Real Sound: Kaze no Regret | March 11, 1999

 

"Real Sound: Kaze no Regret" is an interactive sound drama game released for the Sega Saturn by Warp.

This work is unique in that it features no visuals and is "played with sound alone." It resembles a radio drama, where players enjoy the story by listening, but like sound novel games, the narrative changes based on player choices, leading to different endings.

The title's "kaze" means "wind," referring to a typhoon, while "regret" denotes feelings of remorse.

As the first installment in the "Real Sound" series, "Kaze no Regret" was released for the Sega Saturn on July 18, 1997. Kenji Eino, the president of Warp, asked scriptwriter Yuji Sakamoto to create a love story that would suit the game’s system. After the scenario was completed, they sought voice actors with whom Sakamoto had connections.

Since the game requires no screen, it can be played by connecting the Sega Saturn to audio equipment instead of a TV, making it accessible for visually impaired players, who could request printed braille manuals by mail.

A port for the Dreamcast was released on March 11, 1999, which included scenic images.

In the game, players listen to voice acting in each scene, and when a chime sounds, they choose the next action, progressing the story. There are two types of choices: "scene branching choices," which directly affect the storyline, and "parameter choices," which do not directly influence the next scene but alter the protagonist's emotional state, affecting the ending.

Additionally, it features an auto-save function that allows players to start from the previous scene if the power is turned off.

The game includes "one happy ending" and "four bad endings," with a low difficulty level. By giving positive responses to the character Nana, players can naturally reach the happy ending.

The concept for this game began after the production of Warp's title "D's Table" (1995) and was conceived before "Enemy Zero" (1996) as a "game without pictures." Eino believed that dialogue was crucial due to the lack of visuals, considering hiring a TV drama scriptwriter. Sakamoto, who was playing "D's Table" at the time, sought to connect with game producers, leading to an interview with Eino. During the interview, Eino shared the concept for this work, and Sakamoto accepted the role of scriptwriter.

From the beginning, Eino considered Kenichi Suzuki for the music and, intrigued by the idea, Suzuki agreed to participate. However, he found it challenging due to a lack of specific directions from Eino. Together, they decided where to place the completed tracks, intentionally choosing unconventional placements compared to typical TV dramas. The length of the voice recordings alone was under an hour, but with the addition of music, it expanded to about three and a half hours.

Takahashi Kashihara, who played the character Nonomura, mentioned that Eino requested a more naturalistic performance, which was difficult for him. He also noted that the script was about three times the length of a typical film.

Regarding the recording, engineer Masayoshi Okawa described it as "very fun yet challenging," with several days of only 2-3 hours of sleep. Four recording booths were prepared, with separate areas for scenes like the gym and the inside of a taxi. All sound effects were recorded live, with sounds captured in actual locations, such as a tunnel, even for scenes with no noise. The effects were recorded using a microphone shaped like "Ahena Kofupuf" and created in spatial sound using the "Q Sound" audio system.