章 54: New Concept of Gameplay

In a random household in Tokyo, Kirito was brimming with excitement as he had just purchased a new video game called "The Legend of Zelda." He rushed back home, caring little about anything else, and eagerly inserted the cartridge into his FamiCom console.

As the console powered up, the KiShin Logo appeared on the startup screen, and Kirito couldn't help but notice that the pixel animation in this game was superior to the Tora 16 Bit video games his friend had recently acquired. This improvement was thanks to the growing number of programmers in the KiShin department, guided by Shin, who had maximized the animation's potential on the KiShin FamiCom 8-bit system.

The title "The Legend of Zelda" splashed onto the screen, and Kirito wasted no time starting the game. He began by entering his character's name before diving into the adventure.

A line of text scrolled across the screen, narrating the game's backstory:

"THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

LONG AGO, GANON, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, STOLE THE TRIFORCE OF POWER. PRINCESS ZELDA OF HYRULE BROKE THE TRIFORCE OF WISDOM INTO EIGHT PIECES AND HID THEM FROM GANON BEFORE SHE WAS KIDNAPPED BY GANON'S MINIONS. LINK, YOU MUST FIND THE PIECES AND SAVE ZELDA."

It was a straightforward introduction, with the message vanishing after a moment, followed by the appearance of an inventory screen showcasing various items:

ALL OF TREASURES

HEART, CONTAINER

HEART, FAIRY, CLOCK, RUPY, 5 RUPIES, LIFE POTION, 2ND POTION, LETTER, FOOD, SWORD

WHITE SWORD, etc...

With this information in mind, the game officially commenced.

Kirito found himself controlling a character dressed in green attire, reminiscent of Peter Pan, placed in an open world. The pixel animation quality was notably superior to the Tora 16-bit games.

Kirito couldn't help but mutter, "It's just like in the anime," as he maneuvered his character. Unlike Super Mario, where he could only move in one direction, he noticed that here he had the freedom to explore various paths.

However, to his frustration, he discovered that he couldn't attack the monsters despite repeatedly pressing the controller buttons. After dying to an enemy, Kirito pondered why he couldn't attack.

He reattempted to control his character, hoping to solve this puzzle. Entering a cave near his respawn point, the scene shifted to a dimly lit space with two torches. In front of him stood an old man in 2D pixel art.

A line of text appeared, indicating the old man's words: "It's dangerous outside, take this."

Kirito observed a sword, realizing the solution. "So that's why," he murmured as his character now brandished a sword.

With newfound confidence, he ventured back outside, where his sword now functioned as intended. As he played, he discovered the freedom to explore different paths, unlike in Super Mario, where the path was linear. While he had to learn the game mechanics himself due to earlier neglecting the text, this didn't diminish his gaming experience.

Kirito couldn't help but smile as he felt the connection between the game and the anime. In the anime, the main character fought against monsters, and in this game, it seemed that a princess had been kidnapped, mirroring the storyline he was familiar with.

Ding dong.

The doorbell chimed through Kirito's house, prompting him to pause the game. He hurried downstairs and swung the door open to find his friend, the owner of a Tora 16-bit console, standing outside.

"Hey, Kirito! Let's play! I brought my Tora 16-bit with me!" his friend exclaimed, holding up the Tora video game console.

Kirito welcomed him in and led him upstairs to his room. He couldn't help but tease, "What games can we even play on a Tora console?"

His friend, Matsu, responded, "Tora just released a new game! It's a two-player baseball game!" He proudly displayed his Tora baseball video game cartridge.

Kirito couldn't hold back a snort. "Didn't they simply copy that from KiShin's two-player football game? Honestly, Tora lacks originality..."

Matsu had no rebuttal. He regretted allowing his parents to spend his allowance on the Tora console, and his disappointment grew as he noticed the paused game on Kirito's television.

However, since Matsu's parents were devoted Tora fans and consumers, they had purchased the Tora 16-bit console for him.

Curious, Matsu asked Kirito about the game he was playing. Without hesitation, Kirito resumed the game and introduced it to Matsu, who became utterly fascinated by the gameplay as he watched Kirito play.

Matsu's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "Can I give it a try?"

With a smile, Kirito handed over the controller to Matsu, who eagerly took it and began controlling Link in the game. Together, they ventured through the pixelated world, defeating monsters, and Matsu found himself captivated by the unique gameplay.

During a pause, Matsu turned to Kirito and said, "Kirito, what if we swapped consoles and game cartridges?"

Kirito chuckled at the suggestion and replied, "Dream on. I wouldn't trade for Tora trash."

Matsu grinned and added, "Maybe I can sell this Tora at a lower price to save up for a KiShin SKT FamiCom."

Kirito laughed, "Who would buy it, hehe..."

---

In the office of the Tora Corporation President.

Taro Ikeda wore a grim expression as he observed a KiShin SKT FamiCom game, "The Legend Of Zelda," being played by one of the programmers.

The programmer himself appeared equally solemn.

Taro spoke with a tone of disappointment, "The company treats all of you well... Why can't we produce a game like this? Why must KiShin be the first to introduce such a groundbreaking gameplay concept?" He gazed sharply at the programmers.

The office remained in silence.

Goda Mitsuhi, the creative director, hesitantly suggested, "We could... try to replicate this game—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Taro slammed his hand on the table and raised his voice, "How many times must we copy KiShin's games? Don't you all have your own originality? Your creativity? Why can't we create our own video games?"

The programmers, especially the creative director, remained silent.

Seeing their lack of response, Taro sighed with resignation. "Fine, if you're going to copy, at least make sure it's better than the original, understood?"

The creative director nodded fervently.

With the advent of 2D pixelated games, the programmers and the creative director were still adapting and learning. However, KiShin seemed unstoppable, continuously producing new and innovative games.