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[Game] Chapter 179: Project Planning Meeting
🕑 Added 2025-03-27 18:48:36 +0000 UTCAfter lunch, Aoba, Nene, Kō Yagami, and Shinoda all took a nap, only getting up around two o’clock.
Stretching as she walked out of her room, Kō said energetically, “That nap was great! I feel so much better!”
Just then, Aoba and Nene emerged from the room next door, both of them looking refreshed as well.
“I’m so thirsty. Is there anything to drink? Aoba, I want a cola.”
“Waking up and drinking cola right away? Are you trying to become a lazy shut-in?”
Ever since Ichin had jokingly called cola “the nectar of lazy shut-ins,” Aoba could never look at cola the same way. She’d pretty much stopped drinking it altogether.
Though, she seemed to have forgotten that when it came to sugar content, bubble tea wasn’t any healthier than cola.
There wasn’t any cola around, but there was plenty of black tea and coffee. Nene didn’t complain and poured herself a cup of black tea before settling into a chair.
Hajime had come out a few minutes earlier than the others and was already back to playing her game. Since there weren’t any immediate issues with the gameplay, she didn’t have much work to do and was happy being a temporary game tester.
After beating a boss, Hajime looked over at Ichin and asked, “Ichin, is there anything I need to prepare for tonight’s stream?”
Hearing her question, Ichin glanced at Hajime’s outfit. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with a hoodie over it—a casual, slightly androgynous style.
However, thanks to Hajime’s incredible figure, no matter how boyish her outfit was, she still looked undeniably feminine.
After a moment of thought, Ichin replied, “You don’t need to do much. Your outfit is fine as it is. Just ask Rin to help you put on some light makeup before the stream tonight.”
He checked the time. It was 2:15 p.m.
When it came to work, creating a patch for Hollow Knight wasn’t too complicated, and the time left was more than enough. So, Ichin decided to hold a meeting with everyone that afternoon.
He clapped his hands to grab everyone’s attention and said, “It’s the weekend, and our rule is that even if we come to the studio on Saturdays, we don’t have to push ourselves too hard. As long as we follow the plan and finish before the deadline, that’s fine. We still have plenty of time this afternoon, so let’s have a meeting in the lounge. I have a feeling some of you are already itching to hear about the new project, so I’ll give you a little preview today.”
“Oh! A new project!”
Kō immediately perked up and was the first to jump to her feet. “Let’s go, let’s go! Meeting time!”
Eriri was also excited and followed closely behind Kō, saying, “I’ve been wanting to ask about the Persona project for a while now, but Ichin never tells me anything. Finally, I’ll get to hear about it today.”
Everyone else was just as eager. Even though Hollow Knight was still two weeks away from release, the remaining work was mostly just testing and optimization. It was the perfect time to learn about the new project.
Among them, Hifumi, usually composed, looked genuinely excited for once, holding her notepad and walking next to Aoba.
Seeing Hifumi’s expression, Aoba couldn’t help but chuckle, “Hifumi-senpai, you’re really excited, huh? I guess a modern-themed project is right up your alley.”
Hifumi's eyes held a hint of a smile as she nodded and softly said, “Actually, when I’m resting at home, I’ve been drawing some character designs. I remembered a bit of what Ichin explained to us last time.”
Surprisingly, Yun Iijima remarked, “It’s rare to see you so dedicated. Make sure to bring your designs over for us to see later. With your skills, I’m sure Ichin would be more than happy to use your drafts.”
“Well, we’ll see. Let’s take a look at the full project plan first.”
When they arrived at the lounge next door, everyone took their seats while Ichin connected his laptop to the TV and sat cross-legged on the floor.
“Alright, let’s get started. Feel free to ask any questions along the way. Everyone’s input is welcome.”
With that, Ichin opened the document he had prepared in advance.
The game’s title appeared on the screen—something everyone was already familiar with.
Ichin then began explaining the game’s setting.
“The story takes place in the modern day, set in Tokyo. For the game’s map, I plan to recreate real-life locations within the game. Of course, it won’t cover all of Tokyo—primarily, I’m thinking of Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, and Akihabara as the major locations. Surrounding these will be smaller maps with side quests, all interconnected by the subway.
“The protagonist will travel between locations, with the transition scenes depicting subway rides. During these rides, there can be dialogue or news updates relevant to the current storyline. As for the maps, Hazuki, this part will be your responsibility. Take real-life photos and create the models based on them. Think you can handle that?”
“No problem, leave it to me,” Hazuki replied confidently. “I’m really familiar with Tokyo, after all. But some of the branded stores will need to be replaced, right?”
Ichin snapped his fingers. “Exactly. We’ll need to replace those brand-name stores. Some of them will be designed to tie into the plot. We’ll discuss that later—no rush. For now, let’s focus on building the maps. Now that I’ve explained the locations, let’s talk about the gameplay.
“For Persona, I’m planning to make it a turn-based RPG, primarily focused on progressing the story and building relationships between characters. The estimated playtime for a first playthrough will be around 70 to 80 hours.”
“Seventy to eighty hours?” Kō Yagami exclaimed in surprise. “And it’s a turn-based RPG, too! Ichin, aren’t you worried that no one will be interested in a game like that?”
“That’s a fair point,” Ichin replied with a smile. “But let me ask you, Kō—when it comes to a modern-themed, turn-based RPG set in Tokyo, what would you care about the most?”
“Hmm...”
Crossing her arms and thinking it over, Kō finally answered, “Since it’s set in modern-day Tokyo, any major inaccuracies would break the immersion. And then there’s the style—if the aesthetic and character designs aren’t appealing, then people definitely won’t pay attention.”
“In other words, it needs eye-catching design elements.”
As he spoke, Ichin closed the document and opened the only two completed character design illustrations he had painstakingly colored over time.
One image displayed the entire cast in their school uniforms, while the other showed them all in their Phantom Thief outfits, with their Personas standing proudly behind them.
These two drawings were a massive effort, pieced together by Ichin little by little whenever he could find the time.
“Well? These character designs should be enough to grab people’s attention right from the start, right?” Ichin said with a smile, gesturing at the stylish Phantom Thief artwork displayed on the TV. “Turn-based combat might be an old genre, but it can still be made to feel cool and fresh—if you put in the effort.”
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