Entering the Ocean Exhibition Hall required tickets, but the rest of the building's exterior hall was open for free exploration. When Matsuoka Satoshi tried to enter the main exhibition area, a prompt appeared: he had to wait for his parents to buy the tickets. For now, he could only wander around the hall.
Satoshi explored the hall, interacting with its various features. The more prominent scenes were all accessible. After investigating, he found that the dialogue was simple and well-suited to the protagonist—a nine-year-old elementary school student. His perspective on things was completely different from that of an adult.
Seeing the massive skeletons of marine creatures, he would exclaim, "So scary!" But when he saw the tropical fish tanks on display outside, he'd gush, "So cute!"
After rounding the giant skeleton of a marine creature, Satoshi spotted a random NPC he could talk to. When he approached and initiated a conversation, he noticed the NPC actually had a face—a sign he was likely an important character.
The only problem was—
Satoshi frowned.
This look is so familiar! Why does this young man have dyed hair? And why is it a bleached-blonde highlight?
He doesn't look like a good person at all!
Matsuoka Satoshi frowned and exchanged a few brief words with the shady-looking NPC. Suddenly, a prompt flashed on the screen: his father was calling him. When he tried to speak to the NPC again, the man had only one line left.
"Your parents are calling you, aren't they? Go on, go see them."
Matsuoka Satoshi stopped talking to him and turned back to find his parents.
It seemed that after some haggling, they had successfully bought the tickets, and the group could now enter the ocean exhibition hall.
At this point, Matsuoka Satoshi's breathing gradually slowed.
After playing for just a few minutes, he found the game's music and art style to be quite refreshing. The art was clean—not exactly gorgeous, but very clear, without any unnecessary lines. As for the music, while it might not be breathtaking, it was pleasant to the ear.
The only thing was...
Matsuoka Satoshi was a bit confused.
What exactly is this game about?!
Fortunately, he was a very patient person. In fact, as someone who conducted experiments, he had no choice but to be.
Just as a brief, unskippable plot sequence ended, Matsuoka Satoshi suddenly realized that his parents, who had been leading the way, had vanished. In the vast exhibition hall, only Ren, the nine-year-old girl, remained.
"Huh? Huh?!"
Matsuoka Satoshi's eyes widened.
So it's finally starting! The game is officially beginning!
Matsuoka Satoshi did a quick sweep of the now-dimly lit Ocean Exhibition Hall. A click-clack, click-clack sound emanated from the TV speakers—the sound of someone scratching an old tape recorder. The static-filled noise grated on his ears, making him inexplicably irritable.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, the source of the noise finally appeared on the screen.
Hiss—
Matsuoka Satoshi froze.
A monster!!
But he wasn't Marco, wielding a Heavy Machine Gun. He wasn't Snake, who could punch his way through a military base.
He was just a nine-year-old girl in a yellow sun hat!
In an instant, Matsuoka Satoshi realized there was only one solution.
Run! If I don't run now, when will I?
The fire exit was right ahead. Though it was a top-down 2D game, Matsuoka Satoshi was unfamiliar with the environment. He could only fumble his way forward, running blindly, but the monster caught up to him in no time.
The screen went black—
Matsuoka Satoshi clicked his tongue.
Though the game didn't explicitly state he had died, the sound of something being crushed and the subsequent black screen made it impossible to imagine any other outcome.
After restarting, the game returned to the very beginning: a family of three entering the Ocean Exhibition Hall.
Matsuoka Satoshi set down the controller.
By now, he had a general understanding of the game.
"Still, returning directly to the start after dying... that's brutal," Matsuoka Satoshi said.
Koyakawa quickly bowed. "Actually, if this were officially released, we could add a battery to the cartridge. That way, players could save their progress."
Matsuoka Satoshi countered, "But wouldn't cartridges with a save function be much more expensive? I admit this is a unique game, but do you really think people would pay a premium for such a cartridge?"
"I... uh..."
Koyakawa fell silent, unsure how to respond.
Kobayashi Tetsu had told her that even if a game like this was well-made, it would only cultivate a niche, loyal following. Achieving mainstream success was impossible.
Though the truth cut like a knife, Koyakawa believed Kobayashi Tetsu's judgment was sound.
Thus, she still couldn't answer the question.
Matsuoka Satoshi didn't press her further, merely offering a polite nod.
"I think this is a game with a very unique perspective and a truly original vision," Matsuoka Satoshi said. "I'm genuinely curious how a nine-year-old girl, without any means of fighting back, could survive in such a perilous environment. And why did she come here in the first place?"
With that, he picked up a token, bowed, and turned to leave.
Koyakawa let out a long sigh of relief.
At least she'd handed out some tokens!
The game should be able to pass the cut now, right?
At the voting booth, Kobayashi Tetsu walked up behind the employee responsible for tallying the votes.
"What's the count?"
"Yes, President!" The employee turned and bowed. "The front-runner is a side-scrolling shooter inspired by Metal Slug, titled Metal Shell. It's leading by a wide margin. Pokémon is currently in fourth place, also with a significant number of votes."
The employee listed the titles one by one. Kobayashi Tetsu's keen eyes immediately noticed that Koyakawa's game was sitting exactly in eleventh place.
With nearly thirty independent developers present, ranking eleventh meant players were still showing a fair amount of support.
Kobayashi Tetsu thought it over. Since things had already come to this, it was best to avoid any underhanded dealings.
The original plan was to sponsor ten games, but now he would increase it to fifteen. That way, they could still be accepted.
Out of fifteen games, they were bound to secure at least two. A two-out-of-fifteen success rate was still quite impressive among publishers!
Just like that, 300 million yen is gone, Kobayashi Tetsu lamented.
How many copies of Pokémon do we need to sell to earn back 300 million yen?!
"Look at this! I haven't even started on the anime yet! How can we not make a Pokémon anime? Pikachu absolutely has to appear on TV!"
Kobayashi Tetsu's most vivid memory of the Pokémon anime was a single scene.
"Satoshi, let's battle! If you lose, you have to date me, okay?"
"Alright! But Pikachu and I won't lose!"
Watching this as a child, Kobayashi Tetsu had marveled at Satoshi's resolve—a true man's man who refused to be manipulated by women.
Could an ordinary person have done something like that?
Probably only someone as stubborn as Tajiri Satoshi could have created such a unique protagonist based on himself.
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