Outside Shimaori Game Shop, the crowds around the two TVs were packed tightly. Many who had bought cartridges didn't even take them home—they started playing right there in public.
Salamander had always been a challenging game. This new Jormungandr was slightly easier than the original but still a complex space shooter. Even with the instruction manual, many players kept crashing repeatedly.
Iwasaki Isao had initially struggled to get a spot, but when he held up his cartridge box, several people cleared a path for him and even gave him a turn on the TV.
The legendary "honest but unlucky" hero: a cartridge personally signed by the president of Atlus—the only one of its kind in Japan!
If it weren't for the rule of law, many would have tried to snatch it from him.
Now, under the gaze of everyone around, Iwasaki sat in front of the TV, basking in the envious and admiring stares.
Originally, he had planned to keep the cartridge sealed, but the praise from the surrounding crowd convinced him to open it.
It was Iwasaki's first time seeing a complete Jormungandr cartridge. Not only did it include an instruction manual, but also an original illustration: two main characters, designed by Hideaki Anno and illustrated by Kitagawa Tsuyoshi—a male and female pair. The boy looked like a typical Japanese high schooler: short hair, white shirt, shy smile. The girl had twin tails and a bold presence, not looking Japanese.
According to the setting, this character "Reika" was of German-Japanese descent.
"Why don't I have this poster?" someone complained.
Iwasaki looked up, smug.
"Because mine is the limited edition!"
He proudly stashed the poster and skimmed the instruction manual. Many previously confusing points became clear.
The game even had a "safety net"!
According to the settings, at high synchronization rates, the Salamander fighter's internal energy could overload, clearing nearby enemies. The energy cost was high, so it couldn't be used often. In the game, collecting energy blocks allowed upgrading the "safety net"—a one-time screen-clearing skill.
Iwasaki picked up the controller and started playing.
Unlike the first-time players around him, he had already spent two weeks on the limited edition, and now he handled the game with ease.
"No way, the game is so easy! Is it because the leaked version was different from the official one? Or maybe…"
He blasted through a line of aliens, gradually losing himself in the rising cheers behind him.
It wasn't that the game became easier—it was that he had grown stronger!
At this rate, his synchronization rate would exceed 100%, and he could save the world!
Iwasaki clumsily fought his way to the end of the first level. As he entered the brief area before the boss, he felt nervous.
This time, the black screen glitch shouldn't happen, right?
As soon as the thought passed, the safe zone ended, and the first level boss appeared.
For the first time in a month, Iwasaki saw the boss of Level One.
Behind him, besides classmates, many players—both those who had bought the game and those who hadn't—gathered around.
No Blue-Eyed White Dragon, no Black Flame Dragon—he was the first today to reach the first level boss!
The fleshy walls cracked open, revealing a brain-like monster with two writhing tentacles, both menacing and thrilling.
Iwasaki didn't panic. He had watched the animation and knew they were inside the giant serpent Jormungandr. The brain controlled the small monsters in Level One.
But seeing it in person felt completely different from the animation!
Amid the clawing tentacles, Iwasaki maneuvered the fighter, but his movement was slow, the space shrinking. Eventually, he couldn't escape—the tentacles smashed his fighter. Game over.
"I should have upgraded speed! Speed stats are important too!"
Realizing this, he started a new round, playing fiercely in front of the crowd.
…
…
Meanwhile, Kadokawa Game Magazine had also been released this week, including a timely review of the game.
The editorial staff, including assistant editor Black Flame Dragon, had spent three days playing through Jormungandr, finishing it before the magazine went to press.
The assistant editor submitted the review, the chief editor polished it, and it was included in the issue.
"A game fraught with misfortune, yet one that breaks new ground!"
"The massive pre-release marketing was tiresome, but the animation quality was astounding. Visually and imaginatively, it is exceptional."
"The pre-release leak did not affect Atlus. We still experienced a high-quality game!"
"The soundtrack adds tension, speed impacts control, and firepower with wingmen enhances the gameplay perfectly."
"Navigating through the flesh of the giant beast, protecting the Earth, facing strange and varied enemies across space, steel ships, and the giant's body—these elements merge beautifully. In the late game, ships and flesh merge into a bizarrely aesthetic scene."
"Unfortunately, to show Salamander fighter speed and support two-player mode, some visual assets were reduced. The official release looks slightly less detailed than the leaked version."
"The game itself has no flaws. SG-2000 hardware, however, struggles with late-game screen congestion. Sega may need further hardware upgrades."
"Overall, minor issues aside, the hand-drawn visuals still set the benchmark for contemporary games."
"Kadokawa Game Magazine scores: 10, 9, 9, 9—total 37 points! A hall-of-fame game for the first half of this year!"
Kadokawa praised the game lavishly.
Kobayashi hadn't spent a single yen—the game's quality alone justified the acclaim.
Meanwhile, Namco had a moment of silence.
The arcade-to-home port of Iron Plate Formation, expected to pioneer scrolling movement on consoles, had now fallen behind by a large margin.
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