- Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School
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Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School 
Developer(s) Nintendo
Square[1]Publisher(s) Nintendo Designer(s) Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yoshio Sakamoto[2] Composer(s) Nobuo Uematsu[2] Platform(s) Family Computer Disk System Release date(s) - JP December 1, 1987
Genre(s) Dating sim Mode(s) Single-player Media/distribution Floppy disk (double-sided blue disk) Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School (中山美穂のトキメキハイスクール Miho Nakayama's Heatbeat High School) is a 1987 dating sim developed by Square[1] and Nintendo, and published by Nintendo on December 1, 1987 for the Family Computer Disk System. The game was never released outside of Japan. It was one of the first dating sim games.[3] It was designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who also created the Final Fantasy series, and Yoshio Sakamoto, who co-created Metroid. The music for the game was composed by Nobuo Uematsu.[2]
Contents
Gameplay
The game's protagonist enters Tokimeki High School and runs into a girl wearing glasses who looks identical to Miho Nakayama.[3] Though the game is a standard text command-style adventure game similar to the Famicom Tantei Club series, in important scenes, the player is required to select a facial expression in addition to a verbal response. The four expressions (straight face, laughter, sadness, anger) must match the content of the response being given, and any incorrect responses immediately lead to the "game over" screen. This increased the game's difficulty considerably in comparison to other text adventure games where there were fewer incorrect choices. Some scenes specifically require that the dialogue not match with the expression. For instance, choosing a dialogue expressing joy with a straight face may be the correct choice in a certain situation because it represents a deeper level of emotion and thought on the part of the protagonist.[3] This system allowed the game to simulate a level of complexity resembling actual love relationships, leading to its classification as a dating simulation rather than an adventure game. The game has two different endings, depending on the choices made during the game, and the prizes receivable via the Disk Fax network differed for each ending.
Features
Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School was the first bishōjo game featuring a Japanese idol. Miho Nakayama, a popular actor and singer in Japan during the 1980s, is featured on the game's cover and makes a cameo appearance in the game itself.[2] It was the third game compatible with the Disk Fax network of the Disk System, and uses a blue floppy disk instead of the regular yellow disk.[3] In 1987 Square wanted to make a Disk Fax adventure game, and Nintendo suggested that the game include an idol, as it would interest players.[2]
Though most compatible games used the Disk Fax network to upload high scores or time trials onto the official rankings system, Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School was the only game where players used the network to register that they had completed the game to receive prizes. The game also contained a phone number which players could call to hear hints concerning the gameplay or listen to a personal message voiced by Miho Nakayama herself.[3] This phone service ended shortly after the release of the game, and the messages and hints are displayed in text form in subsequent versions of the game. The Disk Fax service was used for a contest from December 19, 1987 to February 29, 1988 in which 8000 winners received an autographed phonecard and 8000 received a special VHS tape.[3]
References
- ^ a b 任天堂 (2010-08-26). "社長が訊く 坂口博信×坂本賀勇 1.23年前の縁" (in 日本語). http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/interview/slsjr3oj/vol1/index.html. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ a b c d e http://kotaku.com/miho-nakayama/
- ^ a b c d e f http://www.videogameden.com/fds.htm?nak
External links
Categories:- 1987 video games
- Dating sims
- Famicom Disk System games
- High school-themed video games
- Japan-exclusive video games
- Nintendo games
- Square (company) games
- Video games developed in Japan
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