A WARPed Retrospective: D

Welcome back, birds! It's been quite a while since we checked in with Eno-san and the WARP collective, what with all the hub and/or bub that's been surrounding the Coop as of late. But, the time has come to stop with the procrastinating. Grab on to my feathers, and let's soar into the wild blue yonder once more, as we continue on our WARPed adventure!

 So we've already discussed the birth of WARP, and I've showcased some of it's lesser known works. Now, it's time to take a gander at the heavy hitters in the lineup. If you talk to anyone who has any fond rememberance of Kenji Eno, these games are the ones that will most likely come to mind. Their the ones that helped Kenji find international acclaim, and are still considered cult classics today. While not the official title, I personally tend to refer to them as the Laura Trilogy.

 In the early 90's, the era of the Full Motion Video game was in full swing. Eno saw the potential the genre had, and sought to make his mark amongst the Night Traps and Sewer Sharks. However, instead of putting out a casting call for B-grade thespians and Hollywood has-been's, Eno tossed around the idea of using a 'virtual actress'. One you wouldn't have to feed and pay SAG royalties to, basically. So, in 1994, the crew at WARP grabbed a couple two tree Amiga computers and got to work on what would be the first game to feature their silicon leading lady, Laura.

D aka D no Shokutaku (D's Dinner Table)

Released: 1995, 96, 98

Publishers: Panasonic, Acclaim
Platforms: 3DO, Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, Ms-DOS, Windows
 



3DO cover art (US)

3DO cover art (JP)

Acclaim Cover Art (US/EU)

Laura's first starring role would be in the 1995 production of D as Laura Harris, a mild mannered college student from San Francisco. Late one evening, Laura is shocked to learn that her father, the esteemed Dr. Richter Harris, has decided to go batshit insane and shoot up just about everyone present at the prominent Los Angeles hospital he works at. Wasting no time, she hops into her sports car and rockets towards L.A. in the hopes that she can try to talk some sense into dear old Dad. After what I'm sure was an amazing bout of negotiation with the L.A.P.D, Laura crawls underneath the yellow tape and enters the hospital. Without warning, Laura is suddenly whisked away to what appears to be a medieval era castle. With nothing but her wits and a magical compact to aid her, Laura must unravel the mysteries of this foreboding estate and get to the bottom of her father's madness before it's too late!

D's premise is very simple. The player is given two hours real time to navigate the castle, solve puzzles, and locate Richter. Much like the classic Dragon's Lair, you're simply pressing directional buttons to move Laura around, and hitting a button to make her interact with the environment or examine her inventory. If you get to a puzzle that has you stumped, Laura can consult her mystical compact for clues. However, you can only do this three times before the compact mirror shatters and becomes useless for the rest of the game.

 While dated by today's standards, D earned a great deal of attention back in the 90's for it's slick pre-rendered presentation, moody and omniprescent atmosphere, and it's somewhat gory subject matter for the time. Indeed, Kenji was concerned that the game wouldn't be published in the US as a result, and came up with a rather devious scheme to ensure it would see the light of day Stateside. During it's initial development, there was no narrative attached to the project. The story was created in secret, and most of the WARP staff wasn't even aware it existed. When everything was finished, Eno submitted this 'clean' version of the game for approval. Since he had submitted the master discs late, he would have to hand deliver the final product to the US manufacturers if he wanted it published. This was all part of Kenji's plan. While on the plane bound for America, Kenji channeled the spirit of Folger's coffee commercials, and switched out the 'clean' version with the complete copy. As a result, Kenji was able to completely bypass the censors. Clever girl.

 While D made little impact in the States (much in part to the 3DO's low user base at the time,) it was well received in Japan. So much that WARP would produce a "Director's Cut" of the game in 1998, featuring new footage, interviews, and all kinds of neat goodies. However, Acclaim took a liking to WARP's little creation, and offered to publish the game for Sony and Sega's 32-bit systems, as well as PC's running Microsoft Windows and DOS. This helped D gain more exposure in the US and Europe, and led to even more sales for Eno and his crew. However, this move would result in Eno having a huge fallout with Sony and it's Playstation brand.

 You see, while retailers were able to secure over 100,000 preorders for the Playstation port, Sony decided to give it's in-house products publishing priority. As a result, only 28,000 copies of the game actually made it into customer's hands. Eno was understantably upset at this move. That's a lot of money that was left on the table. And when you're a small company like WARP, that can really hurt you. Eno wasn't about to take that sitting down. He would have his revenge.

 What nefarious plot did Eno have in mind for the villains at SCE? And what of Laura? What new adventures would she undertake? All this will be answered next time, as the Coop grabs a gander at the second installment in the Laura Trilogy. In the meantime, here's the first part of Supergreatfriend's comprehensive D walkthrough, for those of you who want to experience the game, but don't want to deal with emulators or old, scratched discs. Until next time!

 (SPOILER ALERT: Yeah, D got a sequel. However, that's a tale for another time...)

A WARPed Retrospective: Part 2

 Welcome back, birds, to part two of B.P's Kenji Eno tribute! When last we saw our hero, he had already left behind a job at one developer, and would shutter his own studio a couple of years later. Had the embers of Kenji's dreams finally died out? Pfff! Of course not. If they did, we wouldn't have a Part 2 now, would we? So gird your loins, my avian amigos, and read on about the continuing adventures of the great Kenji Eno!

Part 2: The WARPed Tour

 Ok. So Kenji did the gig at Interlink. That didn't pan out. He started up EIM. That didn't fly, either. So, what do you do when you're an aspiring game developer and you've already found yourself dissatisfied with the last two jobs you've had? What any self-respecting eccentric would do: land a consulting job with a top shelf automotive magazine. And that's exactly what Kenji Eno would do for the next two years of his life. In the end, it would prove to be a wise choice for Eno, as a business trip to San Francisco, CA would be the catalyst for Kenji's re-emergence into the gaming scene.

 The event they traveled to was none other than the 1994 Macworld Expo. Deep within the very core of the Steve Jobs computing juggernaut, Kenji would marvel at the latest advances in CD-ROM technology and digital publishing. Their next stop would be at a convention called "Be-In". Kenji would go on to describe it as a "dark, twisted version of Macworld, where the creators were high on drugs." As the aforementioned drug addicts showcased their wares and side projects, Kenji found himself impressed with the atmosphere, and was pleased to realize that a game developer could actually be considered 'cool'. Also, Eno was quite shocked to see that the developers in attendance and the event's sponsors were quite supportive of one another. The one-two punch of Macworld and Be-In would give Kenji the motivation he needed. And on the plane ride home, he confided to the president of a publisher that he was ready to give video games another go. One thing led to another, and WARP was born.

 Kenji assembled a small team to take care of the technical stuff, while Kenji himself would be tasked with planning, directing, producing, and sound design. Now all he needed was a publisher for his work. Nintendo was an option, but the high cost of licensing and manufacture at the time wasn't something he could afford. So, Kenji decided to pay the newly formed Japanese branch of Trip Hawkins' company, 3DO, a visit. He found them to be very receptive, and their fees quite reasonable. Plus, 3DO was a San Fran based company, and Kenji was still high off the indie vibes from his visits to Macworld and Be-In. A couple two-tree deals were made, and the WARP/3DO era was officially underway.

 While WARP would end up releasing a single NES title in Japan, the forgettable Totsukegi Karakuri Megadasu!!, Trip'd (Flopon the Space Mutant in Japan) would serve as the virgin voyage of WARP in the States. And while you'd think it would have something to do with the founder of 3DO, it's actually an irreverent take on the classic puzzler Puyo Pop. It was here that Kenji would establish his quirky, off beat sense of style, featuring off the wall packaging and an instruction manual filled to the brim with complete nonsense. And pictures of the famous Mt. Fuji.

Next, WARP would tackle the legendary Chinese board game Mahjong in the Japan only release Oyaji Hunter Mahjong. WARP took the wackiness to the next level, placing the player in the role of the mighty Oyaji Hunter. You were tasked with preventing a perverted, middle aged man from having his way with an assortment of nubile young women by engaging in heated games of Mahjong. For this release, WARP would join forces with renowned Macross animator Ichiro Itano, who provided many whacked out cut scenes for the game.

Another Japan only WARP release was one of their most bizzare yet. Short WARP was a series of eight crazy mini games. And I do mean crazy. Take a look at the vid above if you don't believe me. And get this: inside every copy of the 10,000 hand numbered units produced, Kenji Eno was gracious enough to include a very special WARP condom. Yep...a condom. No dumb art books or soundtracks. Just pure protected sexual bliss. What a guy!

 Eee-yup. WARP was off to a frolicking start. And it would only get better (and crazier) from there. Next time, we'll be taking an in-depth look at the games that would make Kenji Eno a man to watch in the 90's. That's right, birds! It's the Laura Trilogy, and it'll be front and center here at the Coop. See you then!



 



A WARPed Retrospective: Part 1

 If you have been gaming for as long as I have, then the name Kenji Eno may be quite familiar to you. However, I'd be willing to wager that a lot of folks out there have never even heard of the man, or the work he has accomplished. If you fall into the latter, then you are in for quite a treat this week, as The Pigeon Coop celebrates the weird, wild, and wonderful works of one of Japan's most innovative and controversial developers.

Part 1: The Early Years



 

 Kenji was born on May 5, 1970. Video games became a big part of Kenji's life early on, as he tended to frequent local video game arcades from a young age. There, he would become enamored with Namco's Pac-Man and Taito's Space Invaders, and has often cited these two games as the inspiration for his decision to pursue a career in the industry. Kenji would also take an interest in programming and sound design, as he also had a passion for music. He would take to experimenting on his home computer, going so far as to create his own video game, Towadako Murder Case, which he had entered into a local contest and placed. At 17, he dropped out of high school and embarked on a journey throught the country. Unlike Michael Landon or Bill Bixby, however, he did not commiserate with the divine or mutate into an angry green giant. He would, however, begin to look for work in a local trade magazine. After two failed attempts at employment through a local Canon branch and a tele-sales company, Kenji would finally break into the game industry as a project planner, supervisor, and musician for a small company called Interlink.

Kenji's brief tenure at Interlink would have him overseeing the production of Ultraman Club 2: Kaettekita Ultraman Club, a Dragon Quest inspired romp where gamers would take control of Japan's legendary super-sized superhero Ultraman, as he roams the countryside to do battle with nefarious interplanetary invaders. Kenji would also serve as composer and supervisor for SD Hero Soukessen: Taose! Aku no Gundam, a crazy side scrolling crossover of the Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Gundam universes. And finally, he would serve as the sound designer and composer for the Japan only NES port of Sega's classic arcade adventure Altered Beast.

 Eventually, Kenji would grow tired of his role at Interlink. Wanting to strike out on his own, he took his savings and formed EIM Ltd (Entertainment Imagination and Magnificence) in 1989. EIM was created as a game development contracting service, where companies would hire them out to create their software. Being the owner, Kenji would have more control over the products EIM would put out. His more notable works under the EIM label include Parallel Worlds, Panic Restaurant (which would actually make it's way stateside via Taito), and Time Zone.

 EIM would also be contracted by Sunsoft to create a Superman video game for the NES. However, due to conflicts with design, the game was cancelled. Sunsoft then asked the company to create another superhero based gamed entitled Sun Man. While the game was never officially released, a seemingly complete version would resurface on the Internet many years later.



 Kenji would also grow dissatisfied with his work at EIM. He had wanted to create entirely original experiences. And while forming EIM would initially give him that ability, the demands of his clients to include licensed characters and settings would ultimately get to him. It even got to the point where Kenji would avoid his office altogether. The thought of having to convince his staff of how great it was to create character and licensed based games, when he himself didn't enjoy making them, simply got to be too much to bear. Kenji would shutter EIM in 1992.

 What would become of Kenji's dream? Would he ever be able to create the types of gaming experiences he wanted to? The answers to this, and much more, will be revealed in part 2 of the Pigeon Coop's tribute to the one and only Kenji Eno. Till next time, birds!