Game Market 1983

Chapter 238: Tokyo Game Show

"Then let's jump right into the game."

With a nod from me, Uchimura initiated the game.

An opening animation flashed, summarizing Episode 1's story and heralding the beginning of the second installment of Dragon Emblem, accompanied by its theme song.

The prequel to Dragon Emblem depicted an era of despair where humans were cornered to the far reaches of a vast continent. Although two towers collapsed due to the efforts of warriors combating demons, a resurrected mage, Osiris, succumbed to the temptation of evil and ascended as the new Demon Lord, marking the onset of a new era of warfare.

Thinking back to the moment when I almost had to change the Demon Lord's name due to its close association with the word "butt," it still made my insides squirm...

A brief pause ensued. As the camera panned over the location from Episode 1, only a shabby hut appeared on Uchimura's screen.

As Uchimura checked his equipment, the screen displayed worn-out cloaks and torn leather armor, reflecting the destitute state of an "Unknown Mercenary" class. Even the sword he possessed was labeled as a "Toothless Blade," eliciting sympathy from the viewers staring at the screen.

"Poor guy. Utterly destitute..."

"Good grief... Are they telling those without Hardcore Mode clear data to start from scratch?"

Various sighs echoed upon witnessing Uchimura's dire equipment. However, some users surprisingly comprehended the current game world.

"Who gets scared of discarding weapons early in the game? Wheres the RPG that starts with all the items? Even in the Dragon Warrior series, the hero starts with a stick at level 1..."

"Come to think of it, that's true..."

Uchimura ignored the users' comments, closed the inventory, and returned to the hut's screen. The basic interface of Dragon Emblem was quite simple.

The area where Uchimura was located fell within human territory, hence considerably safer than the battlefield. Therefore, gameplay involved perusing available quest lists, confirming rewards, and diving into action accordingly.

"In Dragon Emblem, mercenaries can nurture characters within their faction. You can explore dungeons near reclaimed territories and, upon reaching a certain level, even join battles as a commander. Of course, a grand journey to discover the legendary weapons left behind by past heroes awaits. But to do that, one must expand human territories further, right? Please observe Uchimura's gameplay in basic dungeon exploration."

As my statement ended, Uchimura completed basic exploration preparations and accepted a quest within the hut.

Upon Uchimura pressing the "YES" button for exploring a western cave, his character, mounted on a horse, appeared on the field. Simultaneously, monsters emerged scattered across the field.

"Uh...?"

Unexpected dialogues prompted peculiar reactions from users who initially assumed it was a simple field-movement RPG. Nonetheless, Uchimura proceeded without a care, causing a six-sided die to bounce across the screen as if by magic.

"5. Your character can move up to 5 spaces in any direction."

"Whoa... This is like a board game!"

Indeed, while moving from the hut to the quest location, players could roll dice to move their characters themselves. After each turn, nearby enemies also moved, either chasing the protagonist or engaging in battles similar to SRPGs on the field. Shiny treasures and monsters guarding specific artifacts were scattered throughout the field, leaving it to the player's discretion where to venture.

Although unfamiliar to gamers of this era, the field screen where Uchimura stood resembled the field screen of the Might and Magic series for me.

"Though I've removed the time-consuming turn-based battle system."

Combat on the field needed to be straightforward and exhilarating. Hence, I applied standard SRPG battle tactics only for battles during field movement.

Uchimura quickly moved the dice to reach the quest area, but not receiving the luck needed, encountered monsters just outside the dungeon entrance.

Fearful of being surrounded by more monsters if he lingered, Uchimura swiftly entered the dungeon on the next dice roll.

"Wow... Fighting enemies on the field is possible, just like in simulation RPGs."

After a brief loading screen, Uchimura's character, having healed wounds and drawn a sword, commenced exploration of the unknown dungeon's floors.

In the midst of a quarter view overlooking from above, a shabby-clad Uchimura held a lone sword and ventured into the darkness like a maze.

"It felt like an SRPG on the world map, but now it feels like an action RPG..."

Amidst demonstrating warm-up swings and evasive rolls to the audience, Uchimura carefully navigated the maze-like map.

Suddenly, green goblins and kobolds leaped from the darkness. Uchimura swiftly evaded the kobold's attack, countered the goblin's defense, and took down the remaining kobold with ease, impressing the viewers.

"That goblin takedown was quite impressive, wasn't it?"

"Seems like aiming for vulnerabilities yields such moves?"

As a radiant treasure chest shimmered brightly on Uchimura's gameplay screen, users erupted in excitement.

"Oh! Is that an item?"

"Could it be something rare inside?"

In RPGs, treasure chests always stirred a peculiar thrill. Whatever was inside, an item was always a welcome sight. Especially if it happened to contain a useful sword or gear...

Uchimura, cautious by nature, cautiously approached the chest with his shield. However, the moment he got close, the chest blurred and swiftly moved away.

"What's this?"

"Is it a mimic? (A monster disguised as a treasure chest.)"

Momentarily puzzled, Uchimura cautiously advanced toward the treasure chest, shield at the ready.

But just as he nearly reached it again, the treasure chest once more appeared in the distance.

Yet, there were no monsters around, so Uchimura, lowering his shield, strode quickly toward the treasure chest.

Shoop!

It felt as though someone was trying to lure Uchimura deeper into the dungeon, tugging at him like bait. Sensing something amiss, Uchimura raised his shield again and cautiously approached the treasure chest. This time, it didn't vanish from sight.

"Huh? Now it's not disappearing?"

Suspicious, Uchimura didn't rush to open the chest. Instead, he circled it once, scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, at the edge of the screen, something massive swiftly passed by.

As the unknown area was shrouded in black mist, Uchimura moved closer to examine it when...

Before him appeared the scale of a gigantic snake.

"Eek..."

Shield raised in apprehension, just as he was about to retreat from the incoming threat...

Shting!

Ting!

The shield, trembling under tension, was knocked away as a massive anaconda revealed itself. The monster, having lured the player with the treasure chest, had now blocked the escape route and enclosed Uchimura.

"This is bad."

The sheer size of the anaconda sent involuntary sighs escaping from the users.

Sometimes in games, isn't there that moment when, without doing anything, just from the imposing presence of a monster, you'd inwardly concede, 'Ah, I can't beat that thing'?

I've felt that way in a few games myself, especially in the DaXsoul series I enjoyed before reverting...

When facing a colossal knight seemingly awaiting me in a vast space, I'd often wonder, 'How many times do I have to die to defeat that guy?'

However, our skilled assistant, Uchimura, was different.

Thrown off balance as his shield was knocked away, he swiftly rolled to evade the anaconda's attack.

"Whoa!"

After dodging, in the same motion, he swung his sword, inflicting a wound on the monster. His actions elicited admiration from the users watching this unfold.

"You can dodge it with skill!"

Fortunately, perhaps due to the anaconda's massive size, Uchimura's attacks were quite effective. Although his HP was precariously low, he managed to repel the anaconda by consuming potions during the battle.

"Wow!"

"Awesome."

Eventually, alone in the cleared space, Uchimura swiftly opened the gleaming treasure chest, and a multitude of items poured out from within.

In the Dragon Emblem dungeon, the rank and number of items obtained varied based on the chest's size and radiance. This time, Uchimura managed to acquire some decent equipment as a reward.

After a while, having equipped the new armor and sword from his inventory, his character on the screen appeared more presentable.

As Uchimura finished his preparations and ventured back into the dungeon, the users observing his gameplay applauded.

Continuing Uchimura's play, as I faced Hayashi, he took control of the game.

"The commander character begins the play."

Clad in pristine armor, the dazzling knight, brandishing a sword, advanced the game, prompting a cautionary message on the screen.

-When dying in the battlefield, there might be equipment loss or significant penalties to stats. Please be careful...-

"Yeah, that message seems familiar from the Dragon Emblem, I think..."

"It feels like the mercenary mode is a tutorial, and this is the real deal..."

Kwaaaang!

As the resounding blast and the appearance of the battlefield flashed, Hayashi swiftly manipulated the pad, beginning maintenance for both his character and the subordinates.

"Prepare within 30 seconds for battle, it's about to start."

"What? There's a time limit?"

Being the second skilled assistant, Hayashi finished preparations faster than the system's given 30 seconds and pressed the start button.

"Set your formations within 10 seconds."

Placing his subordinates at the rear, Hayashi positioned himself as the tank at the forefront. As he finished setting the formation, a tense sound accompanied a prompt.

"Commencing battle."

Shortly after, on the colossal screen, eight characters aimed their weapons at each other.

-FIGHT-

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