On the fourth day after the game's release, the famous gaming media website '4Gamer' published an analysis of the entire game system of 'Throne of Heroes', along with its review scores.
"'Throne of Heroes'
Developer: [Mirror Flower Water Moon] (not yet officially launched)
Publisher: [Mirror Flower Water Moon]
Genre: Card Collection, Card Battle, Hybrid
Platform: PC
Official Website: Click Here
Scheduled Release Date: 2019-1-7
Graphics: 9.5
Story: 9.8
Gameplay: 9.8
Music: 8.9
Overall Score: 9.7
..."
'Warship Girls Collection' had previously received an overall score as high as 96 from the gaming media website. Generally speaking, any game scoring above 80 in its reviews was considered a high-quality title, while scores above 90 were reserved for classic AAA blockbusters and a handful of genuinely innovative and entertaining games. There had only ever been one instance of a collectible card game receiving a score above 96 from '4Gamer'.
And yet, while 'Throne of Heroes' was still in testing, it had already received a score of 97.
The review team's reasoning was simple: 'Throne of Heroes' was more entertaining than 'Warship Girls Collection'. If 'Warship Girls Collection' deserved an overall score of 96, then 'Throne of Heroes' could only deserve something higher—even though their current understanding of 'Throne of Heroes' was still limited to the surface.
'4Gamer's overall score of 9.7 for 'Throne of Heroes' quickly became a hot topic throughout Japan's gaming industry. 'Throne of Heroes' had already stood at the center of attention in the Japanese gaming industry, and now '4Gamer', the only gaming media outlet to publicly announce that it had secured access to the game test, had naturally attracted attention from all sides from the very beginning.
'4Gamer' was a long-established Japanese gaming media outlet that had been around for more than twenty years. It had witnessed the rise and decline of Famicom games in Japan, the evolution of games from discs to cartridges, and then the rise of modern home consoles and PC gaming. The website itself represented the memories of a generation of gamers and held tremendous influence within Japan's gaming industry.
Game reviews were an important part of a gaming media website's operations and also one of the ways a game could make its name. The higher a game's score, the more likely it was to attract players' attention. As a result, countless shady backroom deals had taken place between gaming media outlets and game publishers, and many gaming media review rankings were regarded as jokes by players.
'4Gamer's game review rankings, however, had been maintained for twenty years. For every game it reviewed, it did its utmost to provide a comprehensive assessment from the player's perspective, earning the deep trust of gamers. Any novice interested in gaming would be recommended by Japanese players to take a look at '4Gamer's historical review scores. More than a decade of accumulated credibility had created one of the most authoritative and influential game-review systems in the industry—'4Gamer's Comprehensive Game Reviews.
'4Gamer' didn't actually create a specific numerical ranking of games. Instead, whenever a new game appeared, it would give that game a score and add it to its review database.
At present, the highest-scoring title was 'Adventure King', the progenitor of Japanese RPGs. It had laid the foundations for the entire JRPG genre and exerted a profound influence on the future of the gaming industry. Even though the game seemed rather simplistic by modern standards and its graphics were quite crude, its historical importance alone was sufficient to earn it an overall score of 98. This had been the very first review conducted after '4Gamer' was founded, and the score reflected the judgment of gamers from twenty years ago.
In second place was the gaming industry's rising star, 'Warship Girls Collection', alongside the breakout hits and classics of several famous IPs. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that 'Warship Girls Collection' alone occupied half the market for otaku-oriented games. It was a phenomenon within Japan's ACG scene and had also ushered in a new era for Japanese collectible card games.
But with the score for 'Throne of Heroes' added to the database today, 'Warship Girls Collection' immediately fell to third place.
The overall score of 9.7 caused an uproar throughout Japan's gaming community. 'Warship Girls Collection' itself was already an exceptional work. Even setting aside how its thematic positioning had been tested by the market, it had only received its overall score of 96 after being widely acknowledged as having ushered in a new era of collectible card games.
So what right did 'Throne of Heroes', a game that hadn't even officially launched yet, have to receive an overall score as high as 97?
Only one point below 'Adventure King', the progenitor of Japanese RPGs?
That single point shouldn't be underestimated. Japan was a country that placed considerable importance on tradition and seniority. Whenever rankings were involved, historical significance was always among the first factors taken into consideration. Giving 'Throne of Heroes' a score of 97 meant that, in the eyes of '4Gamer's review team, the historical value this game might create in the future would surpass 'Warship Girls Collection' and be sufficient to stand shoulder to shoulder with 'Adventure King'. After all, 'Adventure King' had been scored in an era when the gaming industry was still immature, and its historical importance had also played an extremely significant role in its rating.
Since '4Gamer' was founded, only a handful of classic titles from famous Western or Japanese IPs had ever scored above 95. In the past five years, 'Warship Girls Collection' had been the only game to receive an overall score of 96.
At 97 points, 'Throne of Heroes' was only the second game since 'Adventure King' to receive a score of 97 or higher.
Challenging the historical status of 'Adventure King'?
The greatest game of the past twenty years?
Surpassing 'Warship Girls Collection'?
Such doubts inevitably arose in the minds of gamers. A considerable number of players even began wondering whether '4Gamer' had made some unknown backroom deal with [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio.
The testers who had actually played 'Throne of Heroes' all considered the score perfectly reasonable. However, there were still very few test players, so they could only influence a portion of public opinion. Far more Japanese gamers questioned this extraordinarily high rating.
Within a single day of the 'Throne of Heroes' score being published, the review page received more than a hundred thousand comments!
Whether due to paid posters or someone deliberately guiding public opinion, the game's overall reputation wasn't particularly favorable.
...
Inside '4Gamer's conference room, the atmosphere was solemn.
The company president and the entire review team had discussed the matter several times, yet had still failed to conclude.
The president of '4Gamer', an elderly man with graying temples but sharp eyes, scrutinized the stiff young man before him and said thoughtfully, "Fukuyama, quite a few gamers outside are questioning the score you gave, and plenty of other gaming media outlets are waiting to laugh at us. Does your review team truly believe that this card-battle game deserves a score of 97? I read your report and agreed with it before allowing the score to be published, but I didn't expect such an intense reaction from players. We need to handle this matter more cautiously."
He tapped the desk in front of him, deliberately emphasizing the words card-battle game.
The implication was obvious. It was merely a card-battle game. No matter how excellent it was, could it really deserve such a score?
Fukuyama Mitsuaki immediately rose from his chair and answered firmly, "Yes, President! Every editor on my team and I believe that 'Throne of Heroes' deserves a score of 97. If anything, we'd rather give it a 98. We believe this game has broken through the limitations of the card-game genre and laid the foundations for Japa—no, it will have a profound influence on games of similar genres throughout the entire world.
"Before 'Warship Girls Collection' came out, we also believed that no matter how entertaining a card game might be, it could never compare with a meticulously crafted RPG. Now I'm glad we gave 'Warship Girls Collection' a score of 96 because of its subject matter. Otherwise, the score I'd be giving 'Throne of Heroes' today would be 98."
A subtle change appeared in '4Gamer' President Nozawayama's eyes. He then turned toward another member of the review team and calmly asked, "Then, Odagiri, what's your opinion?"
That member of the review team stood up alongside Fukuyama. Faced with the scrutinizing gaze of such a towering figure in gaming media, he swallowed nervously before answering seriously, "Uh... I have no... no objections. This game is like 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' in anime... The reason it can receive such a high score is entirely because of its own exceptional quality. I agree with Team Leader Fukuyama."
After a brief silence, President Nozawayama shook his head, stood up, and smiled.
"Very well. Fukuyama, it's rare to see you insist on something so strongly. The company will trust your judgment."
Fukuyama Mitsuaki's expression relaxed. "Please rest assured, President. Our team's detailed review report on 'Throne of Heroes' will be published within this week. By then, we'll have more than enough justification to explain why we gave this game a score of 97."
He had confirmed this countless times over the past three days.
On this point alone, he had no doubts whatsoever.