On a sweltering summer afternoon, the kind of heat that felt like it could melt a person enveloped all of Tokyo.
Inside Sony Headquarters, however, a specially modified laboratory was as cool as autumn.
Director Yoshikawa from Sega had just arrived, accompanied by Nakayama Takuya and Suzuki Masao.
On the Sony side, Mitsui Chuta, Sony Music President Maruyama Shigeo, and Kutaragi Ken were already waiting.
The style of this laboratory was the epitome of a mixed-and-matched aesthetic. Three walls were inlaid with enormous mirrors, reflecting everything in the room.
In the center of the open space stood a lone arcade machine, its protective casing not yet installed. Beside it was a wide button platform on the floor.
Unexpectedly, a corner of the lab featured a long counter that resembled a bar, complete with a respectable-looking liquor cabinet behind it. A coffee machine quietly emanated residual warmth. This was said to be something Smith had requested to maintain his inspiration and passion. After all, this lab would be used to record more dance music games in the future, and the wealthy Sony had agreed without hesitation, even adding the liquor cabinet and a coffee machine.
Thus, the lab became a wondrous fusion: a dance practice studio + music workshop + game laboratory + bar counter.
It was said that many executives from within Sony related to the LD project or Sony Music had come to visit out of curiosity.
Upon leaving, their faces invariably wore expressions of pride, as if to say, "This is what Sony should be," believing it perfectly embodied Sony's business characteristics and innovative spirit.
The executives, each holding a cup of coffee, sat casually on high stools, seemingly engaged in light conversation, yet their gazes were all invariably fixed on the peculiar setup in the center of the room.
Unlike a typical arcade machine, this one's screen was a 29-inch Trinitron, the largest size Sony had on the market, boasting vibrant colors and exquisite picture quality.
The machine had no traditional joystick or buttons.
In their place was a huge platform, about two meters square. Arrow patterns clearly marked the four directions, and the borders of the sensor zones were outlined in red, yellow, blue, and green.
At the end of each sensor zone, a small set of stage lights was covered by high-strength transparent glass, twinkling with a faint, standby glow.
Looking up, a more complex set of stage lights hung from the lab ceiling, aimed directly at the button platform below, as if ready to shower it with splendid light at any moment.
A lighting technician was making the final adjustments, slightly dimming the ambient lights, leaving just enough brightness to draw everyone's attention to the center.
A developer from Sega carefully inserted an LD disc, which had the dance moves and button chart for "Bad" recorded on it, into the arcade machine's disc tray.
Nakayama Takuya and Kutaragi Ken exchanged a glance.
Each could see in the other's eyes an undisguised anticipation, mixed with a hint of subtle nervousness.
"Let me give it a try."
A sound engineer from Sony Music, wearing headphones, volunteered. He had been involved in some of the sound effects work for this project and was full of anticipation and longing for the game.
He took a deep breath and, with a slight touch of awkwardness, stepped onto the futuristic platform.
Almost as soon as his feet landed, the four borders of the arcade screen lit up in succession with a soft glow.
Immediately after, the massive word "READY" appeared in the center of the screen, continuously enlarging with great visual tension.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the sound engineer took a deep breath. Recalling the instructions he had been given, he did a small jump and landed steadily.
"CLANK!"
A crisp, sharp, metallic composite sound effect erupted from the arcade machine's built-in sound system, both powerful and refined.
At almost the same instant, the enormous, ever-expanding "READY" on the screen seemed to be struck by this sound, shattering into countless fragments that flew outwards. Before the fragments had disappeared, an even more vivid and dynamic "GO!" had already taken over the entire screen, its edges shimmering with a flashing neon effect.
But that wasn't all.
The lights at the end of the red, yellow, blue, and green sensor zones on the platform's edge, as well as the more complex set of stage lights above their heads, seemed to receive some kind of command and were all ignited at once.
High-intensity blue-and-white beams of light, like a waking beast opening its eyes, instantly pierced the slightly dim atmosphere of the laboratory.
The beams crisscrossed, reflecting and refracting off the mirrored walls. For a moment, the entire space seemed to be enveloped in a net of countless light rays, pushing the sense of technology and stage spectacle to the extreme.
The previously solitary arcade machine had now become the absolute centerpiece of the room, a stage where a miracle was about to unfold.
"Ooh!"
"Whoa..."
A wave of audible, suppressed gasps and low exclamations rippled through the room.
A few of the younger Sony testers, who had been feigning composure, now couldn't help but clench their fists, their knuckles turning white from the force. Even the executives, who were used to grand occasions, couldn't help but lean forward slightly.
Next, a highly piercing musical intro with a strong drum beat erupted from the professional-grade speakers on both sides of the arcade machine—it was none other than the title track from Michael Jackson's upcoming album, "Bad."
Every drum beat was clear and full, the bassline powerful and strong, instantly filling the entire lab.
The very air seemed to vibrate along with it. This force directly struck the eardrums and chests of everyone present, invigorating their spirits.
The lights didn't stay idle. They came alive with the rhythm of the music. At times they would fade in and out like a breath, at others they would flash rapidly with the drum beats. The colors constantly switched, chased, and collided between red, blue, yellow, and white, perfectly synchronized with the music's rhythm, further igniting the atmosphere of the venue.
The lab, which had seemed a bit of a mishmash before, had now been completely transformed into a small yet professional disco.
As the classic synthesizer melody grew clearer and the music entered the main verse, the figure of LaVelle Smith Jr. finally appeared clearly on the huge 29-inch Trinitron screen.
He was wearing his signature black leather outfit, adorned with numerous metal buckles and zippers, standing under a virtual spotlight. Every detail was perfectly rendered on the Trinitron screen, with vibrant colors and fluid motion, as if he were there in person.
As Smith's dance moves began on the screen, four arrow indicators corresponding to the bright colors of red, yellow, blue, and green appeared simultaneously at the bottom of the screen.
And from the top of the screen, transparent colored bars of varying lengths, also in red, yellow, blue, and green, began to fall in time with Smith's dance steps.
The Sony sound engineer's face was now a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
He tried his best to recall the dance steps he had crammed from the instructional videos over the past few days. Watching the dancer on the screen and the falling bars, he began to stomp his feet, clumsily but earnestly.
His movements were far from graceful, and he certainly lacked Smith's unique flair.
But his great advantage was his extreme familiarity with the song's rhythm; he managed to hit almost every step with decent precision.
For most of the falling bars, he successfully achieved a "Great" rating or better, and remarkably, he didn't miss a single one.
A wonderful thing happened.
Depending on the rating received for each bar, the combination and brightness of the lights from the platform and the ceiling were completely different.
For a "Great" rating, the lights would become bright and rhythmic.
When he occasionally hit a "Perfect," brilliant colored beams would explode like fireworks, drawing quiet cheers from the younger employees around.
As his accumulation of high ratings continuously pushed up the score on the screen, the brilliance of the lights overhead escalated to another level, making the entire venue feel like a miniature disco.
When the dance was over, the screen clearly displayed the sound engineer's score for his step accuracy—a rather impressive high score.
As for whether the dancing itself looked good, that was a matter of subjective opinion.
But the young people present, especially those employees who had participated in parts of the development and testing, were now completely swept up by the thrilling music and dazzling lights.
They began to sway their bodies gently to the music's lingering rhythm, their faces glowing with excitement. The atmosphere instantly became electric.
Nakayama Takuya took it all in, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in an unconscious smile.
This was precisely the effect he had wanted.
This immersive audio-visual experience, this sense of achievement from instant feedback, was the core charm of the LD arcade game.