On September 3, 1990, Pokeni's new game, Elite Academy, officially went on sale.
Unlike Onmyoji before, this time most game stores gave Elite Academy prominent placement. While not quite the same eye-catching display as a major Nintendo release, it was still quite noticeable.
As Koze Furukawa entered the store, he immediately spotted Elite Academy on the second shelf from the top, right in the center.
"Huh? Pokeni has a new game out?"
Curious, Koze picked up the cartridge.
The bespectacled shopkeeper glanced his way and smiled. "That's right. Pokeni's games are quite good, aren't they? That's why our president made sure to give it a prime spot."
"Yeah," Koze nodded. "Onmyoji was great. I wonder how the new one will be."
He flipped the game box over to check the back, but couldn't find any age rating labels.
"Huh? Why isn't there an age rating?"
"It's not rated 16," the shopkeeper said with a smile. " Elite Academy is an all-ages game. It looks like one of Pokeni's ambitious projects."
Tsk.
Furukawa clicked his tongue, his brow furrowing slightly.
What is Pokeni's president thinking? he wondered. Why would they abandon perfectly good galgames to develop an all-ages game?
He read the game description:
[ In Elite Academy, you'll become the founder of a school. Build various facilities, recruit students, and nurture them into well-rounded individuals. ]
[ Configure classrooms to foster student growth, let them fully enjoy club activities and romance on campus, and strive to make your school a prestigious institution! ]
Hmm...
After reading the description, Furukawa grew even more hesitant.
If it's like this, should I still buy it?
But if he didn't buy a new game, he'd have nothing to play.
Lately, Koze Furukawa had been stuck in a gaming rut.
Unfortunately, Onmyoji had been too painful to play a second time. Otherwise, it would have been his favorite game in years.
"If you're not satisfied, you can always come back in a few months," the shopkeeper said with a smile, his eyes narrowing as he seemed to sense Furukawa's hesitation. "Pokeni's Onmyoji 2 is scheduled to release around November this year."
"Really?!"
Hearing the words Onmyoji 2, Koze Furukawa's eyes lit up immediately.
"Will Onmyoji 2 fix the shortcomings of the first game? Will characters from the original appear in the sequel?" Furukawa asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I'm not sure about that. I only know a little about the release date," the shopkeeper replied, patting his round belly with a chuckle. "The specific game content is probably something only Pokeni's developers would know."
"Hmm... that's a shame."
Furukawa bowed slightly.
Onmyoji 2 was indeed something to look forward to.
But the thought of having to wait over two months felt unbearable.
His gaze fell on the Elite Academy game cartridge in his hand.
It wasn't expensive, only 4800 yen.
That was much more reasonable than Onmyoji.
Should he give it a try?
After paying and bagging his purchase, Koze Furukawa returned to his apartment, a mix of excitement and anticipation in his heart as he carried the game cartridge.
He inserted the cartridge, turned on the TV, and, as if by instinct, began the game.
The large Pokeni logo filled the screen.
This was followed by the title, Elite Academy.
The music was cheerful, with a group of pixel-art, chibi-style high school students walking back and forth in the center.
The main focus was a school building.
In truth, both the game's art style and music were undeniably all-ages.
Moreover, the color palette and design seemed to carry Pokeni's signature style, appearing more refined than many pixel-art games on the market.
He clicked "Start Game."
School Name: Default is Sunny High School.
Map: Healthy Town (a balanced map, recommended).
First Student to Enroll: Kenko Taro.
After making his selections, the game began.
A small figure appeared in the center of the game screen. This was Kenko Taro, the first student to arrive at Sunny High School on the first day of the new semester.
A dialogue box and character portrait popped up, both in pixel art style. There wasn't even a proper illustration.
[ Hello everyone. ]
[ I am Hisayama Misako, the Dean of Sunny High School. ]
[ Although our school is newly established this year, we hope it will one day become an elite academy with many outstanding students. ]
[ Alright, the opening ceremony is about to begin. I wonder what kind of students will arrive? ]
Next came the new student procession.
Besides Kenko Taro, two other random new students joined the academy.
To be honest, Koze Furukawa was already tempted to quit the game at this point. However, since the Shopkeeper had previously mentioned that this was Pokeni's ambitious project, he patiently continued playing.
Following the game's step-by-step guidance, Koze began building classrooms, teacher offices, sports fields, and various activity facilities.
On one hand, he needed to provide systematic training to students to enhance their academic attributes. On the other hand, he had to create more social spaces to encourage interaction and acquaintance, ultimately fulfilling the game's description of "romance."
More importantly, the academy's initial funds were limited. If they were depleted, the game would end.
After all, this was ultimately a simulation management game.
Therefore, making money was paramount.
By cultivating students, increasing the school's reputation, more outstanding students would enroll, allowing him to collect fees from them.
The game's mechanics were quite simple.
After playing for a while, Koze Furukawa's expression grew increasingly solemn.
To be honest, he could sense the inherent fun and charm of the game itself.
But—
It fell somewhat short of his expectations for a Pokeni game.
"Huh? So, all this time, 'training students' actually means training students?"
"And 'dating' means actual dating..."
Koze Furukawa muttered uncomfortably.
If he hadn't played Pokeni's Onmyoji before, he might have thought this game was decent—good enough for killing time.
But after experiencing the Onmyoji from Pokeni, he felt completely ripped off.
It was like his favorite AV actress suddenly put on clothes and announced she was going to become a saleswoman.
I was expecting that...
But you gave me this...
Koze Furukawa quit the game and opened the credits.
When he saw the producer's name, he suddenly had an epiphany.
"Ah! So the producer is Aoki Haruhi? No wonder I couldn't get into it."
He put down his controller and fell into deep contemplation.
He couldn't understand why Pokeni had replaced the producer.
Aoki Haruhi was so much worse than Kogahara Tsubakiaki!
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