Koyakawa's resignation had no real impact on *Kadokawa Game Magazine*.
The next day, *Kadokawa Game Magazine* released its new issue right on schedule, featuring a review of the free-to-play game *Syobon Action*.
In the magazine, Editor-in-Chief Tofuya Fami-bo labeled it a "Kuso game."
*Kuso* is the Japanese word for "crap" or "shitty," and Tofuya Fami-bo defined a "Kuso game" as a parody game—or rather, a game made with a dead-serious attitude to be a total piece of garbage.
He even listed a few examples that fit the definition of a Kuso game, such as the FC title *Takeshi's Challenge* released in the mid-80s. And, of course, there was the current *Syobon Action*.
In terms of production quality, you had to admit the developer was serious. But as for the resulting work—this game was a real piece of crap.
Still, the article managed to pique a lot of people's curiosity.
*Just how much of a piece of crap is this game?*
They had already taken on *Takeshi's Challenge*, but no one had played *Syobon Action* yet!
Anyway, the gameplay couldn't be considered a rip-off, and the game was free. At first glance, the name would even make people smile knowingly.
Many people started asking each other.
"Did you go to the Atlas Carnival?"
"You went? Then you must have the Syobon Action cartridge! Lend it to me, I want to see just how big this game is!"
Iwasaki Isao couldn't attend the Atlas Carnival due to work, which left him deeply disappointed. Now, he was asking around everywhere to find out who had a Syobon Action cartridge.
A few friends did have the cartridge, but when he asked, he found out they had already lent them all out.
Utterly discouraged, Iwasaki Isao could only go home and play other games, but he still occasionally thought about it.
So, after all...
Just how big was Syobon Action?
After thinking about it day and night for several days, Iwasaki Isao was lying in bed fantasizing about the "big" game when he saw his uncle, Iwasaki Daisuke, walk in.
"Isao, look what I brought you!"
Iwasaki Daisuke flipped his hand.
"The Syobon Action cartridge?"
"No, it's a videotape of an interview program. I knew you wouldn't have seen it, so I brought it specifically for you!"
Iwasaki Daisuke inserted the videotape into the player. It was a program interviewing Iwata Satoru, since Iwata was the head of the Technical Development Department.
Iwata Satoru spoke with emotion on screen: "After we finished developing the Persona Engine, the President personally created a small game to test the engine's capabilities. It only took him two short days. I was the first person fortunate enough to play Syobon Action. It's embarrassing to admit, but I'm not someone who gets angry easily. I believe that kind of impotent rage only ruins one's own state of mind."
"However, that time, I was furious—"
"Atlas didn't even keep any copies of the Syobon Action cartridge. They only gave one copy to each user participating in the Carnival. But, if you bought the Persona Engine, it actually came with Syobon Action as a test project."
Iwasaki Isao shot to his feet.
There's something like that?!
"But the Persona Engine is so expensive!"
Iwasaki Daisuke beat his chest. "Then let's split the cost with Uncle! Even though neither of us can develop games, we can sell it to someone who wants to develop games after we buy it. We just need to try out Syobon Action!"
Iwasaki Isao gritted his teeth and agreed.
The two of them pooled their money, each spending over ten thousand yen, and finally bought a Persona Engine disc.
The moment the Syobon Action screen appeared, Iwasaki Isao was ecstatic.
Here it is!
This is the game Kadokawa Game calls the worst in history! Syobon Action!
He was determined to see just how terrible it really was.
...
Half an hour later, Iwasaki Isao slumped in his chair, his eyes vacant.
It was indeed terrible.
Every step in the game seemed to be a death trap, and every action led to a disastrous outcome.
If the game hadn't been free, Iwasaki Isao would have stormed into the Atlas office and beaten Kobayashi Tetsu senseless!
"Wait, that's not right! They're playing it for free, but I'm playing the version bundled with the Persona Engine! I paid for this!"
Iwasaki Isao seethed with rage.
He had spent over ten thousand yen to play a game this massive.
He had to ambush Kobayashi Tetsu outside the Atlas office tonight!
Iwasaki Isao stormed out the door, only to learn some monumental news.
Kobayashi Tetsu, the president of Atlas, would be shutting himself away for the next period. He planned to personally use the Persona Engine and lead the development team in creating a game that would showcase the engine's true capabilities!
This new title would be developed by the Megami Group, the same team behind Megami Tensei and Megami Tensei II.
The game was named Persona, sharing its name with the engine.
The game's title in kanji was Megami Tensei: Persona.
Iwasaki Isao gasped.
Fine, I'll hold back a little longer. I'll wait for the game to be released and see how it goes! If the game is bad, I'll definitely crowdfund a Vietnamese hitman to assassinate Kobayashi Tetsu!
In the Atlas office, Kobayashi Tetsu convened the members of the Megami Group, including Koji Okada and Kazuma Kaneko.
The last time they had gathered, Atlas didn't even have a single meeting room. Now, Atlas had rented two floors of office space and already had a small meeting room.
"Alright, let's get straight to the point," Kobayashi Tetsu began. "With Megami Tensei II about to be released, you've all had a pleasant vacation. This time, to promote the Persona Engine, I will personally lead the Megami Group in developing a game to showcase the engine's full potential. Therefore, this game will be named Persona."
The team members nodded.
Koji Okada, channeling the spirit of Yuji Naka, exclaimed, "The President's naming style is truly unique! Naming the game after the engine will greatly expand its influence! If I were a player, I would be absolutely impressed!"
"Don't get ahead of yourselves—I'm not finished yet."
Kobayashi Tetsu raised his hand in a silencing gesture.
"This game will be a role-playing game. It can be considered to exist within the same world as Shin Megami Tensei, and the subsequent titles will most likely be handled by the Megami Group."
At this point, Kobayashi Tetsu looked at Kazuma Kaneko.
"Unlike the world of Shin Megami Tensei, which is serious yet tinged with humor, Persona will be a game that is more youth-oriented and closer to the lives of high school students."
Kazuma Kaneko quickly crushed his cigarette and nodded vigorously.
He wasn't entirely sure why Kobayashi Tetsu had called him out by name, but since Kobayashi Tetsu had said so, he had no objections.
Come to think of it, Kazuma Kaneko did prefer works with a darker style. But if the President had personally chosen him, he wouldn't throw in the towel over something like that.
"Next, let's talk about the planning for this game. What I'm saying today is for your ears only—you cannot tell anyone. This game will be different from any other role-playing game before it, adopting a unique progression mechanism. I'm calling it 'The Calendar!'"
What Kobayashi Tetsu was talking about was Persona 3.
The first two games in the Persona series—Persona and Persona 2—were stylistically very similar to Shin Megami Tensei and had not broken free from the constraints of early role-playing games.
However, Persona 3 was a uniquely styled game. It introduced a groundbreaking mechanic: a calendar-based system to advance the plot.
While this may seem commonplace today, twenty years later, it was a pioneering design at the time of Persona 3's release. Instead of progressing through the story by simply clearing stages, the game used dates and scheduling to separate daily life activities from dungeon exploration, with the school serving as the central hub. It also incorporated romance elements and introduced several iconic characters, such as Mitsuru Kirijo and Aigis.
As for Yukari Takeba, her popularity only surged after the release of the remake; she wasn't very popular in the original Persona 3.
Seizing the momentum generated by the new engine, Tetsu Kobayashi decided to strike while the iron was hot and personally develop a game. The Pokémon team couldn't produce a new title every year or even every two years. Satoshi Tajiri is a perfectionist, and Koyakawa-kun's works are niche masterpieces that can't be marketed to a mass audience.
Therefore, Tetsu Kobayashi used this game to personally demonstrate just how high the ceiling of the Persona Engine could be!
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