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Chapter 91: Starting Lineup Preparation (3)
🕑 Added 2025-09-29 11:27:48 +0000 UTCTakuya projected the first page of his proposal onto the meeting room’s screen.
What immediately caught everyone’s attention was not a dense wall of text but a series of robot designs, each radiating the cold, metallic sheen and formidable power that defined them.
“Mazinger Z!”
“That’s Getter Robo!”
“And Gundam!”
The meeting room erupted in a chorus of surprised and excited murmurs.
The developers, particularly the male ones, had a childlike gleam in their eyes. These were the iconic robot protagonists from classic anime series they had grown up with, names that still resonated deeply even now.
They whispered among themselves, speculating eagerly.
What was Executive Director Nakayama’s intention in showcasing these?
Could it be a robot-themed fighting game?
Or perhaps an action-adventure title?
Under the weight of their expectant and curious gazes, Takuya calmly pressed the button to advance the slide.
The screen transitioned.
A bold title dominated the display, striking everyone’s senses—Super Robot Wars: The First.
“The First…”
“Super Robot Wars?”
The title alone carried an unprecedented sense of grandeur and epic scale.
The word “Wars” hinted at a massive, intense clash involving countless iconic characters.
The developers in the room perked up, their spirits visibly lifted.
Without lingering, Takuya advanced to the next slide.
A turn-based strategy game map interface appeared clearly before the group. Chibi-style robot avatars dotted a grid-based map with varied terrain. Among them, a prominent Mazinger Z avatar was highlighted by a blue selection frame, with command options like “Move,” “Attack,” “Spirit,” and “Standby” neatly listed beside it.
“This game will adopt a turn-based strategy gameplay style,” Takuya announced, his voice steady and clear, resonating through the now-quiet meeting room.
“Players will assume the role of a commander, leading a team of iconic mecha from various classic robot anime series. They’ll form their own combat squads and engage in tactical battles against powerful enemies across meticulously designed maps. By blending the worldviews and stories of these works, we’ll craft a grand, cosmic epic.”
His words sparked a small commotion. The developers, still basking in nostalgic memories of classic mecha, now wore thoughtful and intrigued expressions. A strategy game? A commander role? This wasn’t quite the fighting or action game they had anticipated.
“Units from different series forming a team?” one developer murmured, their tone a mix of uncertainty and curiosity. “Mazinger Z fighting alongside Gundam?”
“Sounds… kind of interesting!” a younger developer chimed in, their eyes already sparkling with excitement. “It’s like a dream team combination!”
Takuya nodded slightly, signaling for calm, and advanced to the next slide.
This time, the focus was on the “battle animation” segment.
On the screen, Mazinger Z unleashed its signature move, Breast Fire, in a close-up that dominated the display. The crimson flames roared with searing intensity, as if bursting forth from the screen itself, exuding unmatched visual impact. The details were stunning—every particle of light and distortion in the air was vividly clear.
“Wow—!”
“Is that… the battle animation?”
Exclamations rippled through the room. Developers who had been skeptical about the “strategy” format now widened their eyes, leaning forward instinctively to get a closer look. A senior programmer in the front row even pushed up their glasses, as if unable to believe what they were seeing.
The next slide followed.
The enemy mecha, under the relentless assault of Breast Fire, visibly cracked and shattered, its sturdy armor peeling away. Sparks flew, and metal fragments scattered in all directions. The surface of the mecha bore scorched, molten marks before it erupted in a blinding explosion, reduced to ashes.
“My God…” a developer from the art team muttered, their eyes wide with awe. “This level of detail is like watching a theatrical anime!”
“Everyone, take a look!” Takuya’s voice rose, brimming with uncontainable passion. He pointed at the screen, his tone radiating confidence.
“This dynamic, richly detailed, and visually stunning battle animation perfectly showcases the powerful graphics processing capabilities and multi-channel audio effects of our new console!”
The meeting room fell silent, all eyes glued to the screen, afraid to miss a single detail. Someone swallowed hard, their Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Imagine this,” Takuya continued, his voice laced with a hint of allure. “If this were on the Famicom platform, what would it look like? A blurry, monochromatic, simplistic mess.”
His comment elicited knowing smiles and chuckles from the group. They were all too familiar with the Famicom’s limitations. The robot games that once thrilled them now seemed painfully dated, with so-called “special moves” reduced to a few pixelated sprites moving stiffly, accompanied by monotonous sound effects.
“Yeah, on the Famicom, Mazinger Z’s Breast Fire would probably just be a red mosaic blob,” someone whispered, prompting a wave of quiet agreement and light laughter that eased the room’s tension.
“But with our new console,” Takuya’s voice grew resolute, his gaze sweeping the room with intensity, “players will feel the same adrenaline-pumping excitement as watching the original anime every time they select an attack command or unleash a familiar special move!”
“Every attack command will trigger such a spectacular animation?” a young planner asked, their voice trembling with excitement.
“Absolutely,” Takuya affirmed. “We’re aiming for an unparalleled sense of immersion and satisfaction!”
His words were like a spark igniting a wildfire, setting ablaze the passion of every mecha fan in the room. They could already envision commanding these legendary hero mecha—across the cosmos, on Earth, or in alternate dimensions—unleashing one dazzling special move after another to defeat formidable foes, all in the name of peace and justice. The sheer thrill and sense of achievement were enough to make them tremble with anticipation.
“This… this is literally our childhood dreams come true!” someone roared, unable to contain their excitement.
“What kind of sparks will fly when characters from different series collide?! I can’t wait!”
The developers could no longer hold back, bombarding Takuya with questions as the room buzzed with enthusiastic discussion. Any earlier doubts had been cast aside, forgotten in the heat of the moment. Takuya watched his colleagues, now brimming with energy, and a faint smile curved his lips. He knew—this project was a success.
Their eyes gleamed with excitement, as if they could already see those breathtaking scenes running smoothly on the new console.
