Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Soul Hunters X
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"Is this the game Savior released this time?"
"Yes, that's right. It's the Savior Pulse version of Soul Hunters, which was previously released on GameStation. The name is Soul Hunters X."
Suguru tore open the packaging of the game pack in his hand and pulled out the cartridge.
He slotted it into the Savior Pulse set up in the Grigon's office and waited a moment.
Ding.
Sure enough, accompanied by the startup chime, Soul Hunters X appeared on the game console screen.
Suguru began playing without a word.
Smooth.
In fact, Suguru had played Soul Hunters before.
He'd even seen the endings in both the normal mode and Savior mode versions, so he could tell just how insane Soul Hunters X was, running on Savior Pulse right now.
The GameStation Pro was a monstrous machine with the best performance among fifth-generation consoles.
And Soul Hunters, a game that required something like the GameStation Pro to enjoy at 100%, was running smoothly on the Savior Pulse in Suguru's hands. It was truly hard to believe.
"They completely removed Savior mode."
"That's correct. This Soul Hunters X was released using only what was previously called normal mode."
"A good choice. Thanks to that, it's delivering graphics and performance similar to console play even on Savior Pulse."
No matter how monstrous a developer was, it was impossible to squeeze out more performance than the hardware allowed.
So the best approach was to maximize within the given limits.
That was the mark of a good game developer.
Is this also the work of President Seon Woo-hyuk?
This Soul Hunters X was exactly that.
It had swept the world with its two modes, but boldly abandoning them to focus on one and port it perfectly was, in Suguru's eyes, a truly excellent decision.
A prime counterexample was Seton's Neptune console, which tried to handle both 2D and 3D performance and ended up a failure.
"Hm?"
As he played Soul Hunters X, Suguru sensed something off.
"Don't tell me... they added weapons?"
The original Soul Hunters let you use only a sword called a tachi, but now Suguru had acquired dual swords during play.
One of his subordinates answered Suguru's question.
"Soul Hunters X goes beyond a simple port. It was released with new monsters, boss monsters, and additional weapon types."
"Does that even make sense?"
Suguru couldn't hide his astonishment at his subordinate's response.
And who could blame him? Even without the modes, Soul Hunters was no low-spec game.
It had launched two years ago and was still high-end by current standards.
Porting it as-is would have been an impressive feat.
But expanding it? That was unbelievable.
I couldn't guarantee I could pull this off even if they handed it to me.
For Suguru, who was confident in game development, this was a difficulty he couldn't claim to handle.
"Division Head... there's more to report."
"There's something else?"
As Suguru marveled at Soul Hunters X, his subordinate hesitantly continued.
"Starting with Soul Hunters X, multiplayer is now possible."
"Multiplayer? Hm... how many players?"
"Up to four, they say."
Suguru figured it wasn't that shocking, given how his subordinate had built it up.
Of course, compared to the original Soul Hunters with no multiplayer, party play was a clear advantage.
But handheld multiplayer is still premature.
The problem was needing to carry link cables and daisy-chain them between devices to play together.
It didn't suit portable gaming on the go.
Even Nendo's new Game Boy Color had multiplayer, but it wasn't catching on as hoped.
Yet despite Suguru's lukewarm reaction, his subordinate's expression remained tense.
"...Division Head, could I borrow one of your Savior Pulses for a moment?"
"No problem. Why?"
No sooner had Suguru spoken than the subordinate grabbed another Savior Pulse from the office, powered it on, and inserted a spare Soul Hunters X cartridge.
He then held down one of the control buttons firmly.
"Please look at your Savior Pulse screen, Division Head."
"My screen?"
Suguru glanced at his own Savior Pulse as instructed—and nearly dropped it in shock.
"What... is this?!"
A multiplayer request popping up with no physical connection or contact whatsoever.
"How the hell did they pull off something this crazy?"
No, that wasn't important right now.
The moment Soul Hunters X and wireless multiplayer launched, Nendo faced an unprecedented crisis.
"I need to see the president!"
He heard his subordinate calling, but that could wait.
He had to meet President Miyamoto as soon as possible.
***
"If it's already this crazy, it'll be total chaos later."
"Wasn't this expected?"
"Well, it's inevitable."
Scarlett and I were scanning internet community reactions on the president's office screen.
Two weeks after Soul Hunters X's launch, the Savior Pulse craze—which had been dying down—was roaring back to life.
Talk of the heated Savior vs. Uni console wars had long vanished from the communities.
All that filled the void now was chatter about Soul Hunters X and wireless play.
"Uni must be losing their minds. After Savior Nexus, who could've imagined Savior Pulse would sideline them too."
"Not just Uni—Nendo's in real pain."
"Yeah, they've been struggling lately, right?"
I nodded at Scarlett's words.
It was true—Nendo was hurting these days.
In the original timeline, they recovered from Nendo 64's failure with Game Boy, but we tanked those expectations.
In original history, Nendo survived GameStation's blow to Nendo 64 thanks to Game Boy.
Riding the Pocket Tamer boom from Japan to overseas, Nendo and Game Boy posted terrifying sales that made Nendo 64's flop seem minor.
Especially Game Boy Color, which exploded worldwide and kicked off Nendo's portable dominance.
Not this time, though.
"Precisely—Savior Pulse snatched Nendo's entire portable market share."
Scarlett, who'd taken plenty of hits from Nendo since Seton days, gleefully elaborated on their slump.
"You know it's pandemonium in Japan over Soul Hunters X too?"
"Soul Hunters X was made targeting Japan from the start, so it's only natural."
With even Nendo's last bastion—the Japanese domestic market—in peril, Nendo must be angrier at Savior than Uni.
"How did those stubborn Japanese players flip so fast?"
"Hm... it's a mix of factors."
Savior Pulse had conquered the global handheld market, but Japan was a weak spot.
Japanese consumers' strong preference for domestic products meant they rarely bought foreign consoles or handhelds.
Yet Soul Hunters X's release had spiked Savior Pulse sales in Japan dramatically.
Japanese players really value party play.
In truth, Japan's tastes made it easier to crack than most places if you hit them right.
Soul Hunters X centered on party-hunting massive yokai, making teamwork crucial.
Compared to Korean players who found it a hassle, Japanese ones loved party play.
Plus, young students and office workers—core gamers—could jump in together during lunch without hassle.
Rare in individualistic West.
Those elements fueled the Savior Pulse and Soul Hunters X fever in Japan.
"Pushing for that Bluetooth chip looks smart now—I opposed it back then."
"I get it. Without it, we could've cut prices over 10%."
All this was thanks to cramming in the Bluetooth 1.0 chip at launch.
With underdeveloped internet, cable-free multiplayer meant infrared (IR)—and Savior Pulse had Pocket Tamer-level IR.
But IR required line-of-sight and had low speed, lacking reliability.
The fix? Bluetooth from '99.
Bluetooth solved speed, range, and connection.
Early chips weren't mass-market, so pricey—hence Savior Pulse's higher launch price.
But conquering Japan proved it worthwhile.
Just one more push to topple the Nendo giant?
It was down to that final step.
Time to prepare the next move.