Tokyo, Adachi City, Atlas Technical Development Department.
Kobayashi Tetsu and Iwata Satoru stared tensely at the screen before them.
By 1989, computers had already adopted graphical user interfaces (GUIs), and one could even say they had developed quite well. Aside from some limitations in color—only eight-bit color—their basic framework was already similar to the computers of later generations.
That year, companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Amiga had already created impressive GUIs, and computer prices were dropping. While they hadn't yet entered every single household, their popularity had increased significantly.
Therefore, this game engine was also developed on the basis of a graphical user interface. Without a GUI, this software could not be used.
After Iwata Satoru and Kobayashi Tetsu spent a long time tinkering, they finally finished packaging a cartridge.
"Iwata-kun, I'm going to plug it in now?"
"Go ahead, President!"
"Ah—wait, let me put this on first."
"The President is right, it really should be covered."
The two slipped an anti-static shell over the cartridge before finally inserting it into the Mega Drive console before them.
ATLUS!
The blue logo with its white outline lit up on the screen, accompanied by a short chime.
The game officially began. Iwata Satoru controlled the cat-like protagonist, moving forward, jumping, and navigating with a practiced ease.
The gameplay was similar to Mario—clearing stages, grabbing flags, and advancing to the next level.
A round creature, looking like a knock-off Goomba, rolled toward him. Iwata Satoru charged forward and stomped it with a single kick.
Teng-teng-teng-teng!
The character died.
Iwata Satoru: —What the hell was that?!
Kobayashi Tetsu tilted his head.
"How could you play this like Mario? You can't stomp the enemies!"
Iwata Satoru slapped his forehead.
Right! This isn't Mario, after all.
Besides, the main point of that enemy was to showcase its walking animation, which seemed to be working well.
He continued forward, this time using his wits to dodge the enemies, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a cannonball flew across the screen.
Iwata Satoru flinched in surprise.
"Don't make enemies that are out of the player's field of vision!"
Kobayashi Tetsu had once said this.
But before Iwata Satoru could even process the thought, his body reacted instinctively. He dodged the cannonball, taking cover beneath a few stair blocks.
Satoru let out a sigh of relief.
The President was playing dirty, but fortunately, he had outsmarted him!
Now I just need to jump over this block, he thought.
Satoru jumped.
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, a block appeared above his head, sealing off the path.
Satoru: ??
He tried jumping in other directions, but invisible blocks completely blocked his way.
Left, right, front, back—there was no escape. He was trapped in this tiny area.
Satoru almost dropped his controller.
Even an honest man was about to lose his temper!
After a grueling struggle, Satoru finally reached the finish line. The flag was right in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief and made a great leap forward—
The jump failed.
An invisible block above his head cut his trajectory short, sending him plummeting.
At least there's ground below. Even if I can't reach the flag, I can still get a hundred points!
Just as Satoru thought this, the solid ground beneath him slid away. He fell straight into a massive pit, and his character died instantly.
Satoru took a deep breath.
He was about to lose it! He was really about to lose it!
What kind of game is this?! Why are there so many pitfalls?!
He suddenly understood why Kobayashi Tetsu kept saying: don't put enemies outside the player's field of vision, don't punish the player when they haven't made a mistake, and don't deliberately try to disgust them.
When all these elements were combined, it really was that disgusting!
An honest man couldn't stand it!!
If the game developer had been Naka Yuji instead of Kobayashi Tetsu, Iwata Satoru would have already flown up and kicked Naka Yuji right in the face.
Kobayashi Tetsu coughed twice.
It was just the trivial Syobon Action, after all.
"That's not important! What matters is that we've already tested the characteristics of this engine. Look, the dynamic effects are good, and the movement is quite realistic. Although the built-in assets are simple, they're just right when used in the appropriate places. The character's movement and jumping are all within the expected parameters. While it's still a bit complex for an average person, it's almost a seamless start for developers with some basic skills. If you have the technical ability, you can also connect your own programs through the interface. I think this game engine is already perfect!"
Iwata Satoru nodded, then took a deep breath to calm his emotions.
"President, please wait for me for a moment."
He turned and walked into the restroom.
Kobayashi Tetsu heard a loud, cathartic roar echo from the restroom.
When Iwata Satoru returned, his expression had completely smoothed over.
Cat Mario it is, he thought, having fully accepted his fate.
"From now on," Kobayashi continued, "the Technical Development Department's primary focus, aside from other projects, will be the regular maintenance and updating of this development engine. I believe a two-to-three-year cycle for major updates is appropriate. We need to keep our development tools current with the times. Currently, this engine is compatible with hardware that allows developers to create games for the Mega Drive, Famicom, Master System, PC, and the soon-to-be-released Sega Game Gear, outputting the corresponding package formats. If a developer has some basic soldering skills, they can even burn the ROMs onto cartridges themselves. If not, they can simply output the files to a floppy disk and send it to the game company."
Iwata Satoru nodded solemnly.
As someone who had personally witnessed the engine's creation, he had seen Kobayashi Tetsu use it to design a kuso game in just two days. He now fully grasped the engine's true potential.
Its floor was high, but its ceiling was even higher!
Even those with limited technical skills could use existing assets to tell a great story. This meant that anyone who knew how to tell a story could now enter the game development industry!
Of course, first he would need a computer.
As luck would have it, Atlas was about to give away at least ten computers at the Carnival.
"President, we should give this game engine a name!"
Iwata Satoru looked at Kobayashi Tetsu, asking for his opinion.
He thought KBENGINE was a good name.
Kobayashi Tetsu shook his head.
"No need for anything so complicated. Let me think... how about—Persona? With the Atlas Technical Development Department's branding on it."
Iwata Satoru pondered for a moment.
"Persona? As in the dramatic mask? That's indeed a good name. It draws on the allusion to role-playing and also highlights the engine's function—a thousand faces for a thousand people. Everyone has their own Hamlet, and can create their own unique games. The President really is a master at naming things!"
Kobayashi Tetsu marveled at this.
See! This is why being cultured is so great!
A Tokyo Tech graduate like Iwata Satoru could recite a whole string of allusions to praise Kobayashi Tetsu's naming skills, and even accurately explain the corresponding concept.
Meanwhile, Naka Yuji, a high school dropout, could only say:
President is awesome! President is the MVP!
The Technical Development Department is just riding his coattails to victory!
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