Shimaryo Game Shop.
Early that morning, Shimaryo Yosuke woke up and was completely dumbfounded.
Outside the shop, a huge crowd had already gathered—stretching from one end to the other. There were at least several dozen people.
"W-wait, you guys—" Shimaryo Yosuke was stunned. "What day is it today?"
"Come on, Uncle, are you living under a rock?" a regular joked. "It's not some special day or anything—but I have to buy another copy of Jörmungandr today."
As the saying goes:
If you like a game, buy three copies—one to play, one to spread the faith, and one to keep as a collectible!
Shimaryo Yosuke's head was still buzzing.
He wasn't someone who chased trends. In fact, as a middle-aged man, he much preferred quietly playing games on his own.
Fortunately, he still maintained professional composure. He quickly opened the shop, welcomed customers, sold cartridges, and recorded out-of-stock items to reorder later.
During a brief lull, he couldn't help but ask:
"Why are there so many people today? And all of you are here for Atlus games?"
"You seriously don't know?" the regular lowered his voice mysteriously. "That American superstar—he likes Atlus games too! Even Americans have been conquered by our games!"
Jörmungandr had been released in May. Three months had already passed, and the shop didn't keep that many copies in stock anymore. After selling more than a dozen, Shimaryo Yosuke had no choice but to start taking reservations.
The remaining customers, having nothing else to do, decided to browse other cartridges.
"Off-Road Motorcycle? That's also an Atlus game?" someone asked.
"Uncle, is this one fun?"
Shimaryo Yosuke didn't recognize any "superstars," but the moment games were mentioned, his eyes lit up.
"This one's good! Really good!" he said loudly. "I can't quite explain it, but it's absolutely another high-quality title! It's just that racing games have a smaller audience—otherwise it'd definitely blow up!"
Every genre has its audience.
People who enjoy shooting games don't necessarily like "shooting games," and those who like "shooting games" often don't enjoy overly deep mechanics.
Racing games were relatively niche. They had loyal fans, but it was hard to break out of that circle.
Games like DiRT, Gran Turismo, and Need for Speed were hard to make mainstream hits, but their fans would always buy new releases without hesitation.
After hearing this, the regular didn't mind at all.
"Racing or not, give me one. I want to see what kind of game a company loved by an American superstar puts out."
Even though it was an impulse purchase, Off-Road Motorcycle's sales immediately jumped.
Some customers came specifically for racing games, but many just picked it up casually. There weren't that many games on the market anyway, and every Atlus release in the past year had been excellent—this one surely wouldn't be an exception.
Some buyers didn't even leave right away. They plugged the cartridge in and started playing right outside the shop.
The game began.
Four motorcycles lined up diagonally, waiting for the signal to charge onto the track.
The manual explained it clearly: when engine heat was low, you could accelerate—but acceleration increased heat. Players had to find a delicate balance between speed and engine temperature.
As the race started, the leading motorcycle shot forward. The player followed closely, carefully managing engine heat.
Just after clearing a sand pit, feeling like he'd overtaken his opponents, the player relaxed slightly—
Suddenly, a blue bike surged from behind and slammed straight into his rear wheel. Though the blue bike crashed as well, it drastically reduced the player's speed, allowing the other bikes to fly past him.
"Bastard!" the player cursed.
What kind of AI sacrifices itself just to screw you over?!
He struggled back onto the bike and accelerated, chasing the others.
Leaping over obstacles, he felt a strange thrill—even through the crude pixel graphics.
That is…
If you ignored the other bikes constantly sabotaging you.
The blue bike embodied "annoying" to the extreme, constantly harassing the player. Sometimes it would even crash itself just to slow him down, provoking a barrage of curses—"yaro," "kusso," one after another.
After finally catching up to the red bike ahead, the player felt a little relieved.
After one lap, he'd figured it out:
Each bike had its own strategy.
One stayed close, waiting for chances to overtake.
The blue bike focused on interference.
The red bike simply accelerated relentlessly, barely interacting with the player.
Relaxing slightly, he prepared to pass.
At the exact moment he pulled alongside the red bike—
The red bike suddenly swerved downward and smashed straight into his front wheel.
In Off-Road Motorcycle, when a rear wheel hits a front wheel, the rear bike always flips.
Instantly, the player went flying, and the other three bikes zoomed past him.
Staring at the screen, the player was momentarily stunned.
Wait.
Aren't these opponents a bit too smart?!
He suddenly stood up and looked around.
If the console weren't connected to only one controller, he would've sworn someone else was playing against him just to mess with him.
Meanwhile, Shimaryo Yosuke waved the newly delivered game magazine.
"Kadokawa Game Journal has a new issue! Not only does it review Off-Road Motorcycle, it also has a detailed analysis!"
He flipped page by page and read aloud to everyone present:
"Off-Road Motorcycle adopts an improved artificial intelligence system! Opponents are smarter, making different decisions based on circumstances, creating greater interference for the player."
"Opponents that usually focus on acceleration will occasionally disrupt the player, while those that specialize in interference may suddenly prioritize overtaking."
"The cheering crowd in the background sometimes holds the wrong signs, causing parts of the 'ALTUS' logo to appear missing—and the missing sections are randomized each time."
"Aside from fixed obstacle jumps, the sand pits on the track also have varying degrees of randomness each race, making pure memorization strategies unreliable."
"These subtle details make the game feel more complete, as if the world itself has come alive."
Amid universal praise, Kadokawa Game Journal once again awarded a score exceeding 35 points.
The short article made everything click for the players.
"No wonder it's so hard—it's not my skills, the enemies are just insane!"
"They're seriously smart."
A few simple bikes, a seemingly simple game—yet surprisingly challenging.
Now, replaying it gave players a strong sense of value for money.
Artificial intelligence in games?
Then yeah—this one has to be good.
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 15+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon