Hidetaka Miyazaki had just completed Deep Sea Girl. For him, this game was even more captivating than Metal Shell.
He believed these two games perfectly represented the two paths an indie developer could take.
One path was to emulate the essence of other games and recreate it as faithfully as possible with limited resources. Metal Shell was undeniably a high-quality clone of Metal Slug, but its style was relatively harder and more hardcore, falling somewhere between Contra and Metal Slug. The overall gameplay experience was solid and balanced. Considering it was a solo project, Miyazaki felt it could be called excellent.
But Deep Sea Girl gave him a completely different experience.
First, while the game featured monsters, the protagonist was just a powerless nine-year-old girl. Faced with danger, she could only keep running and hiding. This, ironically, added a thrilling tension to the chase and exploration.
As for the map design, Miyazaki felt it perfectly aligned with the consistent style of Atlas's works.
The level design was exquisite—small yet intricate. Although most doors couldn't be opened from one side, the feeling of finally looping back around after a long journey was incredibly smooth.
If Hidetaka Miyazaki were to review this game, he would say it's no gourmet feast, but definitely a rustic, exquisite side dish—like a plate of Kumamoto-style ran stew. It looks unappealing and messy at first glance, but its true brilliance only reveals itself upon tasting.
Miyazaki spent several days exploring all the game's possible branches, confident he had found every ending.
For instance, there was the ending where they stayed, the one where they left, and various character-specific paths.
In one ending, Blondie still appeared, but the two were mere strangers.
In another, Blondie stood in a corner, watching Xiao Lian and her parents leave, a relieved smile on his face.
The happiest ending saw everyone redeemed, with the two eventually marrying years later.
But Miyazaki found the best ending to be the one where Xiao Lian, driven mad inside the Aquarium, blurred the line between reality and delusion. She believed she was completing their wedding, but in truth, she was stabbing Blondie to death with a swordfish.
What dark aesthetics! Miyazaki absolutely loved this kind of wedding.
However—
The game had a problem.
Miyazaki discovered that after playing for a while, the screen would glitch and tear. After a few days of research, he finally figured out why.
The issue was that the cartridge contained a chip that ran scalding hot. If you aimed an electric fan at it while playing, the problem would vanish.
But why are there no blind people?
Hidetaka Miyazaki couldn't help but mutter to himself at the thought.
The lack of blind characters was utterly disappointing.
He felt there should have been a few blind characters—ideally, the kind who went barefoot.
Of course, the blindness could be achieved by sealing their eyes with wax. Paired with a delicate, beautiful face, it would create a sense of cruel beauty.
Lost in his dark musings, Miyazaki arrived at the game store and handed over the cartridge he'd been analyzing, reporting the issue he'd discovered.
As he was leaving, Miyazaki glanced at the shelves and couldn't help but frown.
Metal Shell was almost completely sold out.
But there were still plenty of copies of Deep Sea Girl.
How could such a masterpiece be ignored by everyone!
Miyazaki was deeply disappointed in the Japanese public's taste.
He rushed home without a moment's rest, and the first thing he did was unroll a sheet of manuscript paper.
He was going to submit his findings and review to the Kadokawa Game Magazine Editorial Department, doing his utmost to recommend the game!
As promised, Kadokawa Game Magazine published Miyazaki's article, accompanied by the Editor-in-Chief's own commentary.
At Konami, Yoshida, the Head of the Game Development Department, read the entire article aloud to his subordinates, his voice rising and falling with dramatic emphasis.
"Last September, at Atlas Carnival, the gaming industry welcomed fifteen passionate producers who accepted Atlus's commission to create games using the Persona Engine!"
"And finally, this month, we are seeing the first batch of indie games developed with the Persona Engine and published by Atlus."
"As a high-fidelity homage, Metal Shell delivers on all its surface-level promises, making it a quite impressive title. Even with its various issues, it's still an acceptable experience considering the team consisted of only three people."
"However, beyond that, another game has provided an unexpected surprise."
"Deep Sea Girl, categorized as a horror-puzzle game—a completely new genre never before seen on the market. I was truly stunned when I first got my hands on the cartridge. What exactly is a horror-puzzle game?"
"The answer came after I started playing. We take on the role of a helpless elementary school student exploring a dark, terrifying aquarium to uncover the truth behind their parents' disappearance. Beyond its well-crafted script, the game's map design is what truly impressed me. It's nearly on par with works from Atlus Headquarters, maximizing every inch of its limited space."
"Unfortunately, this kind of theme is destined not to be accepted by the general public. This game is like a tea master of exquisite skill, profound and silent, nourishing things without sound. Only by calming your heart to experience the details in the game and feel the plot of the game can you discover the charm of this game."
"Although these two games are independently produced games, with the addition of the Persona Engine, their completion is extremely high. And according to the information disclosed by Atlas, in these two cartridges, Atlas used its self-developed cartridge enhancement chip. It can be clearly found during the game that the two games have their own unique characteristics in the dynamic effects of the screen, as stunning as playing Contra back then."
Yoshida looked around everyone, looking at these development generals of Konami.
Konami in the nineties was just at the peak of its games, not only having games, but also connecting to the business of steel ball machines, horse racing gambling machines, etc., its wind is second to none.
However, this evaluation really made Konami Company a little concerned.
"Look! Atlas already has its own chip to enhance the cartridge performance, the effect is so stunning, can't we do it!"
Everyone looked at each other, and finally shook their heads.
It's not that we can't do it, but, why do we have to do it!
"Selling pinball machines is way more profitable. Pachinko is the real cash cow!"
Ever since they got into the pachinko business, Konami realized how miserably they'd been scraping by before.
The Development Manager could do nothing but shake his head in silent resignation.
At least these two games had proven the Persona Engine's capabilities—it was, at the very least, functional.
Konami was already preparing to shift its strategic focus, concentrating its development efforts on various gambling machines. As for their games, they'd just throw together some half-baked titles using the Persona Engine.
After all, the engine could still churn out decent stuff, couldn't it?
Please Support me by becoming my Patreon member and get 15+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon