Castlevania is practically the culmination of all of Gamenova's past strengths.
Map design and ability locks derived from the Legend of Zelda, fast-paced combat modules from various fighting and action games, and the mature RPG system from Fire Emblem—
Aside from its challenging combat design, which isn't suitable for all players, it's a flawless, milestone masterpiece.
However, outside of the game itself, the derivative sales generated by Castlevania exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Lin, the Castlevania OST has sold over 100,000 copies in Japan!"
Sam looked at the latest report that had been sent back and his face lit up with joy.
Who would have thought that making a game could lead to selling records?
Unlike previous game music programming, this is the first time they have used this development approach of composing music first and then programming it in a game.
In the past, if GAMENOVA wanted to develop a new game, they would usually first formulate the theme and style of the game, and then convey the requirements to GameFreak, where Masuda or Koshiro would be responsible for writing the script.
Audio creation on an 8-bit machine and actual music arrangement are two completely different worlds.
Lin Lixin smiled, picked up a development board, and examined it for a few moments.
It contains an MCC audio enhancement chip.
It's worth noting that while the NovaBo's gaming performance was undoubtedly the strongest among 8-bit consoles of its time, its audio performance didn't actually surpass other consoles by much.
It has only one 8-bit PSG audio chip manufactured by Yamaha, which can only use a few different waveforms combined to create different sound effects.
To achieve the clear vocals found in Street Fighter, Lin Lixin initially chose to embed an additional Oki Electric MSM audio chip.
This technology was adopted in Castlevania, allowing for more flexible audio creation.
"This can be considered NMB's first proper soundtrack."
The limited functionality of NovaBo inevitably compromised the quality of the compositions written by Michiru Yamane.
But vinyl records don't have this limitation.
A single 12-inch vinyl record is enough to hold all the tracks from Castlevania.
"Incredible! That's 100,000 sets! That's more than many games have sold."
Sam stared at the sales figures, smiling broadly.
Keep in mind that Castlevania has only sold 300,000 copies in Japan so far.
This ratio is already quite exaggerated.
Unfortunately, the data sources were not detailed enough, Sam could not accurately determine the composition of OST sales.
But one thing is certain.
Of those 100,000 copies sold, not all of them were bought because they played Castlevania.
It's more accurate to say that part of the sales of Castlevania were actually boosted by this record.
"Ms. Michiru is undoubtedly a genius, and of course, Kojima's contributions are also indispensable."
Sam's gaze shifted out of the office and landed on the Kojima someone was quietly hunched over a desk, writing something down.
Sam had witnessed his tireless discussions with NMD and Game Freak.
"This obsession with audio reminds me of when you insisted on preparing voice analysis for Street Fighter ----"
"But I must say, you're always right."
Sam himself had, of course, played Castlevania long ago and knew how amazing its music was.
This was the first time he had ever experienced the world through music in a video game.
This kind of experience is something you only get in movies.
Coupled with its ingeniously crafted storyline and cutscenes, Castlevania offers not only a perfect gaming experience but also an ultimate cinematic audiovisual feast.
Lin Lixin chuckled, not saying much about the matter, but instead changing the subject. "What did Ubisoft say?"
As GAMENOVA's Europe stronghold, Ubisoft's task is not easy.
Bill, in particular, who was suddenly parachuted in as his boss, was working up a sweat.
They took over and reorganized Ubisoft's extensive sales network across Western Europe, rapidly expanding into the Eastern Europe market with headquarters funding and establishing legal connections in various regions.
This is something only he can do.
After all, no matter how capable the five brothers were, they weren't Bill's true headquarters loyalists.
Fortunately, with his past work experience, Bill managed to fulfill his mission.
Upon hearing Lin Lixin's question, Sam flipped through the documents in his hand, stopping at the report on the Europe market.
"Ah, the results here aren't bad either. According to yesterday's data, it's already exceeded 500,000 units, with over 70% coming from Ireland, Britain, and France."
This result is definitely not bad for GAMENOVA, which has just officially entered the Europe market.
Especially considering that Castlevania was not a mainstream game at the time, and that NovaBo's popularity was far lower than in the United States, and even less Japan in America.
Clearly, the vampire theme and the art style that blends gothic and baroque elements significantly contributed to the game's sales.
"Take it slow, let Bill adjust to the new environment. Damn, I thought Romania would be the top seller."
As they were talking, the two seemed to sense something and looked towards the stairwell at the same time.
A young figure transformed into a whirlwind, carrying a Backpack, and rushed up to the second floor, heading straight for their office.
The sight startled Will and the others, who all looked up and stared in surprise.
"Lin! I'm back!!!"
Carmack rushed to the office with tears in his eyes.
That was truly a beautiful scene in Jiangnan, where we met again amidst the falling blossoms.
A long-awaited reunion is one of the most joyous things in life.
While some are happy, others are sad.
Two flowers bloom, each telling its own story. Speaking of NOA, things aren't so joyful.
Night had fallen, but Minoru Arakawa had not yet left the company.
The television in front of him was still lit, displaying the Reverse Castlevania he had unlocked after completing the game.
This is a mirror world with monsters arranged in a completely different way.
"Call----"
He exhaled a puff of smoke and shoved the cigarette butt into the ashtray on the table.
There were already quite a few cigarette butts piled up inside.
"That's right, it's obvious—"
Minoru Arakawa frowned, slowly picked up the receiver, and dialed a number.
Hearing the voice from across the ocean, Minoru Arakawa remained silent for a moment before speaking, "President, the situation is worse than we expected."
"You say."
" Castlevania's global cumulative sales are about to surpass 1 million copies. I've already played it, it--"
--That's impressive.
Hiroshi Yamauchi did not answer the phone.
He was holding a gaming magazine in his hand; it was the latest issue of GameFreak.
[ Castlevania's first review is now available]
[GameFreak Weekly Rating: 10/9/9/10 (38 points, Platinum Hall of Fame!)]
[Editor's Note: A landmark semi-open world side-scrolling action RPG!]