Chapter Summaries

Lin Lixin visited Gainax in Tokyo to check on its Pokémon anime and advised producer Takami Akai to develop a raising simulation game. He left ready to review the anime footage, confident in Gainax’s talent but wary that its battle scenes might overwhelm the series’ appeal to children.

• Satoshi Tajiri picked Lin Lixin up at the airport and assured him the Pokémon anime was on schedule.
• Lin Lixin visited Gainax, where Takami Akai welcomed him and promised the production would meet his standards.
• Lin Lixin encouraged Akai to build a story-driven raising simulation around Gainax’s animation skills, and Akai proposed a game about raising a daughter.
• Lin Lixin surveyed Gainax’s talented staff and worried they might make Pokémon too focused on intense battles.
• Lin Lixin asked Akai to show him the anime’s progress.

Lin Lixin attended the final preview of GAINAX’s Pokémon anime and explained why Pikachu was chosen as Satoshi’s partner. As the series premiered in the United States on November 19, 1989, Vincent and his parents watched its opening, marking the start of Pokémon’s television history.

• Lin Lixin watched GAINAX’s lavish final preview and praised the animation and opening song performed by Rica Matsumoto.
• Satoshi Tajiri asked why Lin Lixin chose Pikachu, and Lin said he wanted an independent anime with a recognizable mascot.
• Lin Lixin visited Sega, heard reports from Hayao Nakayama and Yuji Naka, and returned to California after Sam finalized broadcast arrangements with Nickelodeon.
• On November 19, Vincent watched the Pokémon premiere with Emma and Kent as the opening theme began.

The first episode of the Pokémon anime captivated Vincent and helped bring the franchise to a wider audience. On Black Friday, crowds rushed to buy Pokémon Gold/Silver as Mike speculated about the mysterious bird on the Gold cover, while GameNova prepared an ambitious twenty-million-copy production run.

• Vincent watched Pikachu save Satoshi from the Spearow and was disappointed when the first Pokémon episode ended before Ash began his journey.
• Emma told Vincent that the anime would air weekly, and the chapter noted that it had drawn outsiders into Pokémon and expanded the franchise’s reach.
• While waiting outside a department store for Black Friday, Mike compared Pokémon images and argued that the bird on the Gold cover was the same Pokémon shown in the anime.
• At five in the morning, shoppers surged into stores as Black Friday sales began.
• The chapter contrasted Pokémon’s strong sales prospects with Pirates!'s roughly two hundred thousand copies sold, and Lin Lixin planned a twenty-million-copy production run for Pokémon Gold/Silver.

Mike explored the many Pokégear Expansion Cards and discovered that Pokémon Gold/Silver cartridges served as open expansion docks for accessories, including a clock that synced with real time. He started Pokémon Gold, reached the laboratory, and hesitated over choosing Chikorita as his starter.

• Mike examined the shelves of cartridges and accessories, then bought Pokémon Gold/Silver and several expansion cards, though he passed on the costly Motorola brick phone.
• Mike opened the Pokémon Gold cartridge and realized its many ports and slots let it support expansion cards and potentially third-party accessories.
• Mike began Pokémon Gold, synced the Time Card to the real-world clock, and watched the opening introduce Ho-Oh and Professor Oak.
• Mike reached the laboratory and considered choosing Chikorita after previously using Fire and Water starters, but he worried that Grass would fare poorly against Flying types.

Mike explored Violet City in Pokémon Gold/Silver, discovered the Mystery Egg and learned that the new game continued the world of Red/Green. After spending the evening at the Pokémon Center and with other trainers, he resumed playing at night and found Sprout Tower’s atmosphere unlike what his friends had described.

• Mike received the Pokégear map card in Violet City and got the Mystery Egg from Mr. Pokémon, whose icon reminded him of an egg collectible in another GAMENOVA game.
• Mike caught a wild Pokémon, reached Falkner’s Flying-type Gym, and postponed his challenge because his Chikorita was at a type disadvantage.
• Mike learned from a passerby that the boy who defeated Team Rocket three years earlier was the protagonist of Red/Green, then remembered his stored Pokémon at the Pokémon Center.
• Mike waited until evening to handle his Pokémon Center business, where staff told him he had to unlock a game feature before transferring his stored Pokémon into Gold/Silver.
• Mike heard that Sprout Tower contained HM05 Flash, then returned home and found that night had fallen in the game; when he visited Sprout Tower, its atmosphere seemed different from what the other trainers had described.

Mike discovered that Gastly appeared in Pokémon Tower at night, suggesting the game had a day-night cycle and Pokémon with different habits. At GAMENOVA headquarters, Lin Lixin examined Motorola’s MicroTAC and offered Fisher a possible solution to its mobile-display power problem.

• Mike entered Pokémon Tower at night, spotted Gastly, and deduced that it appeared only after dark.
• Mike decided to catch and train Gastly before challenging the Flying-type Gym to continue the mysterious Egg’s story.
• Lin Lixin examined Motorola’s MicroTAC as Fisher explained its design, fake antenna, and high price.
• Lin Lixin discussed the power-consumption problem with LCD screens, then told Fisher that GAMENOVA had found a possible solution.

Lin Lixin showed Fisher GAMENOVA’s costly, experimental LCD and discussed a future partnership with Motorola in handheld devices. Meanwhile, Mike hatched Togepi in Pokémon Gold/Silver, and his friends discovered Jimmy’s green Totodile was a rare shiny Pokémon just as a magazine revealed the odds and the guaranteed red Gyarados encounter.

• Lin Lixin explained that GAMENOVA’s Japanese research institute had made progress toward blue LEDs and showed Fisher a tiny LCD screen with lower power consumption and thickness but prohibitive cost.
• Fisher and Lin Lixin discussed Motorola’s mobile-phone ambitions and the possibility of working together in the coming decade.
• Mike’s Togepi hatched after he carried its egg for 2,570 steps, introducing him to the game’s hatching and friendship systems.
• Mike arrived at the Pokémon Center and learned his friends were discussing a red Gyarados and other unusually colored Pokémon.
• Jimmy showed the group his green Totodile, and they spotted the three-star symbol marking it as shiny.
• A companion read from a magazine that shiny Pokémon had one-in-8,192 odds, while the story guaranteed an encounter with a shiny red Gyarados.

Mike learned that the new Gyms would soon open across the country, then traveled to GAMENOVA headquarters after the New Mexico Pokémon League contacted him. Lin Lixin hinted that breeding Eevee with Ditto would help Mike complete the Gold/Silver Pokédex, leaving Mike confused about why.

• Mike and his friends discussed the new Gyms, including the distant Ice-type Gym in Alaska and Dragon-type Gym in Hawaii, and considered traveling to challenge them during Christmas.
• Mike received a message from the New Mexico Pokémon League and called back, then traveled to Los Angeles to meet Lin Lixin at GAMENOVA headquarters.
• Lin Lixin said the reason for Mike's visit involved the upcoming opening of the new Eight Gyms, then asked how far Mike had progressed in Gold/Silver.
• Mike explained that he had been breeding Pokémon to raise a 6V Pikachu rather than rushing through the game.
• Lin Lixin revealed that Eevee could gain two new evolutions in Gold/Silver and advised Mike to breed Eevee with Ditto, leaving Mike puzzled.

Lin Lixin recruited Mike to portray Red in a monthlong Mt. Silver event, while Mike joined his friends on a cross-country Gym challenge. At GAMENOVA, Lin Lixin predicted Nintendo’s coming crisis and learned that Pokémon Gold and Silver had sold 37.41 million copies.

• Lin Lixin asked Mike to play Red and guard Mt. Silver, and Mike agreed after arranging to start a few days later.
• Mike returned to New Mexico and reunited with his Trainer friends, who were preparing to challenge eight new Gyms across the country.
• Jimmy told Mike he had sold his shiny Totodile through GTS, and Mike offered him a shiny Pichu in exchange.
• Lin Lixin discussed Nintendo’s looming crisis with Sam and reflected on the role Ken Kumugiragi would play in the rise of Sony’s console business.
• Sam told Lin Lixin that Pokémon Gold and Silver had sold 37.41 million copies, making them number one in the world.

GAMENOVA celebrated its extraordinary success with a lavish gathering at the Palladium, bringing together celebrities, industry leaders, and the people behind its many businesses. The celebration culminated in Lin Lixin arriving alongside Vivian and reuniting with Gerald Lawson and GAMENOVA’s founding veterans.

• Lin Lixin declared himself satisfied with GAMENOVA’s sales and called the company together to celebrate.
• Michael Jackson arrived at the Palladium, admired the game-themed venue, and joined Sam and Hans Zimmer.
• Hollywood stars, musicians, athletes, business leaders, and GAMENOVA’s many partners arrived at the gathering.
• Gerald Lawson arrived, and Sam warmly welcomed GAMENOVA’s former chief engineer.
• Lin Lixin arrived with Vivian, and the four founding veterans smiled at one another.

Lin Lixin welcomed Sony’s partnership with Nintendo as a future threat but focused on protecting GameNova’s lead and fixing Nova Arcade’s finances. He decided to use Dragon’s Lair to boost the division’s revenue.

• At a 1990 signing ceremony, Hiroshi Yamauchi and Norio Ohga formalized Nintendo and Sony’s joint development partnership, while Ken Kutaragi celebrated their alliance.
• After Sam worried about the alliance, Lin Lixin said it would take time to threaten GameNova and identified Sony’s coming lithium-ion battery technology as the more urgent concern.
• Lin Lixin reviewed Nova Arcade’s report and found that its extensive sales and service network left the division barely breaking even.
• Lin Lixin rejected layoffs because the staff supported arcade revenue sharing and services, and told Sam to have Gary send over a Dragon’s Lair machine.

Lin Lixin studied the arcade game Dragon’s Lair and decided to use its animated presentation as a reference for a faster, harsher arcade game. He asked Sam to contact Lucas and find the Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves for the project.

• Lin Lixin powered on Dragon’s Lair, died during its opening sequence, and learned from Sam that the game’s animation already included QTEs.
• Sam played through Dragon’s Lair while Lin Lixin observed its rapid, unforgiving gameplay and praised its presentation.
• Lin Lixin decided to create a fast-paced arcade game where mistakes caused instant death and players would keep inserting coins after losing.
• Lin Lixin asked Sam to contact Lucas and find Keanu Reeves for the project.

Lin Lixin enlisted Hans Zimmer to create synthwave music for Hotline Miami, demonstrating how psychedelic electronic sounds could drive the arcade game's frantic pace. Zimmer understood the game's neon-soaked vision, and Lin Lixin left him to compose while he returned to the level design.

• Lin Lixin explained synthwave to Hans Zimmer and built a looping drum-and-synth pattern in the studio.
• Lin Lixin added bass and psychedelic effects, leaving Hans Zimmer dazed by the music.
• Hans Zimmer identified the intended mix of Miami nightlife, neon, gunfire, psychedelia, and violence, and Lin Lixin confirmed the game's direction.
• Lin Lixin told Hans Zimmer that the music had to keep playing through loading, death, respawning, and restarting to maintain players' momentum.
• Lin Lixin asked Hans Zimmer to focus on the music and returned to work on the level design.

Lin Lixin planned to make Hotline Miami use tiny, fully cached levels and seamless resets to keep its fast-paced action continuous. He and Mark Cerny devised a dual-Athena backup system that could instantly restore a level after the player died, and began considering how to preload the next floor.

• Lin Lixin told Sam that Hotline Miami would use small levels loaded entirely into memory, avoiding streaming and visible loading screens.
• Lin Lixin explained that seamless resets would let players retry immediately after dying, drawing inspiration from Dragon's Lair's quick checkpoints.
• Sam pointed out that rebuilding enemies, objects, and the player's state would strain the processors, and Lin Lixin realized that a second Athena might help.
• Lin Lixin told Mark Cerny that levels were independent and carried no player data beyond the selected mask, giving Cerny the idea to use a second Athena and memory set as a backup.
• Cerny explained that the game could switch to the cached backup after death and preload the next floor while the player moved toward the stairwell.

Lin Lixin explained how Hotline Miami would turn Metal Gear’s observe-plan-execute loop into fast, instinctive play, with instant respawns making each death a chance to learn a level. After the team grasped the design, Keanu Reeves received an unusual invitation from GameNova_Lin Lixin.

• Lin Lixin assembled the Hotline Miami team and asked Hideo Kojima and Hans Zimmer to discuss the game's design philosophy.
• Hideo Kojima described his interest in war themes, and Lin Lixin explained how fast action could preserve the core of stealth gameplay.
• Lin Lixin outlined how Hotline Miami would compress Metal Gear's observe, plan, and execute loop into seconds of instinctive action.
• Lin Lixin told Sam to design maps where perfect stealth was nearly impossible, making enemy positions and patrols a puzzle for players to learn through trial and error.
• Lin Lixin explained that instant respawns would make death a low-friction way to gather information, while the music and action pushed players toward rapid retries.
• Keanu Reeves received an unusual invitation bearing the signature GameNova_Lin Lixin.

Lin Lixin gathered Keanu Reeves and the crew in Miami to film promotional material for Hotline Miami, casting Keanu as Jacket and preparing an improvised, violent action shoot. The chapter ended with Jacket smashing a masked thug with a baseball bat during the first fight scene.

• Keanu Reeves accepted Lin Lixin's invitation and hurried to Miami after finding that the promised script was only a joke.
• Lin Lixin met Sam, Brandon Lee, Keanu, and director Hideo Kojima at the preserved apartment set in Miami.
• Keanu put on a chicken mask identified as Richard and prepared to play Jacket in the shoot.
• Brandon Lee choreographed a brutal gang-fight style, and Keanu learned to use a baseball bat against the local extras.
• Keanu kicked open a door and repeatedly struck a thug with the bat, splattering fake blood across the floor.

Lin Lixin assigned Hideo Kojima to direct the Hotline Miami film while Hans Zimmer composed its music, then went to Nova Arcade to modify the game machine’s coin acceptor. He asked Gary to add a coin-buffering track modeled on a coin pusher.

• Lin Lixin explained the setting of 50 Blessings to Hideo Kojima and left the film’s directing details to him and Guohao.
• Lin Lixin returned to GameNova with Sam, where Zimmer played him the Hotline Miami track “Hydrogen,” which Lin praised and planned to use in the game and its promotional video.
• Lin Lixin went to Nova Arcade and inspected the new Hotline Miami arcade machine built on MicroNova’s test platform.
• Lin Lixin told Gary that the coin acceptor did not need internal changes and asked him to add a track to buffer coins, like the one on a coin pusher.

A violent promotional video introduced Hotline Miami, then arcade regular Tang tried the game for himself. He began Jacket’s first mission at the subway station and started killing the Russian mobsters.

• Keanu Reeves appeared in a promotional video as a masked man who massacred Russian mobsters at a subway station and retrieved a briefcase.
• The video ended by advertising Hotline Miami as a new GameNova and Nova Arcade release.
• Tang noticed the new arcade machine while playing a coin pusher and went over to try it.
• Tang selected the available rooster mask and began playing as Jacket, following the game’s opening instructions to the subway station.
• Jacket kicked open the subway entrance and began attacking the mobsters, spilling blood across the floor.

Tang became absorbed in Hotline Miami, learning to treat each death as a chance to solve the level and finally clearing the subway stage. After spending every token in the basket, he asked a staff member to move the machine to his home.

• Tang charged through the subway level, but enemies killed Jacket and the game prompted him to restart with another credit.
• Tang realized that the compact level design made death feel like a step toward learning the stage rather than a punishment, and he restarted without hesitation.
• Tang repeatedly tested different approaches, gradually mastering the enemy positions and combat until he cleared the stage and reached the briefcase.
• Tang felt exhilarated after the fight and found that his legs had been keeping time with the music throughout his intense play.
• Tang discovered that he had used every token in the basket and ordered a nearby staff member to move the arcade machine to his home.

Lin Lixin discussed Hotline Miami’s depiction of violence with psychologist Albert Bandura, who praised its use of moral disengagement theory in reverse. Lin then introduced a new behavioral-psychology project called Diablo and asked Bandura to discuss it.

• Lin Lixin welcomed Albert Bandura to GameNova and asked what he thought of Hotline Miami.
• Bandura explained how the game avoided moral justifications, euphemistic labels, and other mechanisms that could make players excuse violence.
• Lin Lixin said the game’s human enemies and persistent bodies were designed to make players confront the consequences of violence.
• Lin Lixin thanked Bandura and considered bringing him on as a psychological consultant for GameNova.
• Lin Lixin showed Bandura a proposal titled Diablo and explained that a subsidiary studio was planning the new product.