Hisao Oguchi finally raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Singing?"
"Exactly! Singing amid a map engulfed in war!" Takata grew more animated as he spoke, gesturing wildly. "The song can cover several surrounding tiles. Allied units that hear it will have all their attributes raised and recover HP and Willpower. Enemy units that hear it will suffer a massive drop in Willpower, and may even receive negative statuses like reduced attack and accuracy!"
"On a handheld platform suited for fragmented playtime, this mechanic can give rise to all kinds of unorthodox ways to clear stages. Players won't need to grind through damage calculations in every battle. They can simply have Basara freeze the enemy's Willpower to the bottom, then harvest them with ease!"
Hisao Oguchi nodded and made a heavy note in his notebook, a flicker of approval crossing his eyes.
"The idea is highly original. It breaks the established framework of the Super Robot Wars series. But..." Hisao Oguchi looked up, his sharp gaze locking onto Takata. "Where's the social aspect? The managing director just emphasized infrared communication. How is your purely single-player strategy game social?"
Takata had come prepared. He drew a deep breath and answered bluntly, "The Super Robot Wars series truly isn't suited for interaction within the gameplay itself. Strategy games are fundamentally a contest of wits between the player and the stages. Forcing online battles into it would only ruin the balance."
"But a game's social aspect isn't limited to online play! More often, it lies in players discussing and showing off the game's content!" They would make hidden units, branching storylines, and unorthodox clear methods like Basara's far more abundant.
"At school and within their circles, players will naturally exchange strategies and show off the hidden IF routes they unlock. This kind of 'topic-based