"Patema Inverted" was an immediate hit with countless players as soon as it was released.
After experiencing the game, everyone was eager to discuss its content, and they were thoroughly enjoying it.
On Monday, during their lunch break, Hirozawa Furukawa went up to the rooftop to excitedly chat about the topic with his friends.
"Hey, have you guys played Pokeni's new game?"
Everyone looked at each other and smiled.
"Patema Inverted," Sugita-kun, who was behind him, also joined the discussion. "This time, Pokeni has really made an incredible game."
Everyone was holding a lunch box, chatting excitedly about the game while they ate.
Kigami nodded in deep agreement, "This game is just too fun, isn't it? Pokeni's new work completely exceeded my expectations."
I originally thought that Pokeni wasn't very good at making side-scrolling games, but when I actually experienced this game, I was completely blown away.
The combination of gravity and anti-gravity gives one the illusion of truly exploring a topsy-turvy world.
I often died from jumping because I didn't reverse gravity in time.
Falling into the sky and dying—if I had told anyone about that before Patema Inverted came out, I definitely would have been laughed at."
"Hahaha, so I'm not the only one!" Hayamigawa laughed loudly.
The game is fun, but it's just so easy to die.
Hmm...
I should say the difficulty isn't actually that high, but because some of the mechanics go against human instinct, it feels harder.
Once you get used to it, it's fine.
"As expected of a game produced by Mikami Shinji, the level design and control scheme are truly creative and amazing."
"It's not just that, Gen Urobuchi's script is also quite good." Hirozawa Furukawa smacked his lips, recalling the scenes from when he played the game, still savoring the lingering taste and wishing he could chew on it a few more times.
Games are like delicious food; when you taste them, they bring a joy like no other.
Yet, they differ from food because even afterwards, every time you think back on them, you can still savor that same joy.
"Yeah, Old Xu really lives up to his name. The twists just keep coming, with layers upon layers of suspense.
I originally thought this world was just a simple dualistic one: the inverted people underground and the Aigan people on the surface.
Then it was just a story of the male and female leads saving each other.
I never expected that when they flew into the sky, there would actually be a Castle in the Sky above." Hayamigawa's eyes widened, his expression comically exaggerated.
Everyone was amused by him.
But what Hayamigawa said was a fact, and everyone felt the same way.
"I originally thought it was a triple world, but at the very end, there was another twist. After the underground world of the Inverts was broken through, we realized that it was actually the Aigan people who were the 'inverted' ones, and the Inverts were the humans who had lived there all along.
When I reached that part, I was truly shocked; I had goosebumps all over."
"Me too. And my first reaction at the time was—
What on earth is this?
I felt like my brain just couldn't keep up," Sugita-kun said with a laugh, "In order to unravel the truth and organize my thoughts, I even specifically got paper and a pen to draw it all out."
"Huh? Me too," Furukawa Hirozawa said, surprised.
"Me too," Kigami and Hayamigawa said in turn.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
So it turned out their IQs were all about the same, and no one was smarter than anyone else.
After the laughter died down, these guys heaped even more praise on "Patema Inverted."
"Overall, we were all affected by Gen Urobuchi's narrative trick."
"That's right, Old Xu is really too evil."
"To have a heart this dark, Gen Urobuchi must be an old man who has been through a lot, right?"
"Who knows? I think he's at least a middle-aged man."
"Yeah, this author is on par with Kogahara Tsubakiaki. Both are the type with extremely twisted hearts. I wonder what kind of life they've led to have such a dark side."
On the rooftop, the group fiercely criticized Kogahara Tsubakiaki and Gen Urobuchi.
"But have you noticed that this time, the number of transitional GIFs and text explanations Old Xu used is actually quite small, which is completely different from a typical galgame?" Furukawa asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, it really is quite different.
Many games progress their plots through game levels and character interactions, as if they are acting everything out."
"No, to be precise, what Old Xu did was let you experience the world for yourself.
It's so natural.
So natural that you wouldn't even notice any awkwardness in the game's text."
"Hmm, that's why 'Patema Inverted' is truly amazing. Pokeni's game design is getting more and more mature."
"The genres are different, though. After all, this game isn't like a galgame; galgames can completely serve the plot."
"That's why Gen Urobuchi is so impressive. Even with limited text and without text-based narrative as the core, he was still able to polish such a good story. It's truly amazing how naturally it integrates with the levels and gameplay."
Hayamigawa said, "The puzzle-solving parts in the game's levels are also super interesting.
Especially when you're looking for parts to repair the flying machine in the Castle in the Sky, with the sea of clouds floating right below you. It kept my heart in my throat the whole time; I didn't even dare to look down."
"Yeah, I also find it strange," Furukawa Hirozawa recalled the scenes in the game and that terrifying sensation of weightlessness from his dream, still feeling lingering fear even now.
"Why are we so deathly afraid of the sky, even though we're clearly on the ground?"
"That's because human perception of gravity is realized through the entire body, not just through vision."
My junior, Sugita-kun, was clearly a sci-fi nerd who had researched this subject deeply. He pushed up his glasses with his index finger, adopting a sanctimonious air.
"Astronauts in space have to crawl into specific bags and strap themselves to a mattress with cords in order to fall asleep. This is partly to prevent them from drifting around while asleep, and partly to let their skin feel the pressure against the mattress. Otherwise, their muscles would interpret the weightless state as falling, which would disrupt their sleep.
Even so, many astronauts are often jolted awake in their dreams due to the sensation of weightlessness.
In other words, vision alone cannot create the sensation of falling.
Space life takes place in a weightless environment where people lose their reference coordinates for 'up' and 'down'. Your feet don't touch the ground, everything around you is 'up', and you can't distinguish between up and down at all. Therefore, there's no such thing as 'lying flat' when sleeping.
Since you can fall asleep standing up, lying down, or even face down, astronauts can sleep floating in the space capsule, hanging on the wall, strapped to a bed, suspended from a beam, or leaning against a table.
However, most astronauts aren't used to sleeping while floating."
Since astronauts can sleep standing up, lying down, or even face down, they can sleep floating in the space capsule, hanging on the wall, strapped to a bed, suspended from a beam, or leaning against a table.
However, most astronauts are not used to sleeping while floating.
Once they wake up from this floating sleep, they get a feeling of falling into a bottomless abyss.
To feel secure, astronauts generally sleep on fixed beds or in sleeping bags attached to the walls. When the sleeping bag is tightened, it applies a certain amount of pressure to the body, which helps them eliminate that sense of panic from feeling like they are drifting away.
Conversely, astronauts can use strapped sleeping bags and ropes to simulate gravity. If one can mitigate the effects of gravity on Earth, one can also use the sky to slightly induce a fear of heights.
In my own experience, when I was a child, I would go hiking, spread a tablecloth on the soft grass, and lie down with my limbs stretched out, where the effect of gravity was minimal.
My muscles only felt the pressure from the few dozen centimeters of body weight on top.
Indeed, one can feel "acrophobia" due to the immense sense of space created by the blue sky and white clouds; if you look at it for long enough, you might think you are in danger of falling into the sky.
Also, when you are in an outdoor swimming pool, supporting your upper body with a small air mattress while most of your body is submerged in the water, using buoyancy to offset gravity—staring at the sky at this moment allows you to feel this reverse "acrophobia" the most.
Especially when you realize that the clouds are larger than anything you see in daily life."
"Yes, that's true," Hayamigawa chimed in:
"I also feel fear when I look up at the sky.
Especially when looking at the starry sky.
Looking at any single star for even a little while, I start to feel fear.
It's like drowning, a feeling of having no solid ground beneath you.
The ground under my feet no longer feels solid, and I have a sense of being hopelessly adrift, with nothing to rely on.
"If you look at any star for even a little while, you'll feel fear.
It's like that feeling of drowning, of not being able to find solid ground.
The earth beneath my feet no longer feels solid; it feels like there's nothing to rely on.
People say the starry sky is beautiful, but I can't feel that.
Looking at the starry sky only gives me a sense of nothingness.
Because when I think about those stars, including the moon, they are so, so far away.
Any one of them is light-years away, and it feels like if I look at them for too long, I'll be sucked up, floating in that void of eternal space where there's nothing, only loneliness and cold.
Maybe it's a form of acrophobia; looking at something high up in the sky feels just like being thousands of meters in the air, without any sense of having my feet on solid ground."
"Terrifying..."
Hearing Hayamigawa's description, the group felt a chill shoot up from the soles of their feet.
"Right? It's actually quite scary, isn't it? The starry sky?" Hayamigawa said with great seriousness, "That's why when I play this game, I can really empathize with Patema's feelings. The starry sky itself is something to be feared."
"No."
The group shook their heads.
Furukawa Hirozawa pointed a finger at Hayamigawa, "We think your way of thinking is what's terrifying. You're really pitiful, Hayamigawa."
"Ah temee"
***
Patema Inverted lived up to expectations, quickly accumulating high acclaim after its release and instantly becoming the month's big hit.
Within just one week of release, sales had already exceeded 400,000 copies.
At this rate, hitting 2 million copies will be easy, and it might even surpass 5 million within the year.
The reason Patema is so popular is partly due to the excellent quality of the game itself—its outstanding creativity, first-rate plot, immersive experience, exquisite art...
Pokeni has almost single-handedly raised the overall quality of games to an unprecedented height.
On the other hand, Patema Inverted is different from Pokeni's other past games; it's not a galgame, but a side-scrolling platformer.
The target audience for galgames is actually quite limited, and the entire genre is considered niche.
The reason their previous works were able to achieve good sales was entirely because Pokeni stood alone as a singular talent, creating masterpieces within the galgame genre for players.
After all, these target users are mostly of a certain age, and the majority are male.
There are girls who play galgames, but they are relatively few, unless it's a game that offers dual storylines for male and female leads, like The Entropic Man.
Most game companies tailor their production and design to specific target audiences. Games geared towards men tend to have more "fan service."
Even if Pokeni is the god of galgames, they'd max out at a million copies, and that would be hitting the absolute ceiling for the genre.
Side-scrolling games are very different; their target audience is extremely broad, encompassing the vast majority of Japanese gamers.
The content of this game is also very wholesome, features excellent imagination, and can be enjoyed by players from 6 to 80 years old.
To make the game more "universally accessible," Mikami Shinji even specifically reduced the difficulty, simplifying some of the inverted, ultra-hard levels.
So, a game that is impressive in every aspect and has the potential to break out of its niche—how could it not be a hit?
"Patema Inverted" surpassed many of its contemporaries in just one week, making it the undisputed monthly sales champion.
If no stronger competitor appears within this year, it's even possible for this game to challenge for the annual sales crown.
Many people are already feeling that this game can pre-order the Best Game award at the 1994 Famitsu Game Awards.
Not only that, but with its top-tier plot, gameplay, and soundtrack, it might even end up winning multiple awards.
***
Not only that, but it's top-tier in terms of story, gameplay, and soundtrack—it might even win multiple awards.
***
After "Patema Inverted" was released, the Famitsu editors were almost moved to tears.
"It's great. Pokeni has finally made a game with high scores across the board. We won't have to be scolded anymore."
"It's truly rare. I heard from a Nintendo employee that even a master game producer like Shigeru Miyamoto couldn't stop praising it."
"Huh? Really? Nintendo actually praises others? Especially since this is supposed to be a genre they excel in."
"It's still quite different. Clearly, Patema's art style is more geared towards teenagers, and the game genre and core gameplay are different, so it shouldn't compete with Nintendo, right?"
"But perhaps that's exactly why Mr. Miyamoto praised it, right?"
"Yeah. This also shows that Pokeni's new game is quite good."
"We can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, we'd be scolded by players every time."
***
"Mm-hmm, there's no doubt that 'Patema Inverted' will definitely enter the Platinum Hall of Fame. The only question is whether it can get a perfect score."
"Hmm, well, 'Patema Inverted' is definitely making it into the Platinum Hall of Fame. The only question is whether it can get a perfect score."
Several editors exchanged glances, their hearts pounding.
They all knew it implicitly: don't you dare say what score you're giving it; if you're wrong, it becomes my fault!
So the pressure's back on them, isn't it?
To give a perfect score or not, that is the question.
If they're not careful, they might even get chewed out by players for not giving the score they expected.
But well, that's something to worry about in the future.
I'll just submit my score; I have no idea what the other editors are giving.
"Yeah, it really wasn't easy. I wonder if President Aoki Haruhi finally came to his senses? Or did the talk with Editor-in-Chief Hamamura actually have an effect?"
The editors all turned to look at Hamamura Hirokazu, who was sitting at his desk.
The latter was slightly stunned. Me?
What kind of influence could I possibly have?
When did I ever talk to President Aoki Haruhi about this?
However, seeing the looks of reverence from everyone, he couldn't help but smile and give a slight nod.
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