Chapter 69. Extraordinary Enjoyment
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In the end, several people gritted their teeth and each bought an MD console.
20,000 yen was a bit pricey, but it was only equivalent to about a week's worth of meals for them.
Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't like they'd only play Mermaid's Heart on the MD—many of Sega's games were quite good, so they'd have to buy the console sooner or later anyway.
Might as well get it now.
The three finished paying and said goodbye at the store entrance.
"See you Monday, everyone."
"See you Monday."
...
Hirose Furukawa excitedly carried the game console and cartridge back to his place.
He opened the game console box and took out the 16-bit machine inside.
Stroking the smooth surface, Furukawa couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
It had to be said that Sega's 16-bit console was actually quite well-made. The design was very modern, with the upper part of the controller presenting a streamlined shape that better fit the palm.
Much more comfortable than the traditional FC.
It was just that he might not be used to the feel yet—holding it gave him a slightly strange sensation.
After connecting the game console to the TV, Furukawa finally opened the game box and inserted Mermaid's Heart into the MD's slot.
Of course, before inserting it, he didn't forget to blow on it.
Ever since Nintendo's FC era, players had developed the habit of blowing on cartridges, mainly because if dust got on the cartridge pins, it could easily cause screen glitches or reading failures.
In such cases, a quick blow would fix it.
Of course, you shouldn't blow too hard, or you'd spray your saliva on it too.
He flipped the power switch.
Started the game.
A gentle, beautiful melody immediately began playing.
Compared to the FC's audio, the MD's effect could only be described as stunning.
Wow, worthy of being a 16-bit console.
Although Hirose Furukawa had already seen many advertisements about how good 16-bit consoles were, and many people had recommended them to him, it wasn't until today that he deeply experienced the charm of a 16-bit console.
Just in terms of picture quality alone, Sega's MD was completely incomparable to other 8-bit consoles.
This feeling was like a severely nearsighted patient suddenly putting on a pair of glasses suited to them—
The entire world became clear.
No, not only that—the MD's screen colors were also much richer than the FC's.
It was like stepping out of a black-and-white old photograph into reality.
Yeah, that metaphor might be more appropriate.
Right now, Hirose Furukawa rather regretted not getting Sega's 16-bit console earlier.
...
A line of text appeared on screen—
[Pokeni Co. Ltd, Mermaid's Heart Project Team.]
After that came a sea-blue backdrop border.
In the center were the large characters [Mermaid's Heart].
You could tell at a glance this was made by [Tsubaki Furuhara].
Seeing this, Hirose Furukawa couldn't help but feel his emotions surge.
This Tsubaki Furuhara guy's requirements for visuals and his ability to control them were truly world-class. Being able to play his works was really an enjoyment.
The game officially began.
...
On the Eastern Pacific Ocean, a stormy sea raged.
A cruise ship was tossing violently.
With a thunderous crash, the ship struck an iceberg.
The giant vessel was torn open with a gash, and immediately seawater flooded in.
"Oh no! The ship is sinking!" someone shouted loudly.
[In Yamazaki Teru's eyes, massive lightning tore across the distant sea surface]
[Before he completely lost consciousness, a beautiful and flawless face appeared in the phosphorescent glow of the seawater.]
[The girl's surprised eyes looked toward him]
[Then a huge fish tail swept past]
Huh?
The plot is unfolding through text?
Isn't this text a bit too much?
Furukawa grumbled internally.
Before this, he had never experienced this type of game format.
Although Pokeni's previously developed Onmyoji series also had similar elements, overall it still leaned more toward RPG.
But Mermaid's Heart was a very typical galgame.
More precisely, it was a visual novel type.
No game had done this before.
Actually, it was quite risky.
Because it essentially abandoned gameplay—if the game's script itself wasn't outstanding enough, it could easily lead to player loss.
At first, he wasn't quite used to this game type with large blocks of descriptive text, but clearly the scriptwriter's writing ability was quite excellent. Furukawa quickly became immersed in this story composed of images and text.
...
The male protagonist was submerged in seawater and completely lost consciousness.
When he woke up, he found that everything around him had changed—
In the vast ocean, everything around was dazzlingly brilliant, with beautiful, colorful fish swimming nearby.
In the distance, a giant whale stirred the waters with many swimming fish following it.
The entire scene was truly breathtaking, making one involuntarily intoxicated by it.
As if one were truly in an ocean world.
The MD console's performance was really good—it could make Hirose Furukawa feel amazed.
Of course, most crucially, Pokeni's art quality was truly world-class.
Only this could bring players such an extraordinary enjoyment.