Atlas's special technology? It's truly impressive.
Hidetaka Miyazaki nodded silently. After playing for a while, he finally turned his attention to another game.
Deep Sea Girl. The cover featured a young girl wearing a yellow sun hat, a classic Japanese elementary school student's outfit. But in the background, a monster gaped with a ferocious maw in the darkness.
Hidetaka Miyazaki hissed.
What kind of game is this?! This looks thrilling! A little girl slaying monsters? How badass is that!
He carefully flipped over the cartridge to read the text on the back.
"Horror Puzzle Game—Just how scary is it?"
Hidetaka Miyazaki lifted his hand and immediately swapped the game.
He was dying to see just how terrifying this game could be!
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