Onmyoji 2, building upon the legacy of Onmyoji 1, featured even more exquisite character designs and a remarkably compelling script. Combined with the original game's solid reputation, it quickly ignited a fervor for the Onmyōji series.
Sales soared like a rocket, skyrocketing to the top.
The game sold out on its first day, and within a week, sales had surpassed 50,000 copies.
Moreover, the popularity of Onmyoji 2 also boosted sales of Onmyoji 1.
After all, much of Onmyoji 2's plot was directly connected to the first installment. While players could still enjoy the game's thrills and emotional impact without having played Onmyoji 1, they would miss out on a crucial layer of depth when it came to Asakura Haruka's storyline.
Without experiencing the original, one couldn't fully grasp the Great Onmyoji's hesitation when faced with a decision between his past love and the fate of the world—or comprehend the sheer cruelty of having to choose between the two.
Onmyoji 2 attracted many players who were initially drawn to the game by its premise, only to be completely captivated by its story, leading them to repeatedly chant, "Kogahara Tsubakiaki, Nishinai!" After experiencing Onmyoji 2, they sought to fill the gaps in their understanding and ended up purchasing Onmyoji 1.
This situation had both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage was the synergy between the two games. Players who enjoyed Onmyoji 1 naturally wanted to see the continuation of the story and bought Onmyoji 2. Conversely, after playing Onmyoji 2, they became curious about the earlier events and purchased Onmyoji 1. This cross-promotion boosted sales for both titles.
However, the disadvantage was also evident:
It raised the barrier to entry and comprehension for Onmyoji 2. Without having played Onmyoji 1 first, players would indeed find some plot points confusing and difficult to follow.
Fortunately, both games are considered excellent and classic titles. Players who bought them never felt regret. Instead, they experienced a sense of satisfaction as the void in their understanding was filled.
In short, the [ Onmyōji ] series was on a roll, with one sales miracle after another.
The only thing holding Pokeni back now was production capacity.
Manufacturing cartridges required time, and the key issue was that factories couldn't solely serve one game developer. Even with round-the-clock efforts, production remained insufficient.
For the game industry, a galgame selling this well was nothing short of miraculous.
"Ah! So galgame games can really achieve this level of success?" Yoichi Erikawa, President of Koei, exclaimed with endless wonder.
After the major success of [ Uncharted Waters ], Koei's development team had recognized the galgame potential of the [ Onmyoji ] series.
"I thought the player base for this genre would be quite small, but I never expected them to generate such massive purchasing power."
"We've learned our lesson. Galgame games can actually be developed this way. For our next title, let's focus on a galgame with a strong narrative."
"This is incredible. I thought Pokeni's Onmyōji success was just a flash in the pan, but they've achieved such massive success with consecutive titles." Blue-wings President Shigeru Kobayashi said, his voice filled with disbelief.
It seems making galgame games was indeed the right path.
He turned his gaze toward Tatsuya Mizutani, the lead planner, who was at the next desk, communicating with artists and programmers.
So, if the direction is correct, why did Street Pick-Up fail so miserably?
Could it be a matter of poor personnel management?
But if I fire Mizutani now, I wonder what the other employees will think?
Maybe I should wait and see how the next game performs before making a decision?
If the next game also shows no signs of improvement, I'll have Mizutani take responsibility and resign!
Even now, Shigeru Kobayashi, who had never seriously studied the market or player psychology, still couldn't accurately grasp the reasons behind Onmyoji's success.
Yet other game companies had already had leaders who had accurately grasped its essence.
For example, Elf, the company behind Dragon Warrior, which was released in the first half of the year, had already deeply understood that if a galgame were merely a simple exchange of dialogue, it would be utterly lacking in aesthetic appeal.
But once the girls were given personalities and beautiful stories were written for them, such games would come alive with vibrant vitality.
After being influenced by Onmyoji, Dragon Warrior was no longer the bland, unmemorable Dragon Warrior of its past life. Elf Society crafted the girls in Dragon Warrior with exquisite detail and, learning from Onmyoji, gave the game a tear-jerking ending.
Under these circumstances, Dragon Warrior, released in November, achieved a staggering sales figure of 70,000 copies.
"Players today are no longer satisfied with simple, experience-less galgames," Elf Society President Hiruta Masato stated in a media interview.
"The release of Onmyoji elevated the galgame genre to unprecedented heights."
"To put it vividly—
Before Onmyoji, we were all eating plain, coarse meals. But now, we've tasted the joy and enduring emotional impact of a truly exquisite delicacy. It's hard to imagine what we used to eat."
"There's no going back. The era when you could simply make money by creating romance games is gone forever."
Coincidentally, TADA, the producer at Alice Software Co., Ltd.—which, along with Elf Society, was once considered one of the two pillars of the galgame world—shared the same sentiment.
"Terrifying!"
It wasn't just the sales of the Onmyoji series that were terrifying; TADA saw the game's transformative impact on the industry.
Whether it was the Affection system, where players had to work through the game's narrative, using various methods to increase female characters' affection and achieve romance,
or the Reminiscence Mode—
allowing players to revisit previous scenes without replaying the game—
these features had already become industry standards.
"Terrifying."
TADA felt as if he were looking at a monster.
The producer of the Onmyoji series was a terrifying monster, creating settings so perfect they seemed to have been transplanted from the future.
It was like copying the final answers directly onto a test paper—there was no way you could get less than full marks.
"The era is changing!"
"A new era of galgame, redefined."
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