October 29th! Just before the 25th anniversary event of the legendary AVG "Coulomb's Gate", "Choukyu Roujin Matsuri"! Comments from Takashi Kimura (director) and Kuniaki Hajima (music) have arrived!

The 25th anniversary celebration of the PlayStation adventure game "Coulomb's Gate," a legendary strange game, will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2022.

Originally released in 1997 by Sony Music as a PlayStation game, "Coulomb's Gate" is an adventure game set in the Kowloon Fortress, a huge, disorderly structure that existed in Hong Kong, China, until 1994.

The game's worldview based on the shadow world of Kowloon Fortress, JPEG dungeons that make full use of the CG technology of the time, and the peculiar, frightening, and lovable characters have become the talk of the town, and the game, which still boasts a cult following, will celebrate its 25th anniversary on October 29, 2022 (Saturday). KOWLOON'S 25th Anniv. Super Class Road Person Festival - KOWLOON'S GATE Project 25th Anniversary Event" will be held at LOFT9 Shibuya, Tokyo, on Saturday, October 29, 2022.

The event will feature a foreshadowing reading by voice actress Nozomi Nonaka, who plays the main character Oguro, written by director Takashi Kimura, and a live performance by sound composer Kuniaki Hajima. The event will also include a talk stage by the game's development staff, and is truly a fitting event to mark the 25th anniversary of the game.

Coulomb's Gate" director and screenwriter Takashi Kimura and sound composer Kuniaki Hajima offered their comments on the memorial event.

Kuniaki Hiajima (left) and director Koshi Kimura

Koshi Kimura (director and scriptwriter)

─ What do you think about "Coulomb's Gate" on its 25th anniversary?

Although "Coulomb's Gate" has not continued as a game business, it seems to have exerted a kind of centrifugal force immediately after its release, and has unexpectedly attracted a large number of people. I think it has created a social situation that could be called the "Coulomb's Phenomenon," so to speak.

In that sense, "Coulomb" seems to have brought an awakening to those who have something Coulomb-like dwelling in their hearts.

─ ─ Did "Coulomb's Gate" have any influence on your own career?

When I created "Coulomb's Gate," I was an amateur game creator. After all, I was a copywriter at an SME affiliate.

With "Coulomb's Gate," I was able to plan, write, and direct a full-fledged game, which helped me find my direction as a "game designer," and I have been working on games continuously for the past 25 years since then. I have followed the trends of the Japanese game industry: consumer games, mobile phones, and smartphones. When I was making RPGs for mobile phones, I was able to experience a lot of things, such as creating the dots by myself.

─ What were some of the most memorable episodes in the production of "Coulomb's Gate"?

The most impactful experience for me was when I went to Hong Kong in April 1994, before I started working on the game. The local coordinators were superb and took 120% of our intentions into consideration, allowing us to experience a chaotic space that was on the same level or even better than the already dismantled Kowloon Fortress.

After returning to Japan, the entire staff was in a state of slight fever for several months, and I well remember that we started production without thinking about the future.

───What are the highlights of "Chogaku Rojin Matsuri"?

I would have to say "Oguro's Secret Story," a reading by Nozomi Nonaka. This is based on a setting that was invented 27 years ago, when I named the heroine "Oguro," and finally last year, in the spring of 2021. This is the first time in 25 years, counting from the release of the game, that foreshadowing has been recovered.

Coulomb's Gate" seems to have been created with a lot of guts, but in fact, the setting is quite sparse. I wrote this story in such a way as to take advantage of the gaps.

─ By the way, how is the new work "Coulomb's Rhizome," which you are currently working on, coming along?

At the beginning of the project, the aim was to "play Coulomb in a 3D space. After producing an evaluation version to see if the project was successful, we decided that a scenario-oriented game and a 3D space were not compatible, so we changed the genre to a "movie novel. It is an evolution of the visual novel, which consists of moving and staging scenes as movies.

The game release will be divided into about 5 to 8 volumes. The first of these volumes is almost complete and can be released by the end of 2022, but we would like to implement a user participation project as a test case, so if we anticipate that work, we hope to release the game on February 28, 2023, right at the end of Coulomb's 25th anniversary.

Kuniaki Hajima (sound composer)

─ What are your thoughts on "Coulomb's Gate" on its 25th anniversary?

As a life of 100 years, what a ...... to have been involved in "Coulon's Gate" for a quarter of my life!

I wonder if we have been friends for so long, "Coulon's Gate", that Mr. Coulomb asked us to come and help him celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event.

─ ─ Did "Coulomb's Gate" have any influence on your own career?

The fact that I was able to work as freely as I wanted. I used a lot of folk instruments, and the various instruments mixed together to create a unique world. I am grateful to everyone who allowed me to depict the world of "Coulomb".

─ ─ What is the most memorable scene or production episode in "Coulomb's Gate"?

The music for the scene that looks like an Escher painting (*editor's note: referring to the Shanghai MAP).

─ What are some of the highlights of "Super Class Road People Festival"?

It is a reading play in which Mr. Nonaka reads from a script written by Mr. Kimura. I also created 15 minutes of background music. I think you will enjoy it.

─ Lastly, we are currently working on a new work, "Coulomb's Rhizome," which shares the same worldview. Please tell us about this as well.

The music for "Coulomb's Rhizome" will be performed live in the second half of this event. We hope you will enjoy a different view of the world from that of "Coulomb's Gate.

Tickets for the event are already sold out, but the stage will be streamed on Tweekas for a fee. The event can be viewed from anywhere in the world, so don't miss it!

Streaming Information

KOWLOON'S 25th Anniv. Chokyu Road People Festival ~Coulomb's Gate Project 25th Anniversary Event

Delivery date and time: Saturday, October 29, 19:00 - 21:00 (tentative)

Ticket price: 2,000 yen (tax included)

Tickets for viewing the delivery are now on sale at Casmaket!

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Performers] Kuniaki Nijima, Nozomi Nonaka, Takashi Kimura, Sei Taketomi, Koichiro Asano and more...?

About the archive

You can watch it from the end of the broadcast until 23:59 on November 12 (Sat.). (You can still purchase tickets during this period.)

If you are unable to watch in real time, please enjoy the archive!

＜For those who wish to watch the event with a paid subscription

Please read the precautions on the purchase page before purchasing tickets.

*Please note that the event format (with/without audience) and opening/opening times may be subject to change due to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's declaration of a state of emergency or requests to shorten business hours. Please understand this in advance.