The manager efficiently stacked the two versions of the game—one bearing the Sega Jupiter logo and the other the Sony PlayStation logo—neatly in the most prominent, central spot on the counter.
Konami's new release: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Just past ten o'clock, the wind chime above the door jingled.
Suzuki pushed the door open and walked straight to the counter, vigorously rubbing his numb, frozen hands together.
"Manager, I finished Tomb Raider last night," Suzuki said, switching the briefcase in his hand to his left side and gesturing toward the shelves. "Lara's game is a real stress-reliever. No endless dialogue, just pure action. It's exactly what I needed to pull myself out of that Cloud-induced depression. Got any similar new arrivals today? Something fast-paced and satisfying."
The manager offered a mysterious smile. He reached out, grabbed two copies of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night—the Jupiter version in his left hand and the PS version in his right—and placed them with a soft thud on the transparent glass countertop.
"Fresh from Konami. Simultaneous release on both platforms. Whether you've got a Sega or a Sony at home, you can play it."
Suzuki lowered his head to examine the box art.
The cover art was a stunning Gothic illustration by Ayami Kojima. The silver-haired vampire noble exuded a melancholic yet captivating aura.
Still, Suzuki's brow twitched.
"Konami? Weren't their big RPG releases in January total flops? And—who's playing a 2D side-scroller these days? Everyone's on 3D now."
"Just try it," the manager said, gesturing with a tilt of his chin toward the back of the store. "Demo station ten just got powered up. It's no ordinary 2D game."
Skeptical, Suzuki walked over. Two college students, shoulder bags slung over their backs, were already huddled in front of station ten, letting out a series of gasps. Suzuki stood behind them, watching.
On the screen, the silver-haired protagonist, Alucard, glided through the corridors of a gloomy yet opulent castle.
He swung his longsword, leaving a fluid, translucent afterimage. With a crisp shink, the skeleton soldier ahead was shattered into a pile of bones.
What surprised Suzuki even more was that the protagonist wasn't confined to a linear path—no "Level 1, Level 2" progression. Instead, he was freely exploring the vast, interconnected map of the castle.
The college student playing the game pressed pause and opened the menu, which revealed a surprisingly deep set of RPG elements—he could swap out weapons, armor, and accessories, and even view his character's detailed stats!
"The controls... they're so damn smooth!" The student's fingers flew across the controller. On screen, Alucard performed a lightning-fast backstep, narrowly dodging a monster's heavy attack. He immediately countered with a slash, and a bright red critical hit number popped up.
Beside him, another student stared intently at the minimap in the top-right corner, gesturing wildly. "There's a locked gate here. See that ledge? It's too high. We probably need a double jump or some kind of bat transformation to get up there. Let's explore the underwater area below first!"
"This is awesome," the player said, smashing a candelabra and picking up a dropped heart. "No more slogs through endless, boring dialogue boxes, and no being forced down a single, linear path. We can choose whatever route we want. If we can't beat this boss, we'll just go farm some better gear in another room, level up a bit, and come back to crush it!"
Suzuki watched from behind for a full five minutes. The gorgeous afterimages, the rhythmic sound effects of each strike, and the sense of exploring the unknown scratched at his heart like a cat's claws.
Without a moment's hesitation, he turned back to the counter and slapped his wallet onto the table.
"Give me a copy of the Jupiter Version! Quick!"
That night, Suzuki sat on the tatami mat in his room, gripping the controller, and lost track of time for over three hours.
When he finally saved his progress in a glowing red save room and turned off the TV, he stretched his limbs out wide. A wave of indescribable relief and satisfaction seemed to seep from every pore of his body.
When he played Final Fantasy VII, he had pulled all-nighters, driven forward by the massive plot and epic cutscenes. Every time he shut down his computer, his brain felt swollen and his energy completely drained.
When he played Tomb Raider, he enjoyed the thrill of climbing through 3D tombs and adventuring alone.
But Symphony of the Night offered a completely different experience—it was, in a sense, a brand-new kind of "electronic massage."
Konami had shown remarkable restraint, eschewing the game's narrative for long-winded dialogue.
The story's backdrop was delivered with crisp efficiency: Go to Castlevania, kill Dracula.
All the remaining core enjoyment was poured unreservedly into map exploration, exquisitely tuned action mechanics, and an addictive equipment collection system.
Want to play for half an hour? No problem. Clear two rooms in the castle, farm a rare weapon drop, save your game, and go straight to bed without a shred of guilt.
Want to play for four hours straight? Then you'd solve puzzles and explore, hunting for secret rooms hidden behind walls, relentlessly pushing the map completion percentage toward one hundred.
The game's pace was entirely in the player's hands.
It wasn't so addictive that it kept you awake at night, nor did you have to force your eyelids open just to reach the next plot point. Yet, every time you turned on the console, the experience of slashing monsters with a sword and upgrading your gear was solid to the core.
In the second week of March, the detailed sales data arrived at Konami's headquarters in Chuo Ward.
Kazumasa Kozuki sat behind his spacious mahogany desk, clutching the combined first-week sales report for both platforms.
The frustration that had been festering in his chest since their disastrous January release—when they'd been utterly crushed during the New Year rush—finally dissipated completely today.
"Combined across both platforms, first-week sales have topped 350,000 copies!" the Sales Manager announced, standing before the desk. His voice betrayed an irrepressible mix of ecstasy and relief. "Our front desk is practically exploding from all the calls from distributors across the country—they're all clamoring for the second shipment. Major retailers in Akihabara, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro even had long lines forming over the weekend, all just to buy a copy of Symphony of the Night on disc!"
A smug smile played on Kazumasa Kozuki's lips as he flipped through the player feedback questionnaires.
"In January, we dumped a massive marketing budget into a heavy, plot-driven epic, only to run head-first into Square's Final Fantasy VII—that absolute juggernaut. We lost our shirts," Kozuki sneered. "This time, we learned our lesson. We skipped the flashy promotional stunts and let the game's quality and gameplay speak for themselves. And look at the result—staggering sales."
"That's exactly what players are craving right now," the Sales Manager agreed wholeheartedly. "The same reason Tomb Raider is selling like crazy in North America. Everyone's exhausted from those heavy RPGs; they don't even want to think anymore. Whoever can give them a comfortable, stress-free pace and a rewarding gameplay loop will get their money."
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