'4Gamer's game reviews were half guide and half review, fundamentally different from the kind of exaggerated praise filled with nothing but pretty words. They allowed players to directly understand the structural framework of 'Throne of Heroes' and where its appeal lay. Amid the loud chorus of doubts from the player community, this review sounded the first trumpet of a counterattack in the battle of public opinion.
Players looking forward to 'Throne of Heroes', some 'Warship Girls Collection' players whose fondness extended to another work by the same creator, and everyone participating in the game test all had their enthusiasm ignited by the review. This detailed assessment became their strongest shield for praising 'Throne of Heroes' and rebutting its critics. More and more test players joined the debate, drowning out the voices of doubt with their genuine impressions of the game.
They might not have been able to analyze the game's underlying structure as deeply as '4Gamer's editors, but after more than half a week, their most direct impression was simply that 'Throne of Heroes' was an extremely entertaining game. It constantly gave them a sense of discovering something fresh, and even late at night, their enthusiasm for the game could completely drive away their sleepiness.
Only those who had actually experienced 'Throne of Heroes' could understand its true appeal.
Of course, there was no way an argument like this could ever produce a definitive conclusion. As the test players themselves said, "Only those who've actually played the game can understand what's fun about it."
Unfortunately, there were currently only around a thousand testers in total. No matter how reasonable '4Gamer's review might be, to certain players deliberately stirring up controversy, it was still complete nonsense. The result was that within just a few days, the dispute entered a fever pitch.
Japanese gamers tended to be quite conservative. A little deliberate provocation was enough to trigger an intense reaction. For example, simply putting the label "the most entertaining game in history" on 'Throne of Heroes' was enough to provoke resentment from plenty of fans of other games.
The argument surrounding the game's score quickly swept through the entire Japanese gaming community and developed in increasingly complicated directions. When well-known bloggers, streamers, and game illustrators began participating in the discussion, the entire controversy started veering out of control.
Beginning on '4Gamer's forums, it spread to [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio's official forum, then to Twitter, Japan's largest social networking site, and the famous anonymous forum 2ch. Conservatives, radicals, skeptics...
The center of the conflict was even beginning to show signs of spreading beyond 'Throne of Heroes' to encompass the entire gaming industry.
...
—'4Gamer' Review Page Comments—
['Throne of Heroes' is a piece of shit! Every card game is a piece of shit! I don't understand why such a boring genre even exists in the gaming industry. — Anonymous]
['Throne of Heroes' deserves a score of 97. That's the only point we're trying to make. We have no intention of comparing it with any other game. — Yagyūmaru]
[After reading the review, I can more or less understand why '4Gamer' gave it such a high score of 97. Still, it would've been better to be more cautious with the rating. That would also have protected the game's own reputation. — Lord Selt]
...
—Popular Twitter Comments—
[97 points? Incredible~ 'Thor Origin 3' only got 95. — Sengoku Samurai]
[It took T Company eight years to make 'Legend of the Great Warrior', and that only got 94! It's already the pinnacle of Japanese RPGs, with gorgeous graphics, highly distinctive characters, and a story that's both entertaining and deep. Yet 'Warship Girls Collection' surpassed it with a score of 96. I don't understand what's supposed to be fun about these otaku games. They're nothing but garbage designed to pander to disgusting shut-in otaku. — Kondō-san]
[As long as the game is fun, why obsess over all this? — Maid Enthusiast]
['Legend of the Great Warrior' represents Japanese RPGs? Even after eight years of development, it's nothing more than a relatively good game. I already think 94 is too generous. If we're talking about the representative of Japanese RPGs, then obviously it's 'Demon King and Hero'! — Yūjirō]
...
—Major Japanese Gaming Media—
[The Strongest Card-Battle Game in History Is Born! Receives an Astonishing 97 from '4Gamer'! — 'JGame']
[Another Card Game Sets a New High on '4Gamer' Following 'Warship Girls Collection'. Both Games Were Planned by Kamiyā Yuu, Known as the Father of Warship Girls. — 'Game Journal']
[A Historical Position Shaken: Following 'Adventure King', Another Game Set to Change the Development of Japan's Gaming Industry Has Appeared. — '3JG']
These gaming media reports with their exaggerated wording weren't actually supporting '4Gamer'. If anything, they were kicking it while it was down.
Players dissatisfied with '4Gamer' and its score still constituted the majority, so such eye-catching headlines would inevitably attract attention. If things developed in a negative direction, '4Gamer' could very well suffer a devastating blow from this controversy, with the credibility of its scoring system facing a severe challenge.
On the other hand, if 'Throne of Heroes' truly deserved its score of 97, these gaming media outlets would merely appear perceptive. Besides, '4Gamer's ratings were already widely recognized as the most credible in Japan's gaming industry. If its judgment proved correct, the actual damage to '4Gamer' wouldn't be nearly as severe as imagined.
For the other outlets, kicking it while it was down carried plenty of upside and little downside.
The infighting among gaming media outlets was obvious. Every one of them was competing for players' attention.
...
—2ch Gaming Board—
[**********. What's there to argue about? Game otaku are just as disgusting as anime otaku. Makes me want to puke. — Anonymous / 2018/12/11 (Friday)]
[Twitter's almost completely flooded with this. Several famous accounts are arguing about it too. Giving 97 points to a hastily produced card game really is inappropriate. If they'd given it 96, there wouldn't have been nearly this much controversy. — Anonymous / 2018/12/11 (Friday)]
[The problem is that the score came from '4Gamer'. Of course, a score that high would be questioned, idiot. — Anonymous / 2018/12/11 (Friday)]
[Whatever happens, we'll have the answer in a month! I'm starting to get interested in this game. — Anonymous / 2018/12/11 (Friday)]
...
This was an unprecedented spectacle in Japan's gaming community. Quite a few overseas gaming media outlets were even drawn in and began reporting on the turmoil.
China's gaming community was no stranger to 'Warship Girls Collection'. The version of 'Warship Girls Collection' operated by BIUBIUBIU was one of the earliest examples of a Japanese game being licensed for operation in China. There had, of course, been similar examples before, but their results had been just as dismal as those of early attempts in Kamiyā Yuu's previous world.
'Warship Girls Collection' was probably the most successful Japanese game in China, bar none. Consequently, 'Throne of Heroes' also attracted the attention of quite a few players. Moreover, 'Fate/zero' was currently enormously popular in China, and there were plenty of viewers interested in a game sharing the same setting. This successfully established a foundation of recognition for 'Throne of Heroes' in China.
The reaction in Europe and America was comparatively subdued.
'Fate/zero' had surpassed 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' in popularity across the board and achieved another historic breakthrough for Japanese anime in Western markets. However, the performance of 'Warship Girls Collection', operated there by [Fake Book], had fallen short of expectations.
Most Western players weren't particularly interested in Japanese-style elements. Those who did play it were instead attracted by the quality of its game systems. 'Warship Girls Collection' couldn't be called a massive hit in Europe and America, but it certainly wasn't obscure either. Among collectible card and character-development games, it was regarded as a classic textbook example.
If 'Throne of Heroes' wanted to establish itself on the Western gaming stage, it would probably require considerable effort.
If 'Throne of Heroes' had merely been a somewhat above-average card-battle game, this controversy would inevitably have done more harm than good. Even with the publicity effect of controversy, once a game's reputation became rotten in Japan, it wouldn't be far from death.
However, since even a veteran gamer like Fukuyama Mitsuaki regarded 'Throne of Heroes' as exceptional enough to deserve a score of 97 or even higher, the only real effect of all this controversy was to lay a foundation of popularity for the game's official release.
Previously, only players of 'Warship Girls Collection' and some otaku gamers had known that 'Throne of Heroes' was about to launch. After this uproar, players throughout more than half of Japan's gaming community now knew that the game existed.
As for their doubts about the game, they could bring those doubts into the game itself once it officially opened and see for themselves.
Was it really as "godlike" as some players claimed?
Did it truly deserve a score of 97?
...
[Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio, Mizuhara Raiko's office.
Click~ Click.
Mizuhara Raiko held a cup of coffee in her left hand while operating the mouse with her right, browsing the webpage in front of her. A faint smile of assured victory appeared in her eyes. Setting down her coffee, she instructed Kamiki Yui, who was standing beside her, "Yui, tell the [Publicity] studio to stop here. The game's pre-release hype index has already reached our target. If this continues, players might notice something suspicious, and that could damage our company's reputation."
Kamiki Yui curiously looked at the laptop screen in front of Mizuhara Raiko. "Yes, President Mizuhara. But there are still more than twenty days until the game's official release. Will it really be okay to stop promoting it now?"
Mizuhara Raiko let down her pinned-up hair. Her naturally curly golden locks cascaded around her shoulders, making her look somewhat less businesslike and giving her an intellectual, elegant air instead. Her mature feminine charm made Kamiki Yui blush slightly. From where she stood, she could clearly see Mizuhara Raiko's long, fair neck.
Sitting in her office chair, Mizuhara Raiko shook her head and explained, "The objective of this promotional campaign was to spread awareness of the game. Put simply, we wanted players to know that 'Throne of Heroes' exists and become curious about it. If these arguments continue indefinitely, players will eventually grow tired of them. Even if they enter the game because of this controversy, they'll probably already feel some aversion toward it, and the publicity could end up having the opposite effect. Medicine can cure illness, but take too much and it can become a deadly poison. It's the same simple principle."
Kamiki Yui covered her lips and giggled. "President, you're really devious."
Mizuhara Raiko glanced at her. "Help me put my hair back up. You've been working beside me for several years now. You should at least learn a little about these essential game-operation tactics."
Kamiki Yui moved behind Mizuhara Raiko. Her slender hands gathered up the other woman's hair with practiced ease, then she took the hair tie and fastened it while humming, "Don't know~ Don't know. I'm going to keep being President Mizuhara's assistant anyway."
"For the rest of your life?" Mizuhara Raiko smiled.
Kamiki Yui seriously considered it for a moment. After finishing Mizuhara Raiko's hair, she answered with a bright smile, "Mm. That wouldn't be bad either."
Mizuhara Raiko wasn't satisfied with that answer. She turned around and lectured her, "Yui, really. How about having a little more ambition?"
Kamiki Yui tilted her head and studied Mizuhara Raiko before asking confidently, "Does President Mizuhara have ambitions? Like becoming an extremely famous game planner or the president of a major corporation?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Mizuhara Raiko wore an expression of absolute confidence that this was exactly what her future held.
Kamiki Yui giggled, hugged her affectionately from behind, and rubbed against her. "Then I'll become President Mizuhara's assistant. That way, my ambitions will become greater alongside President Mizuhara's ambitions. How does that sound?"
Mizuhara Raiko froze for a moment before teasing, "There's really no helping you. Do whatever you like."
She didn't deny the suggestion that she would someday become the kind of "great" person Kamiki Yui described.
That was simply how confident she was.
Quite a few of the arguments surrounding 'Throne of Heroes' in Japan lately had actually been initiated by publicity personnel hired by Mizuhara Raiko. They didn't necessarily praise the game mindlessly. Their methods included deliberately using clumsy language to criticize the game in ways that ordinary people could immediately see through, as well as posting rational reviews and analyses. All of these were part of the strategy. In China, they would commonly be called "advanced paid posters."
Mindlessly proclaiming how wonderful a game was—that was something only low-level paid posters did. Not only was it easy for bystanders to see through, but it also produced poor results for the effort invested.
A capable game planner would never waste an opportunity to make a game better known.
Since 'Throne of Heroes' had already been completed, they might as well promote it during the testing phase and prepare the ground for its official launch.
Studios accepting this sort of "game promotion" work were a common presence in the gaming industry. Mizuhara Raiko had hired a high-end game publicity studio she'd worked with before. Its promotional fees were around five million yen per week.
This particular campaign for 'Throne of Heroes' had enjoyed perfect timing, circumstances, and public sentiment. The actual publicity value it created was hundreds or even thousands of times greater than the five million yen spent, and its effect was in no way inferior to the reputation 'Warship Girls Collection' had accumulated over more than half a year.
Kamiyā Yuu was somewhat interested in the turmoil within Japan's gaming industry. He enjoyed seeing players marvel at the game he'd designed and could hardly wait to see the opinions of those currently questioning 'Throne of Heroes' reverse in the future.
In web-novel terms, it was the satisfaction of a good face-slapping.
['Throne of Heroes' is a piece of shit. Even if every other game in Japan disappeared, I'd rather play 'Snake' than touch this game.]
[Whoa~ 'Throne of Heroes' is so damn fun! These character illustrations are delicious! By the way, how do I spend money on this game?]
Whenever Kamiyā Yuu imagined a scene like that, he couldn't help smiling to himself.
He was one of the few people who knew about Mizuhara Raiko's promotional tactics. He couldn't help feeling that he'd truly chosen the right person back then. Mizuhara Raiko's presence had saved him an enormous amount of trouble.
Without [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio, he certainly wouldn't have poured so much effort into creating and operating a game. Most likely, he would have done exactly what he'd done with 'Warship Girls Collection' in its early days—restricting the number of players until the game remained in a half-dead state, eventually becoming an urban legend in Japan's gaming community.