Iwasaki Isao was back to buy more games.
Sometimes he felt like a total sucker, getting played over and over again by the developers.
Two games were released today: Final Fantasy II and Namco's Legend of the Iga Ninja, which told the story of Iga ninjas in the modern era.
Iwasaki Isao hesitated for a moment but still chose Legend of the Iga Ninja.
The Final Fantasy II cartridge was a bit too expensive!
After the last time he'd split the cost of Romance of the Three Kingdoms with his uncle, Iwasaki Isao had learned the hard way that his uncle was unreliable. He had to play the game himself. Considering his limited income this month, starting with an action game was the safer bet.
After buying the cartridge and a gaming magazine, Iwasaki Isao headed home with a big bag of snacks, eager to start playing. With the Mega Drive's capabilities, the game's opening already showcased the console's or the company's audio logo, and it was quite refined.
After seeing the Namco logo, Iwasaki Isao officially began playing Legend of the Iga Ninja.
"Whoa—the visual impact isn't as strong as Ninja Gaiden."
Iwasaki Isao couldn't pinpoint the exact technical details, but he just felt that this screen lacked the tension of the opening confrontation in Ninja Gaiden.
Although the scene was also moving and the positioning was very similar, the vibe just wasn't right.
It wasn't because one came before the other, but simply because the "flavor" was off.
Iwasaki Isao continued playing. The story was almost identical to Ninja Gaiden—a tale of a ninja fighting in the modern era, slaying demons and exorcising evil. This level of similarity couldn't be judged as plagiarism; at most, players could condemn it on moral grounds.
Iwasaki Isao hacked and slashed his way through, finally reaching the first boss.
The first boss of Ninja Gaiden MD was a mobile mech, and the first boss of Legend of the Iga Ninja was a robot.
Iwasaki Isao smiled knowingly.
They copied it perfectly!
With this thought, he continued playing.
Suddenly, the robot unleashed a full-screen barrage of missiles, filling the air with red-glowing impact points.
"Holy shit!"
Iwasaki Isao was stunned.
How the hell are you supposed to dodge this?! Dodge my ass!
He jumped and weaved, but still couldn't escape. The missiles blasted him nearly to death.
Fortunately, Iwasaki Isao was an experienced gamer. He used his skills to desperately dodge and weave, finally avoiding the fatal blow and officially beginning the fight against the robot.
After a few more slashes, Iwasaki Isao was stunned.
"How much health does this thing have?! Is it even possible to kill?!"
Frustrated, he nearly tore his own scalp off.
He didn't know the term "chipping away," but that was exactly what he was doing.
The katana wielded by the protagonist, Iga Gen, felt like a mere tickle against the enemy's body. Despite his best efforts, Iwasaki Isao couldn't overcome the robot, which eventually crushed him with a single, massive slap.
Staring at the beautifully rendered death screen, Iwasaki Isao collapsed onto the floor, a moment of utter bewilderment washing over him.
What the hell is this game?!
How could Namco be so cruel!
"Am I playing it wrong? Or is my skill level just that bad? But it shouldn't be this bad!"
Iwasaki Isao gritted his teeth, forced himself up, and kept fighting.
After an entire afternoon of brutal combat, he finally cleared the first stage. For a moment, he felt a wave of relief and nearly collapsed onto the tatami mat.
I'm exhausted!
The enemy's health bar seemed to refill like an endless tide, while his attacks were like toothpicks against cowhide—completely useless. No matter how hard he tried, victory remained elusive.
Iwasaki Isao pulled himself back to his feet.
"I need to look up a guide immediately. This game is pure torture!"
Although the Mega Drive lacked a save feature, many games since the first Sonic the Hedgehog had included cheat codes to skip levels. Having already obtained the code for the first stage, Iwasaki Isao wasn't worried about getting stuck on the second.
He flipped open the magazine to find Kadokawa Game Magazine's review of the game. Surprisingly, the article was written by Tofuya Fami-bo himself, the Editor-in-Chief.
"Legend of the Iga Ninja bills itself as a high-speed action game. Its music and art are both outstanding, yet all of this is dragged down by its abysmal gameplay. The difficulty is utterly unreasonable; the gap in combat capability between the player and the enemies is simply beyond words. While the animations are commendable—showing the art team clearly put effort into studying authentic kendo—the controls make Iga Gen feel like a paralyzed patient who never recovered from polio, a useless wreck who wheezes just from walking."
"Take the first stage as an example: the enemy robots have massive health pools. According to the editorial team's calculations, it takes seventy-seven hits to kill a single robot if you don't strike its weak point."
"The opening barrage of bullets falls randomly and in such overwhelming numbers that dodging them all without taking damage is practically impossible."
"The damage is absurdly high—the player can be taken down in just two hits."
"Having played games on the FC where a single hit means death, I have no problem with being taken down in two. But I was hoping for a high-speed action game with tense, thrilling exchanges of blows, not a 'high-speed death simulator' where I'm blasted to smithereens by a robot the moment I see it."
"That said, the robots do have weak points. However, the game lacks clear indicators. Compare this to the first boss in Ninja Gaiden: when you face the mech, its joints are colored distinctly to signal they are prime targets. Additionally, the steam vents in the arena can be used periodically to short-circuit the mech—or damage yourself."
"And after the battle, you can even perform a super cool execution move. In contrast, Namco, a renowned industry giant, has made this game feel like a clumsy imitator."
"No. Let's be honest: it is just an imitator."
"The later levels are unbelievably difficult. The enemies are everywhere, capable of killing the player in a single hit. Their placement is insidious and hard to counter. The game's high speed is only reflected in its fast-paced action and the speed at which you die."
"Based on the four-person review by Kadokawa Game Magazine, the game's score is 21 points."
Next!
Iwasaki Isao slapped his thigh in frustration.
He should have known better than to play this trashy game! It was absolutely exhausting!
However, thanks to this experience, Iwasaki Isao finally understood what made Ninja Gaiden so good.
It was difficult, but it didn't torture the player.
It didn't rely on excessive stats or impossible-to-counter mechanics, nor did it directly read the player's inputs.
Although the game was hard, it could be beaten through practice and memorization.
And the execution after defeating the mech with all his might was truly cool! The screen even shook!
He then checked the review for Final Fantasy II and couldn't help but beat his chest in frustration.
In comparison, Final Fantasy II built upon its predecessor's foundation to innovate, telling a very good story and earning an excellent score.
Later this year, Megami Tensei II and Metal Gear 2 were set to be released, with Salamander 2 arriving at the year's end.
Iwasaki Isao couldn't help but scoff.
Who says Atlus can't count to two?!
They're releasing all the sequels this year!
He had completely lost interest in continuing Legend of the Iga Ninja—a legendaryly terrible game—and decided to just lie on the floor and read his magazine.
Suddenly, Iwasaki Isao sprang up.
"The Atlus Carnival?! Inviting players and aspiring game developers to participate in the event... inviting developers to bring their own works, all of which will be rated by the players on-site. Those with outstanding scores will receive a 20-million-yen sponsorship from Atlus, free of charge!"
Iwasaki Isao gasped, his breath catching in his throat.
Twenty million yen!
"Even players can go? The Atlus Carnival?" Iwasaki Isao rubbed his eyes. He remembered picking up an Atlus cartridge back in the day, and Kobayashi Tetsu had even signed it for him.
Iwasaki Isao instantly snapped to attention.
The Atlus Carnival—he absolutely had to go!
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