Tokimeki Memorial (video game)
{{Short description|1994 video game}}
{{about|the first video game in the Tokimeki Memorial franchise|the series|Tokimeki Memorial|}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Tokimeki Memorial
| image = Tokimeki Memorial PC Engine.jpg
| caption = Cover of the original PC Engine CD version
| developer = Konami
| publisher = Konami
| director = Yoshiaki Nagata
| producer = Tomikazu Kirita
| designer = Ryūga Tateishi
| programmer = Asuty S.
| artist = Masashi Kokura
| writer = Koji Igarashi
| composer = Mikio Saito
Seiya Murai
Miki Higashino
Hiro Noguchi
| series = Tokimeki Memorial
| engine =
| released = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|May 27, 1994}}|PC Engine Super CD-ROM²{{vgrelease|JP|May 27, 1994}}PlayStation{{vgrelease|JP|October 13, 1995}}Super Famicom{{vgrelease|JP|February 29, 1996}}Sega Saturn{{vgrelease|JP|July 19, 1996}}{{fact|date=December 2024}}Windows{{vgrelease|JP|December 3, 1997}}Game Boy Color{{vgrelease|JP|February 11, 1999}}{{fact|date=December 2024}}
Mobile phones{{vgrelease|JP|December 8, 2004}}PlayStation Portable{{vgrelease|JP|March 9, 2006}}Nintendo Switch{{vgrelease|JP|May 8, 2025}}
}}
| genre = Dating sim
| modes = Single-player
| platforms = PC Engine Super CD-ROM², PlayStation, Super Famicom, Sega Saturn, Windows, Game Boy Color, mobile phones, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Switch
}}
{{nihongo foot|Tokimeki Memorial|ときめきメモリアル||Tokimeki Memoriaru|lead=yes|{{lit}} Heartbeat Memorial|group=lower-alpha}} is a dating sim video game developed and published by Konami. The first game in the Tokimeki Memorial series, it was first released for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² System on May 27, 1994. It was directed by Yoshiaki Nagata, with Koji Igarashi working on scenario writing.{{cite web|url=http://www52.tok2.com/home/erobachi/pce/tokimekimemorial/tokimemo.html|title=ときめきメモリアル|publisher=2.tok2.com|access-date=2011-06-17|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717065702/http://www52.tok2.com/home/erobachi/pce/tokimekimemorial/tokimemo.html|archive-date=2011-07-17}} It later received ports to the PlayStation in 1995, Sega Saturn and Super Famicom in 1996, Windows 95 in 1997, Game Boy Color in 1999, mobile phones in 2004, PlayStation Portable in 2006, and Nintendo Switch in 2025.
The game is considered one of the major titles in the dating sim genre, and eschews the sexual content of other games in the genre.
Gameplay
File:Tokimekimemorial pccd 03.png
Tokimeki Memorial is a dating sim game in which the player controls a male freshman from Kirameki High School. The game is particularly notable for its "bomb" feature, where neglected, infrequently-dated girls would eventually become angry and gossip to their friends, severely reducing love meters across the board. In the middle of the game, when the number of known girls is high, these "bombs" became the primary concern of the player, forcing careful planning and strategies like round-robin dating. Although the feature was still present in the later games, these games considerably reduced its importance and the difficulty in avoiding it.
Players pick options as responses when prompted by the characters in the game.
Development
The dating simulator genre was preceded by the raising simulation genre best codified by the Princess Maker series by Gainax, which focused on child raising rather than dating.
Writer Koji Igarashi says when he was tasked with writing the story for the game, he got assistance from his girlfriend at the time, who would later become his wife. She gave him advice on how to write the story to the game, while he would play Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, the game she was working on at the time.{{Cite web|last=Parkin|first=Simon|date=9 April 2014|title=Unfinished symphony: Castlevania's keeper speaks|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-04-03-unfinished-symphony-castlevanias-keeper-speaks|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525135308/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-04-03-unfinished-symphony-castlevanias-keeper-speaks|archive-date=25 May 2017|access-date=17 May 2017|website=Eurogamer|language=en-UK}} Igarashi requested to not work on a sequel to the game, and instead was allowed to request to work on the next Castlevania game instead.{{cite journal|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|title=Before They Were Famouos|journal=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|issue=35|page=75}}
The goal of the developers was to hearken back to high school days. Konami director Akihiko Nagata said "the person who created the game wanted to have experiences like this back in his high school days".
Release and promotion
In an overview of the series in 1998, {{nihongo foot|Gamejin|げーむじん||lead=no|{{lit}} Gamer|group=lower-alpha}} magazine said that pre-release response to the game was one of shock and surprise. This was due to the fact that dating games were considered to be poor quality while Konami was known for making "hardcore" games like Gradius. Secondly, there was a general prejudice against bishōjo-styled games leading people to dismiss the game without trying it.{{cite magazine|magazine={{ill|げーむじん|ja}}|title=今がから明かす「ときメモ」の歴史|publisher={{ill|ティーツー出版|ja}}|p=22|date=February 1998|issue=1|language=Japanese|trans-title=The History of Tokimeki Memorial Revealed}}
Tokimeki Memorial was first released on May 27, 1994 for the PC Engine.{{cite magazine|magazine={{ill|げーむじん|ja}}|title=今がから明かす「ときメモ」の歴史|publisher={{ill|ティーツー出版|ja}}|p=23|date=February 1998|issue=1|language=Japanese|trans-title=The History of Tokimeki Memorial Revealed}}
Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You was released on October 13, 1995 for the PlayStation. This version was released as a limited edition version initially, until it received a large amount of pre-orders.{{cite magazine|magazine={{ill|げーむじん|ja}}|title=今がから明かす「ときメモ」の歴史|publisher={{ill|ティーツー出版|ja}}|p=23|date=February 1998|issue=1|language=Japanese|trans-title=The History of Tokimeki Memorial Revealed}} The game became specifically more popular after the release of the PlayStation version.
Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You was released on December 3, 1997 for Windows 95-based personal computers (PCs). Like other games ported to Windows 95 based PCs, such as Virtua Fighter and Resident Evil, Tokimeki Memorial did not perform well financially, as the user-based for Windows 95 were not in the habit of playing games their computers.{{cite book|title=History of the Japanese Video Game Industry|year=2023|ISBN=978-981-99-1341-1|publisher=Springer Nature|last=Koyama|first=Yuhsuke|p=142}}
The game was ported to the Super Famicom as {{nihongo foot|Tokimeki Memorial: Densetsu no Ki no Shita de|ときめきメモリアル 伝説の樹の下で||lead=no|{{lit}} Tokimeki Memorial: Beneath the Tree of Legend|group=lower-alpha}} for Super Famicom on February 29, 1996. This version was reduced in graphic and sound quality with the only voice clips being made available during loading, included an exclusive CD with a radio drama and new arrangement of the ending theme, "Futari no Toki", this time sung by the majority of the girls, instead of just Shiori Fujisaki.{{fact|date=December 2024}} A fan translation of this version into English was released in March 2022.{{cite web |last1=Macgregor |first1=Jody |title=Classic dating sim Tokimeki Memorial available in English for the first time |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/classic-dating-sim-tokimeki-memorial-available-in-english-for-the-first-time/ |website=PC Gamer |access-date=7 March 2022 |language=en |date=6 March 2022}}
In 1999, the game was ported again to the Game Boy Color in two versions, Tokimeki Memorial Sports Version: Kotei no Photograph and Tokimeki Memorial Culture Version: Komorebi no Melody, dividing 10 of the characters between the two games and adding three new winnable characters, Patricia McGrath, Naomi Munakata, and Kyoko Izumi. The Game Boy Color versions also featured a Beatmania mini-game, compatibility with the Super Game Boy, a screen saver mode, and a two-player versus minigame. The game received a sequel the same year.{{Cite news |last1=Tanikawa |first1=Miki |title=BRIEFCASE: Gamers turn into investors |work=International Herald Tribune |date=2002-05-18 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/18/your-money/IHT-briefcase-gamers-turn-into-investors.html |language=en-US |df=mdy-all |access-date=2021-01-02 |archive-date=2021-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513190327/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/18/your-money/IHT-briefcase-gamers-turn-into-investors.html |url-status=live}}
A mobile game version of Tokimeki Memorial for the i-mode{{cite magazine |title=Mobiles: The New Gaming Platform (Big in Japan) |magazine=Edge |date=24 November 1999 |issue=79 (December 1999) |page=10 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/b/bb/Edge_UK_079.pdf#page=12 |access-date=28 October 2021 |archive-date=28 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028021927/https://retrocdn.net/images/b/bb/Edge_UK_079.pdf#page=12 |url-status=live}} was released in 2004 for mobile phones in Japan,{{cite web |title=NEWS!!: i-appli version of "Tokimeki Memorial" |url=http://www.konamityo.com/tokimeki/toki10th/special.html |website=Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo |access-date=4 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041010192033/http://www.konamityo.com/tokimeki/toki10th/special.html |archive-date=10 October 2004 |url-status=dead}} and in 2006, was ported to the PlayStation Portable portable system, which is virtually identical to the PlayStation version. In 2009, the PlayStation version of Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You was released on the Japanese PlayStation Store to celebrate the franchise's 15th anniversary.{{cite web |url=http://www.konami.jp/products/dl_pspps3_tokimeki_arch/?ref=tk_portal |title=ときめきメモリアル～forever with you～ |publisher=Konami.jp |access-date=2011-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615070112/http://www.konami.jp/products/dl_pspps3_tokimeki_arch/?ref=tk_portal |archive-date=2011-06-15 |url-status=live}} The PlayStation version will be remastered for Nintendo Switch as Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You Emotional in 2025.{{cite web|first=Sal|last=Romano|title=Tokimeki Memorial: forever with you Emotional announced for Switch|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2024/08/tokimeki-memorial-forever-with-you-emotional-announced-for-switch|website=Gematsu|date=August 27, 2024}}
In 2017, the mobile game Tokimeki Idol was released.{{Cite web|url=https://www.konami.com/games/corporate/ja/news/release/20170915/|title=「ときめきメモリアル」シリーズに新展開 モバイルゲーム『ときめきアイドル』今冬配信！― 本日から事前登録を開始 － {{!}} 株式会社コナミデジタルエンタテインメント|website=www.konami.com|language=ja|access-date=2017-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915043043/https://www.konami.com/games/corporate/ja/news/release/20170915/|archive-date=2017-09-15|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2017/09/15/109753.html|title=『ときメモ』シリーズに新展開！『ときめきアイドル』発表─今度はアイドル候補生とコミュニケーション {{!}} インサイド|work=インサイド|access-date=2017-09-15|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915115304/https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2017/09/15/109753.html|archive-date=2017-09-15|url-status=live}}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| title = {{Dark mode invert|Reception}}
| rev1 = Dengeki PC-Engine
| rev1Score = 95/100, 90/100, 95/100, 90/100 (PC-Engine){{efn|Each of the four reviewers in Dengeki PC-Engine scored the game on a 100 point scale}}{{cite magazine|magazine=Dengeki PC Engine|title=新し作 委員会|first=Keima|last=Iwasaki|p=164|language=Japanese|issue=17|date=June 1994}}
| rev2 = Weekly Famitsu
| rev2Score = 8/10, 8/10, 7/10, 9/10 (PS){{efn|Each of the four reviewers in Famitsu scored the game on a ten point scale}}{{cite magazine |title=New Games Cross Review | language=Japanese |magazine=Weekly Famitsu |issue=357 |publisher=ASCII Corporation |date=20 October 1995}}
}}
In an early review in Dengeki PC-Engine, the reviewer Keima Iwasaki said the game may appear to be a simple "raising game", noting the huge amount of events, large amount of varied mini-games and the depth of the gameplay. Three of the four reviewers in Dengeki PC-Engine called it the best release of the month with the reviewers praising its control, depth in gameplay. One reviewer commented how they lost track of time playing it while another said the only drawback was the length of time it took to save the players progress in the game.
Reviewing the release for the PlayStation, the four reviewers of Weekly Famitsu complimented the game's addictive qualities and subtle changes in how the characters react to the player. One reviewer complimented the larger amount of events and improved graphics in this version, saying that whether or not the player likes the anime illustrations, they are well-made.
Tokimeki Memorial sold 1.1 million copies by 1996.{{Cite news |last1=Pollack |first1=Andrew |title=Japan's Newest Young Heartthrobs Are Sexy, Talented and Virtual |work=The New York Times |date=1996-11-25 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/25/business/japan-s-newest-young-heartthrobs-are-sexy-talented-and-virtual.html |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |df=mdy-all |access-date=2018-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129152846/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/25/business/japan-s-newest-young-heartthrobs-are-sexy-talented-and-virtual.html |archive-date=2018-01-29 |url-status=live}}
The game, a classic of the dating sim genre,{{Cite news |last1=Kushner |first1=David |title=For Hard-Core Gamers, the Lure of the East |work=The New York Times |date=2001-03-22 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/22/technology/for-hard-core-gamers-the-lure-of-the-east.html |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |df=mdy-all |access-date=2021-01-02 |archive-date=2015-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527170849/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/22/technology/for-hard-core-gamers-the-lure-of-the-east.html |url-status=live}} was voted as the 23rd favorite video game of all-time in a 2006 reader poll by Japanese magazine Famitsu.{{cite web |url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/japan-votes-all-time-top-100 |title=Japan Votes on All Time Top 100 - Edge Magazine |publisher=Next-gen.biz |date=2006-03-03 |access-date=2011-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015161221/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/japan-votes-all-time-top-100 |archive-date=2011-10-15 |url-status=live}}
Tokimeki Memorial popularized the use of social statistics-raising mechanics in games for following decades.{{cite book |last1=Kalata |first1=Kurt |chapter=1994 {{ndash}} Tokimeki Memorial |title=Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Japanese Video Game Obscurities |date=2019 |publisher=Unbound Publishing |isbn=978-1-78352-765-6 |pages=90–91 (90) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=si6bDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA90 |access-date=2020-09-27 |archive-date=2021-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520124405/https://books.google.com/books?id=si6bDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA90 |url-status=live}} The game became more well-known in English-speaking communities after a video essay by Tim Rogers gained attention, and a fan translation of the Super Famicom port was published.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-11 |title=Konami's Iconic Dating Sim Is Finally Being Translated Into English, Just Not The Version Everyone Wants |url=https://kotaku.com/tokimeki-memorial-english-translation-konami-snes-plays-1848525789 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-03-07 |title=Dating sim classic Tokimeki Memorial has a fan translation out now |url=https://www.destructoid.com/tokimeki-memorial-fan-translation-out-now-super-famicom-snes-dating-sim/ |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Destructoid |language=en-CA}}{{Cite web |date=2022-03-06 |title=Legendary Dating Sim Tokimeki Memorial Finally Gets a Fan Translation |url=https://twinfinite.net/2022/03/tokimeki-memorial-fan-translation/ |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Twinfinite |language=en-US}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
{{clear}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20050518232445/http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/toki1/index.html Official website for the PS1 version] (archived) {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070204142551/http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/toki_psp/index.html Official website for the PSP version] (archived) {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070203001230/http://www.konami.jp/mobile/appli/tokimeki/index.html Official website for the mobile phone version] (archived) {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008052442/http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/tokimeki/toki10th/index.html Tokimeki Memorial 10th anniversary website] (archived) {{in lang|ja}}
- {{Vndb|id=19}}
{{Tokimeki Memorial}}
Category:Japan-exclusive video games
Category:PlayStation (console) games
Category:PlayStation Network games
Category:PlayStation Portable games
Category:Single-player video games
Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
Category:Video games developed in Japan