1994 could be called a year filled with great masterpieces, and also a peak in the development of 2D console games.
Koei released their famous game, "Uncharted Waters II".
"Uncharted Waters II" is a nautical game that pioneered a new game genre module.
Based on the intersection of multiple protagonist storylines and an open-ended narrative experience, it completely and vividly recreated the magnificence of the Age of Discovery in the Middle Ages. The commercial trading gameplay, exploration gameplay, and combat gameplay—in which one could engage in broadside exchanges with large fleets or engage in hand-to-hand combat while wearing rare, legendary equipment—were perfectly integrated.
This installment of Uncharted Waters is still talked about with great relish by many players in the future, and it laid the foundation for the masterpiece "Uncharted Waters IV".
Capcom's Breath of Fire II: The Chosen Child is considered one of the most underrated RPGs in history.
In the same year, Square released Final Fantasy VI, which represented the pinnacle of profound scriptwriting and game design creativity; to this day, no successor in the RPG genre has been able to surpass its influence and achievements.
SNK also introduced The King of Fighters '94, which represented one of the future directions for the development of fighting games.
On the PC front, the epic real-time strategy game Warcraft appeared, ushering in the era of RTS.
However, unlike the actual course of history, the future Blizzard empire will lack the Diablo series, which is a massive piece of the puzzle.
Aoki Haruhi really doesn't have the manpower to develop PC real-time strategy games, which is a bit of a pity, as Warcraft is such a huge IP.
***
In short, 1994 was a very subtle turning point. In this year, 2D games achieved unprecedented development, and one could even say they reached their dazzling peak.
At the same time, however, one could see new things sprouting.
Not only was Sony's new game console stirring, waiting to explode in popularity upon its release in the second half of the year and bring about a 3D revolution in console gaming, but PC gaming performance was also gradually improving. CPUs, graphics cards, sound cards... all had made significant strides, and the new platform games developed on this foundation were also beginning to stand out.
Whenever something develops to its absolute limit, it is highly likely that other new kings are already sprouting. 1994 was precisely such a delicate turning point.
2D games were now like towering trees, and side-scrolling platformers had already gone through many generations of iteration.
There are family-friendly games like Super Mario and the Kirby series, as well as Sega's Sonic with its parkour gameplay, Mega Man-style side-scrolling combat shooters, and even high-difficulty side-scrolling action games like Ninja Gaiden...
Just when everyone thought it was hard to come up with anything new for 2D side-scrollers, Pokeni's new title, Patema Inverted, has really caught people's eyes.
The gameplay content shown in the PV alone has already whetted players' appetites.
"Hey, have you guys seen the PV for Pokeni's new game?"
"Yeah, I saw it. It feels like watching an animated movie, and the character designs for the hero and heroine are so funny—they're actually hugging each other in the game."
"The art style is as exquisite as always; it's worthy of Pokeni."
"Yeah, the PV for this game really looks unique compared to others. It has that strong, distinct Pokeni flavor; you can tell it's a P-Corp production just by looking at it."
"Hahaha, I've seen games where you run on the ground, but never one where you run in the sky. What's up with Pokeni this time? Why did they suddenly decide to develop a side-scrolling platformer like this? It's definitely not Pokeni's strong suit, is it?"
"That's true. The PV looks quite interesting, but I'm not sure what the actual experience will be like."
"It's a Mikami Shinji game, so at the very least, the playability should be guaranteed, right?"
"Hmm... it's hard to say for sure. It's mainly because Pokeni has never made this type of game before. Mikami Shinji's real-time games are quite good, but surely 2D side-scrolling is different from the top-down combat he's done before?"
"Yeah, but in terms of difficulty, top-down, real-time combat on a 2D plane is probably harder."
"Regardless, the gravity-reversal mechanic alone is worth experiencing at least once, isn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah. I want to buy a copy too."
***
Tokyo.
Pokeni Corporation.
It was raining heavily in May, and the sky outside was gloomy, but Aoki Haruhi was in a very cheerful mood.
Heavy rain.
A good omen.
This is the Dragon King...
No, wait, it's a windfall of wealth. As they say, water is money.
With "Patema Inverted" about to be released, this is a sign of a massive hit.
Aoki Haruhi's way of thinking is a bit different from others; he can always look on the bright side of things. If it were anyone else, seeing weather like this would probably dampen their mood a little.
In the morning, the employees sat at their desks, busy with their tasks.
Even with the release date fast approaching, the members of the "Patema Inverted" project team hadn't slowed down one bit.
"How about it? The game is about to be released, are you happy?"
The art and programming staff looked up, sporting large dark circles under their eyes. They stared at Aoki with expressions like zombies, their eyes dead and lifeless.
President, do you think we can even be happy? The rush work over the last month or so has been insane, especially with Wada adding so many requirements. It's been exhausting for everyone.
However, tracking down the real culprit, it was ultimately Aoki Haruhi.
So, the way everyone looked at Aoki was filled with a hint of resentment.
"Happy~" they replied perfunctorily.
Good grief, Aoki felt his heart skip a beat for no reason.
If you're happy, just be happy; why make it look like you're filming a horror movie?
Turning back to take a look, he discovered that Mikami Shinji and Gen Urobuchi were enthusiastically discussing something.
Aoki Haruhi walked over silently and caught a snippet of their conversation, only to find that the two were actually chatting about recent matchmaking dates.
"Ahem." Aoki Haruhi coughed twice.
The two turned around, and seeing it was the President, they hurriedly bowed slightly, "President."
"How is it? The game is about to be released, you must be feeling very nervous, right?"
"Well, a little bit nervous, yes," Mikami Shinji replied after thinking seriously, "but compared to 'The Witcher' before, it doesn't seem that nervous."
"That's for sure. When it was 'The Witcher', you were a new producer, Mikami, the pressure must have been huge," Gen Urobuchi said with a smile, "But, I've found that these things are all like this. Once you've experienced it a few times and gotten used to it, you don't have that heart-pounding feeling where you can't even sleep well at night anymore."
Gen Urobuchi narrowed his eyes, seemingly nostalgic for his days as a newcomer.
"That's true. Once you've seen enough big waves, it's actually just like that." Mikami Shinji nodded.
Aoki Haruhi was slightly taken aback.
Good grief, these two were really putting on airs here.
You two aren't considering the feelings of the brothers outside at all.
"Hmm, having confidence is a good thing, but don't get too carried away," Aoki Haruhi reminded them, "The results aren't out yet."
"Yes! President."
***
This is what it's like when you have a successful game under your belt—you don't panic at all, while the newcomers are the ones freaking out.
Currently involved in the production of CL and LL, Jun Maeda gets scolded by Mr. Hayao Miyazaki every single day to no end, sometimes wishing he could just crawl into a blanket and truly become a "Blanket Man."
Seeing the calm and composed demeanor of gaming titans Urobuchi and Mikami, Jun Maeda couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
I wonder when I'll be able to have that kind of confidence.
***
After a period of fermentation, the hype for Patema Inverted has gradually built up.
However, it seems everyone is looking forward to the return of Kogahara Tsubakiaki more, and consequently, the buzz for this game isn't as high as it was for Blanket Man.
Moreover, because this is Pokeni's first side-scrolling platformer, curiosity outweighs anticipation; people are unsure if Pokeni can truly handle this type of game.
According to the perception of many players, it's good that Pokeni has ideas, and Mikami is a good producer, but the specific outcome is hard to say.
After all, P Corporation has crashed and burned in genres they weren't familiar with before.
Even now, Noble Academy is still often brought up, and it could be considered a dark chapter in Aoki Haruhi's life.
However, while there are doubts about the gameplay experience, no one has ever questioned the game's quality or visuals. Even without knowing how it plays, the posters and PV for Patema Inverted are eye-catching.
Days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, it was May 28, 1994.
On this day, Patema Inverted was released on schedule.
***
After getting off work in the evening, Furukawa Hirozawa was walking home. He glanced in the direction of his familiar game shop and was surprised to see a line forming.
He checked his watch and saw it was already past 6 o'clock.
He hadn't expected the game shop to be so busy at this hour.
But upon second thought, it suddenly dawned on him—
Oh, right, today is the release day for Pokeni's new game.
It had been over half a year since he'd last heard any news from Pokeni; the last game they released was "Blanket Man".
To be honest, the moment the words "Blanket Man" crossed his mind, an image of the Blanket Man, draped in his comforter and hugging the Hedgehog Girl covered in white spikes, automatically appeared in Furukawa Hirozawa's brain.
"Ah~ time flies."
Looking back on it now, it feels like he just played that game yesterday.
However, compared to "Patema Inverted", Furukawa Hirozawa was looking forward more to the galgame that P-Corp would release in the future.
Especially with Hayao Miyazaki's involvement, it was even more anticipated.
But well...
As a loyal player of P-Corp, Furukawa Hirozawa decided to go take a look anyway.
Who knows, maybe this "Patema Inverted" would be more interesting than he imagined?
***
Before even entering the store, Furukawa Hirozawa stopped in his tracks, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the large poster plastered on the glass window.
It was the game poster for "Patema Inverted."
His first reaction: How beautiful.
The sea of clouds and the horizon above were interwoven, giving one the illusion of floating.
Wait, was the poster hung upside down?
But looking closely, he realized that wasn't the case at all.
P Corporation had designed it this way on purpose, the goal being to highlight their anti-gravity selling point.
As for how the game itself was, Furukawa Hirozawa couldn't judge yet, but just seeing the visuals gave him a strong premonition—
If this game were made into an anime, it would surely have a very strong narrative.
Even with just a glance, Furukawa Hirozawa's brain had already involuntarily conjured up many scenes and plot points.
***
"Welcome."
The store manager looked up and greeted him warmly as Hirozawa Furukawa pushed open the door and walked in.
"Patema Inverted is on that shelf over there."
It seemed he had seen right through him, a smile beaming on the store manager's face.
"Thank you."
Hirozawa Furukawa made his way over, found the corresponding game box on the shelf, took it down, and held it in his palms, giving it a gentle wipe.
The cover was exquisite, with the male and female protagonists separated top and bottom, as if they were in two different worlds.
The cover read: [Patema Inverted]
Hirozawa Furukawa tried turning the box upside down and discovered a line of small print underneath:
[The truth of the world, for you to uncover.]
This line of text was upside down relative to the title on the cover.
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