Tokyo Game Show 2021 Online" (TGS2021 Online) was held from September 30, 2021 (Thursday).
The " Nihon Kogakuin, " a private technical college in Japan, also exhibited at this event, and set up a space for visitors to experience four student works at the offline venue.
Two works from the Hachioji School, the hyper-casual game " Monohakobi no Pro " and the rail shooter " Wild West Locomotive," and two works from the Kamata School, the puzzle game " Chews " 2D action" Chainer" were on display. Chainer ", and two puzzle games from Kamata School, "Chews" 2D action & quot; Chainer ", will be available for visitors to try out and play.
Four student works on display!
Although I was interested in all of the games, I decided to try " Wild West Locomotive," which was not listed on the TGS special site of the Nippon Kogakuin School of Engineering.
Wild West Locomotive" was carefully created by a team of seven students.
This is a TPS/FPS viewpoint-switching rail shooter in which you stand on top of a train in a western-style world and aim for your destination while using a revolver to take out the bad guys who are after your cargo. This is a work of art.
Although there are some points that I would like to see more of in the specifications, such as the fact that the reticle is always displayed but you cannot shoot from the hip, and the fact that you cannot raise your viewpoint above a certain level, there are no rough edges in the basic game play, and the graphics are consistent and nicely put together.
However, within the first few minutes of playing, I was reminded of the true power of this game.
The game is notable for the fact that most of the objects along the way can be shot with a gun, which also returns to the player the reaction and score of each object.
In a typical shooting game, most of the time the player shoots back at enemies who attack the player, and other targets are provided as shields that can be destroyed or as hidden elements, but this game is different.
Specifically, at the beginning of the play, I saw a hanging bell in the background of the progression route, so I shot at it, and my score was added along with the effect. The staff then grinned at my notice and urged me to "try shooting the cactus as well." No way, ......!
The cacti standing in the background, all of them were targets that could be destroyed if shot.
Not only that, but circular targets placed everywhere, red boxes filled with explosives placed as if asking you to shoot them, UFOs secretly flying overhead, and even a gunfighter dancing in a base passing by in a cut scene respond to your actions, each with its own effects and score.
The pleasure of aiming at a target and hitting it is the essence of shooting, but when you get a reaction that exceeds your expectations, it makes you wonder, "What will happen if I shoot this next? " and the interest grows.
The excitement is further heightened when the player responds with a variety of reactions, and the game perfectly anticipates a flow in which the player begins to search for tasty-looking prey from a wide variety of targets as "fun" outside of the initial objective of clearing the game.
The excitement created by this carefully crafted lead-in line is similar to the thrill of famous games such as "Pokemon Snap" and "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," and I enjoyed the game so much that I forgot about the interview.
The game was created by a team of seven students. The team's ability to create a game that is difficult to unify, and to provide so much "fun" beyond its completion, is impressive.
In addition, the Nippon Kogakuin, which also presented " concern for entertaining others " as a necessary skill on its official website, gave us a glimpse of how the institute nurtures " young creators " with solid skills.
A wide range of practical opportunities, from game creation to sales strategy, are also attractive.
After playing with the exhibits, visitors received a notebook designed by a " monohakobi professional " as a novelty.
The notebook was a realistic piece with a minimalist design of the title logo, the lead track, and QR codes for various download locations. The notebook was designed and commercialized by students of the Nihon Kogakuin, a different department from the game production team, as a practical sales activity.
TGS2021 Online is truly the front line of professional game sales. The ability of the NKKI to provide a place to practice a wide range of expertise in 103 specialized fields in 6 colleges and 34 departments is one of the strengths of the NKKI.
Passionate about "Nippon Kogakuin". Watch out for future activities!
The limited number of visitors to the offline venue of TGS2021 Online made it difficult to expect visitors from the generation of teenagers and their parents, which should be the main target for educational organizations, and it seems that this concern was actually true.
Nevertheless, what left a lasting impression on me was the proactive attitude of the staff in exhibiting outstanding student works and providing a place to put them into practice, as well as the staff who happily introduced the appeal of student works to visitors in the hope that they would enjoy trying them out.
There, I certainly sensed a substantial backup system for future creators by the Engineering Academy of Japan.
If you are interested, please check the official TGS2021 Online special site of the " Engineering Academy of Japan " for more details!
Unfortunately, the introduction of " Wild West Locomotive " has not been posted yet, but there are many other fascinating student works with introduction videos, in addition to the four works that were available to try out.