Leaving the phantasy star development team, Takuya Nakayama walked directly to another area, which was the location of the metal gear development team assembled by Hideo Kojima.
Takuya recalled the game Konami released last year.
After Hideo Kojima left Konami, Konami eventually picked up the project Hideo Kojima had left behind, but the finished product was already unrecognizable.
That stealth game, once named metal gear, was drastically changed into a pure action shooter, its story simplified into a shallow revenge tale, and renamed Meta 丨Armed, hastily released on the FC platform.
Sales were neither good nor bad; for Konami's brilliant track record on the FC, they could even be considered mediocre.
But these not-too-high, not-too-low sales became the perfect cover.
It neither caused a huge market stir, nor did Konami lose its initial enthusiasm for the game, and legally, it gave Hideo Kojima an excellent opportunity to pick up his metal gear again.
So, with Takuya's full support, Hideo Kojima quickly assembled his own development team.
He re-optimized the development proposal that had once been dismissed as worthless.
He adjusted many game mechanics, ensuring that the game world was no longer limited to monotonous stealth.
Stealth remained the core, but the means of subduing enemies were far more diverse.
Close-quarters combat, flexible switching of various weapons, and using environmental props for distraction.
This version of metal gear was more fleshed out and aggressive than the original concept.
The controls originally designed for MSX2 were cleverly adjusted to better suit the MD controller's characteristics.
More importantly, with the MD's stronger capabilities, the expressive power of cutscenes achieved an unprecedented improvement.
Takuya pushed open the door to the metal gear development team's office, and a completely different atmosphere from before assailed him.
There was no clamor, only a nearly solidified focus.
Under the reasonably bright lights, only monitors emitted faint glows, highlighting faces engrossed in their work.
His gaze quickly settled on the most focused figure in the corner.
Hideo Kojima was wearing a large pair of headphones, completely isolating himself from the outside world.
He leaned slightly forward, his fingers operating the controller quickly and precisely.
On the screen, an intense boss battle was unfolding.
A giant bipedal weapon, codenamed "TX-55," was spewing dense flames with its Vulcan cannon, pinning the protagonist Snake behind a row of concrete barriers. Snake seized a moment when the cannon went silent, suddenly rushed out from cover, but he didn't fire; instead, he quickly set a C4 bomb on the ground, then rolled to the other side to dodge.
The bipedal weapon turned its turret, about to lock on, but Snake unhurriedly picked up an object from a nearby cover and threw it forcefully towards an open area in the distance.
"Clatter."
The weapon's sound sensor was immediately attracted by the noise, re-targeting, and clumsily turned towards where the object landed. Now!
Hideo Kojima's character detonated the explosive almost simultaneously. Amidst the roar, the blast wave overturned an oil drum near the bipedal weapon's feet, and the impact of the chain explosion caused the giant weapon to stumble, briefly entering a state of stun. Snake seized the opportunity, using the rocket launcher he had already switched to, and precisely blasted a shell onto the weakest top armor of the exposed cockpit.
The battle ended.
Takuya walked behind him, quietly watching the entire process, with only two words left in his mind: genius.
Hideo Kojima finally let out a long sigh of relief, took off his headphones, but showed no excitement. His brows were tightly furrowed; he grabbed the notebook on the table, and just as he was about to write something, he turned his chair and finally noticed Takuya standing at the door.
"Executive Director Nakayama."
"You continue, did you discover a problem just now?"
Takuya waved his hand, smiling as he walked forward, signaling him not to be constrained and to continue his work, while he pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Something's not right," Hideo Kojima said, without lifting his head. "The action delay between detonating the bomb and its stun is about 0.2 seconds; the visual representation is too fake. Also, the attraction judgment range for throwing objects needs to be revised again; if the player throws it off by even a little, it will completely block progress."
"I thought you were playing pretty smoothly just now?"
"That's the developer's perspective; I know what to do." Hideo Kojima finally looked up, his eyes filled with an undeniable persistence. "Players don't know. I want players to discover it themselves, not rely on luck. Our game cannot have any shoddy parts; it absolutely cannot become Konami's fake that only knows how to shoot."
When he mentioned the game called Meta 丨Armed, the disdain in his tone was undisguised.
Takuya smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Then change it, change it until you're satisfied. Don't rush too much; our situation is still good right now."
Hideo Kojima paused, then also smiled, a relaxed smile like someone who had found a kindred spirit.
"Oh, I have a new idea. I want to add a radio system to the game; different frequencies can contact different support characters, who will provide tactical advice to the player, and even — chat about the world and background story."
Takuya's eye twitched. This would require very high demands on scriptwriting.
"Will players like listening to people talk?"
"They will," Hideo Kojima's eyes lit up again. "As long as the story is good enough, they will fall in love with every character, and even be willing to stop and listen for half an hour."
Looking at his expression, Takuya knew that he should once again relax the timetable for this project. But he merely nodded.
"Alright, you just do it. Leave the rest to me."
"How is the overall progress?" Takuya's gaze fell on the screen where the final boss battle scene had just faded.
Hideo Kojima's eyes sparkled with uncontrollable excitement, completely different from the suppressed young man he had been at Konami.
He pointed at the screen, as if showcasing his most beloved creation.
"Very smooth, Managing Director."
He handed a progress report to Takuya.
"I should be almost done with the final boss battle test after adjusting that part, and all core mechanics have been implemented and optimized."
He paused, his tone filled with confidence.
"The MD's capabilities have allowed me to realize many concepts that I couldn't achieve on the MSX2. The current metal gear is even more perfect than my initial vision."
"According to the current progress, excluding the radio system I just mentioned, we will soon enter the final comprehensive testing and bug fixing phase for the other parts. The radio system primarily involves script refinement, and technical issues should be minor. We anticipate an official release and sale by late April."
Takuya nodded, his eyes filled with complete trust.
He had no doubt about Hideo Kojima's abilities.
He briefly skimmed the report and looked at the engineering version used for testing. The graphics, controls, and depth of gameplay were undoubtedly top-tier among current console games.
Hideo Kojima had not disappointed his expectations; he had even done better.
Everything was completely consistent with what Hideo Kojima had said.
He nodded, a satisfied expression on his face.
"Very good."
Takuya's words were concise.
"I have one hundred percent confidence in you and your team."
Takuya stood up, saying nothing more.
For a genius like Hideo Kojima, too much interference would only be a hindrance.
For Hideo Kojima at this moment, any extra praise seemed pale; this complete trust was the best reward.
He merely patted Hideo Kojima's shoulder lightly, then turned and walked towards the door.
Hideo Kojima watched Takuya's retreating back, a warm current surging in his heart.
"Managing Director—"
Hideo Kojima hesitated, wanting to speak.
Takuya stopped and looked back at him.
"Thank you."
Hideo Kojima bowed deeply.
This bow was not only for the job but also for a dream saved.
Takuya smiled, said nothing more, waved his hand, and turned to leave the office.