On April 18th, Pokeni released the latest PV for their new game, "86 - eighty-six."
Hiruta Masato, President of Elf Society and a loyal fan of Pokeni, was sitting in front of the TV, watching Pokeni's game PV on time.
The screen was pitch black, then slowly lit up accompanied by heavy piano music.
A young female protagonist, dressed in a military uniform, with long silver-white hair and wearing a military cap, stood on the street, looking up at the sky.
"Wow, so beautiful," was Hiruta Masato's first thought.
The female protagonist had beautiful long silver-white hair, flowing down. The uniform she wore was neat and form-fitting, showcasing her perfect curves. Not only was she a beautiful young female protagonist, but her eyes also revealed her inner determination.
However, for some reason, the first time Hiruta Masato saw her, he always felt that there was a deep sadness in her eyes.
To be able to draw such delicate feelings, Pokeni is quite remarkable.
The sky was gray.
On the road, many people with white hair were leisurely and patiently waiting for the train.
Soon after, when the train arrived, people walked on in twos and threes.
At the same time, a voice sounded on the screen.
On the TV, a beautiful announcer with long white hair was broadcasting the battle report from the front:
"Now broadcasting today's situation released by the Saint Magnolia Republic Headquarters."
"Our damages are limited to machinery and equipment, with no casualties."
"Due to the use of humanitarian drones in combat,"
"The number of our nation's war dead today remains 0."
The female protagonist walked through the hall. Several men, also in military uniforms with white hair, walked towards her. Two men were dead drunk, oblivious to what was happening on the broadcast.
It was as if nothing had happened, everything was peaceful and prosperous. Everyone in the Republic was living their safe and happy lives, and the war outside seemed to have no impact whatsoever.
Only the female protagonist kept her head down, her face not looking good.
However, watching this, a question arose in Hiruta Masato's mind—
Why is everyone in this entire country's hair silver-white?
He recalled some previous news about the Producer of "86 - eighty-six," it should have been Ishino Mika.
Does Ishino like white long hair, or does the script Author Maeda Jun like this type?
"Why are you so concerned about those drones, Lena?" a short-haired female protagonist asked.
It turned out the female protagonist's name was Lena.
Lena, as if her reverse scale had been touched, turned her head, her gaze burning, "They are not drones!!!"
Her voice was firm, gentle, yet contained endless power.
Deafening.
The screen turned black again and then switched to another scene.
A male protagonist's voice came from the TV:
"If there are only two paths now: fighting The Legion until death, or giving up everything and dying."
"I will choose to fight until the moment of death."
The screen switched again. This time, the characters appearing on the TV were no longer all white-haired, but rather frontline warriors with various different hair colors.
They were both male and female, dressed in military uniforms, chatting and laughing with each other.
But the monologue was speaking terrifying words like 'fighting to the death' in a firm tone, and Hiruta Masato was immediately captivated.
A modern war-themed game?
However, up to this point, it felt more like watching an animation. All the characters and actions on the screen were produced using animation, entirely 2D images, which also conformed to the Japan audience's aesthetic for the second dimension.
It's just that Hiruta Masato was a bit confused—
Is this game going to be a galgame?
But Pokeni hadn't issued a similar statement before, had they?
However, for Hiruta Masato, he sincerely hoped it was a galgame, at least so Elf Society could gain some valuable experience.
The production threshold for galgame is relatively low. If you don't have to consider combat, then you can focus on the plot and character performance: how to interact, how to make different characters have story lines that players like, if there can be better visual effects and appeal, if it can continuously attract players…
These are the things Hiruta Masato cares about.
Unfortunately, Pokeni hasn't released a galgame in a long time.
When was the last galgame?
Oh, proposal daisakusen, and it was made by President Aoki for his wife. Speaking of which, it even triggered a wave of first love craze at the time.
Thinking of this, Hiruta Masato's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly, and his mouth became bitter.
He originally thought that only Furuhara Tsubaki could make Pokeni's galgame well, and that President Aoki should be better at visuals or management. He didn't expect that even with the President serving as the Director, he could still make such a great game.
Hiruta Masato shook his head, pulling his thoughts back to the TV.
On the screen, the soldiers with different colored hair got into various oddly shaped mechs. To be honest, the structure of these mechs, in Hiruta Masato's eyes, was ugly.
Some looked like bouncing steel spiders, but with a cannon barrel mounted on the top, while others didn't even have a base, just a fuselage and a cannon barrel…
These things reminded him of some disgusting, ugly bugs.
But, unfortunately, they were indeed the male protagonist's mechs.
Characters switched one by one, with CV names next to them.
By this time, Hiruta Masato could almost conclude that these guys were the male protagonist of the game, and all those white-haired people from before were there to set them off.
In the Saint Magnolia Republic, the white-haired people enjoyed a peaceful life, and the upper-class military officers lived a life of extravagance.
And on the front lines, these people with different hair colors, who had to risk their lives to defend the Republic's dignity and protect the people in the rear from the war, were called 86.
But even so, they were not considered true human beings.
At this point, the screen suddenly went black.
A series of striking large characters appeared:
"On that battlefield,"
"It should have been so."
…
At the same time, the background music of the entire PV suddenly changed.
Ayumi Hamasaki's singing began. This was Avid, written by Yoko Shimomura, and through Ayumi Hamasaki's voice, it displayed an extraordinary charm.
As the singing started,
It directly blew the top of Hiruta Masato's head off.
Oh my goodness, this music is too good!
And, there's a feeling of being deeply moved.
Just listening to it gives one an urge to cry.
On the screen, the female protagonist Lena's pupils suddenly dilated, and she woke up, covering her ears in alarm.
Countless mechs advanced densely in the combat zone.
The male protagonist drove their mechs to meet the enemy.
Artillery fire illuminated the night sky, making rumbling sounds.
Accompanied by Ayumi Hamasaki's singing, it filled one's heart with an unspeakable melancholy.
At this moment, war and death were rendered to the extreme by Pokeni.
"You, do you think we came here because we wanted to fight?"
"You yourselves are hiding behind, forcing us to fight."
"In these nine years, millions of people have sacrificed their lives!"
The male protagonist's words echoed through the sky.
Lena, hearing this, was already teary-eyed, on the verge of collapse.
"Lena, as humans, we will probably keep fighting!"
"Fulfill your own destiny,"
"Until the very last moment."
"One day, if you can come to where we are, could you prepare a bouquet of flowers for us?"
The male protagonist's gentle voice sounded.
The screen stopped again.
…
The male protagonist's voice actor, Hikaru Midorikawa, had an incredibly beautiful voice, giving a feeling of one's ears getting pregnant.
However, upon hearing such a gentle voice, Hiruta Masato's heart felt inexplicably uncomfortable, always feeling as if a large stone was pressing down on him.
Is this what Pokeni wants to convey to players through the PV?
Strange-looking mechs, coupled with cruel war, and conflicts between people. No matter how you look at it, this game seems like it's going to be a tearjerker.
In the latter half of the PV, a demo screen from the game appeared:
"Pokeni's first story-driven strategy game."
"In future wars, humans invented combat mechs and launched wars with them."
"To protect their country and families, the 86 rushed to the battlefield."
"In this game, you will experience an unprecedented strategy game story mode."
"Deep mech cultivation, matching different types of mechs with drivers."
"More game strategy."
"More interesting challenges."
"More heartwarming, healing, and thought-provoking plot."
"Director: Furuhara Tsubaki."
"Producer: Ishino Mika."
"Script: Maeda Jun."
"Original Art Design: Niitsu Makoto."
"Music: Yoko Shimomura."
"86 - eighty-six."
"Available at major game stores on June 6th. We look forward to seeing you."
…
"Nani?!"
Hiruta Masato's finger trembled, almost knocking over the cup on the table.
"The Director is actually Furuhara Tsubaki?!"
Oh my goodness.
I haven't seen the name Furuhara Tsubaki in such a long time!
When Hiruta Masato saw this name, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"This is great! I get to see Furuhara Tsubaki's work again."
Even if he was only listed as the Director, Hiruta Masato's heart was already filled with infinite anticipation.
… …
"Nani?! Pokeni is actually making a strategy game too?!"
After watching the PV, Nintendo's legendary Producer, Miyamoto Shigeru, was completely shocked.
What is Pokeni trying to do?
You have to know that fire emblem is one of the few ace products Nintendo has right now. If this path is also breached by Pokeni, Miyamoto Shigeru can't even imagine what will happen.
The fire emblem series is a tactical role-playing game series developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo.
However, because this game is basically only released on Nintendo's platform, it can also be considered Nintendo's own direct line of game products. During the development process, it still relies on Nintendo. As President Kaga Shozo, he often expressed his dissatisfaction to Nintendo's executives over money issues.
When Miyamoto Shigeru saw that Pokeni was going to make a strategy game, to be honest, his heart was broken.
He didn't know why, but he always felt like it was a game of Go, where Aoki Haruhi's every move was tightening Nintendo's breath, giving him a feeling of his neck being squeezed tighter and tighter.
Terrifying.
It was too terrifying. You have to know that Nintendo is the overlord of the game industry, equivalent to a giant in the entire game field.
And now, this giant inexplicably had a terrifying suffocating feeling of being lassoed around the head in the dark and constantly pulled backward.
Yes, a suffocating feeling.
It was too uncomfortable.
Every time Miyamoto Shigeru saw a Pokeni game come out, he felt like he had daggers in his back.
If this continues, he feels like he's going to collapse!
… …
… …
After the 86 - eighty-six PV was broadcast, there were mainly two hot topics.
The first one was—
"Shocking! Guess what I saw, I actually saw Old Thief Furuhara's name under the Director's name."
"Nani?! Is Old Thief Furuhara making another comeback?"
"He hasn't retired since his first comeback, so where does 'another comeback' come from?"
"Oh right, but why does it always feel like he's been gone for a long time?"
"It's probably because after developing CL and LL, he felt too sharp and thought that if he continued, he would eventually incur public wrath and be killed by players.
So Old Thief Furuhara chose to be silent for a period of time, and now that he sees that everyone isn't paying much attention, he jumped out again."
"But don't forget, he's only listed as the Director, the real game Producer is Ishino Mika."
"So what? Wherever Old Thief Furuhara is, there's a knife. Anyway, I don't believe Old Thief Furuhara won't wield a knife just because he's listed as the Director."
"Hahaha, that's so incisive."
"Director Furuhara Tsubaki, Producer Ishino Mika, Scriptwriter Maeda Jun, no matter how you look at it, this combination feels very familiar, doesn't it?"
"Don't even mention it. The last time this combination appeared was during CL and LL, it was simply a tear-jerking blockbuster, and the kind with continuous bombs.
No, no, just seeing these names together gives me PTSD.
I absolutely cannot accept games they produce.
I'm afraid my fragile and tender heart will be hurt again."
"Ah, this… After hearing the analysis upstairs, it seems quite reasonable. What should I do? I originally thought it was interesting, but now I don't dare to buy it."
"But have you noticed that this time they are not developing a galgame, but a strategy game? The official description clearly states it's a strategy game, focusing on war experience, unit matching, strategy, and so on.
The story shouldn't be as painful as a galgame, right?"
"Hehe, do you believe it? I don't. As long as Furuhara Tsubaki's name is here, it's never a good sign."
"You're wrong. Didn't he also have heartwarming and healing game works with happy endings like Your Name before? I think we can trust him this time.
Think about it carefully, he basically used up all his knives in CL and LL, didn't he have to hide for two years after that?
Furuhara Tsubaki, after his return, hasn't continued to make galgames. Maybe he really changed this time."
"No, no, Furuhara Tsubaki's name is too terrifying."
"However, I think, even though Old Thief Furuhara's name is quite terrifying, I don't know why, but I always miss the games he produced."
"Hahaha, me too, it's over, it's over, we've all been tormented by Old Thief Furuhara and developed Stockholm Syndrome."
"You guys should go see a psychologist."
… …
In addition to the heated discussions about Furuhara Tsubaki, the most popular topic among players was the song in the 86 - eighty-six PV this time.
The song, sung by Ayumi Hamasaki, was only a short segment, but the chorus part was already impressive enough to be deeply imprinted in the players' hearts.
"Oh my goodness, this is too good to listen to. Don't look at how Pokeni's games always like to wield knives, but this time, the theme song in the PV is truly heavenly.
My ears are going to get pregnant."
"Me too, me too. As someone who doesn't play games, when I heard the singing part in the PV, I got goosebumps all over. I just felt like my soul was heavily struck.
My whole soul flew away.
My first thought at the time was—
This is too good to listen to.
I don't know why, but when I heard the lyrics, following the PV visuals and narration, tears just uncontrollably fell.
I can only say, Pokeni's music is amazing.
After the game is released, I will definitely buy it, even if it's just to listen to the theme song again."
"Do you know who the singer is? I personally think it's super good. It's been a long time since a song has so directly hit my soul and moved me so much.
Even without the visuals, just listening to the song gives me a strong urge to cry.
This singer is too amazing, right?"
Up until now, players' impressions and evaluations of Pokeni are no longer just about high game quality, that "Pokeni produces, it must be a masterpiece" saying. They even faintly feel that—
Pokeni's game music is also exceptional.
Possessing extremely strong emotional mobilization and infectivity.
It seems to have been this way since onmyoji.
It's just that after Yoko Shimomura joined, the music became more diverse.
Here in 86, Ayumi Hamasaki's singing, combined with Yoko Shimomura's music, truly complements each other perfectly.
Countless people expressed that they hope Pokeni can release game music as a separate album in the future. They would buy the CD even if they don't buy the game.
"Does anyone have a recording of Pokeni's new game PV from yesterday? Can you leave an address and let me watch it again? I also want to make a copy, even if I have to pay."
"Why is Pokeni's music so good? Why don't they integrate the music into albums? I see that Aoki Haruhi has even opened a film and television company, he doesn't mind having more, so why not open a music record company too?
Many of Pokeni's game music tracks are super awesome. It would be great if they could all release CDs.
At that time, I wouldn't even mind not playing the game, I would definitely buy all the CDs!"
"My girlfriend, someone who never plays games, after listening to the 86 PV, insists that I buy the new game. Not for anything else, just to be able to listen to the theme song inside. Is this sick?
Buying a game specifically to listen to a song?
And, I'm not even sure if I can clear it myself."
… …
In short, with the broadcast of the PV, the song became popular, and the singer's name also began to enter the players'Sight.
Ayumi Hamasaki's popularity can be said to have risen rapidly with the help of Pokeni. Even now in the industry, people regard Pokeni as a god of fortune.
Any artist who can connect with Pokeni, whether you are a voice actor, an actor, or a singer, can quickly become popular in a short period of time.
Sometimes, people can't even make an accurate judgment:
Is it because Pokeni's President has a discerning eye, or does Pokeni truly possess some mysterious and terrifying magical power?
In short, the result is that artists who collaborate with Pokeni all become popular.
Who would have thought that the game hasn't even been released, but the song is already popular?
Ayumi Hamasaki herself was also very shocked.
Her agent, however, was so happy he almost jumped up, "Ayu, you're really going to be big this time."
"Eh?"
Although she was told she was going to be popular, Ayumi Hamasaki didn't feel it at all.
Some successes in this world come too easily, too suddenly, don't they?
"I finally believe it now, Pokeni really has a magical power." The agent murmured with emotion.
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