Neon Genesis Evangelion: 1st Impression Game
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1st Impression is the first Evangelion video game ever released. It was originally developed for the Sega Saturn and launched on March 1st, 1996, but was later remade into an interactive DVD in 2004.
Most of the game is experienced through Full Motion Video (FMV) cutscenes that can be interacted with at certain points of the game. The original Japanese title of this game is simply Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン), however, when the sequel Neon Genesis Evangelion 2nd Impression came out, people began to add the “1st Impression” to refer to this game.
Development
The scenario for the game was written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a scriptwriter that has worked on scripts and screenplays for anime like Dragon Ball Super, Gurren Lagann, and Neon Genesis. Although it appears that several scenes produced by Studio GAINAX are repurposed for the game, Tatsunoko Productions is credited as the studio that created the animation for the game. The cast that voiced that main characters from the original anime returned to voice their respective characters in the game.
Gameplay
Although a majority of the game is non-interactive, there are certain points where the player can select various options to change the progression of the game: battles and school segments.
Battle System
- FMV clips are the main source of visuals during these round-based battles, however, there are several distinct differences that separate it from the majority of the game. The first mechanic shown in a battle is its slot-based system, which decides who gets to attack that turn.
- A slot machine with three sections of panels appears on the screen and it begins flipping through panels with a variety of colors and values. There are two colors that appear on the slot machine: purple (which represents Shinji) and white (Shinji’s opponent). When the slots are stopped, the character with the most panels gets to attack. The winner also has the numbers on all of their panels added together to get their attack power for that round.
- When Shinji gets to attack, both Eva-01 and his opponent are shown on screen. An overlay displaying a knife, gun, and punch appears and the player can choose between them. The player must learn visual cues shown by the opponent in order to select the correct commands.
- On rounds that the enemy has a chance to attack, the player has an opportunity to defend. Defending is similar to attacking in that the enemy will still display cues for the player to follow, but instead of selecting a weapon, the player has to choose which direction to guard and whether or not they would like to use an A.T. field. If the player can enter their defense command under a specific amount of time, they will have a chance to counterattack.
- After an attack has been made, a 3D map of the battlefield is displayed. It shows the entire landscape and where each character is positioned. Depending on how the round went, the player can move Eva-01 a number of spaces around the map.
- When movement is over, the slot machine reappears and the new round starts. This process is repeated until either the opponent or the player is defeated.
School Segments
- A decent amount of the game is dedicated toward Shinji’s interactions with his classmates. While much of this segment requires no input from the player, there are some points where the player is given multiple possible responses that Shinji can make. These responses act similarly to a visual novel, where choosing different responses will get varying reactions from other characters.
Plot Summary
The game takes place shortly after Asuka arrives in Tokyo-3. It begins with Shinji already halfway into a battle with an Angel inside of Evangelion Unit 01 that results in Shinji getting injured. When he reawakens, it is revealed that he has amnesia. Upon reviewing the footage of the battle, Ritsuko realizes that the Angel may have used some unknown ability in order to steal Shinji’s memories. For the time being, Rei and Asuka lead him back to school in the hopes that getting back to his everyday life will help Shinji recover his memories. Shinji later wanders around the area and eventually winds up in a local park that night. Rei happens to be passing by and starts having a conversation with Shinji, which ends with Shinji asking her to leave.
The next morning, Shinji is woken by the city’s alarm. Although he doesn’t realize it, the Angel that previously attacked him has returned. Since he has no memories of NERV, he has no method to find his way into the facility. Meanwhile, Rei and Asuka get into their respective Evangelion Units and begin to fight the Angel. After a few failed attacks, Ritsuko considers that if the Angel took Shinji’s memories, it would know how Rei and Asuka fight and their weaknesses, making this battle much more difficult. When Asuka and Evangelion Unit 02 get knocked down by the Angel, it seems that a fragment of Shinji’s memories return and he manages to find his way to NERV and Unit 01. Although he is uncertain of his piloting ability, he says he will do his best to take down the Angel.
At this point, there are two possible outcomes. The first outcome occurs when the player defeats the Angel, resulting in a victory for Shinji. This ending results in Shinji regaining his stolen memories in exchange for forgetting the events that happened while he had amnesia. The second outcome happens when the Shinji is defeated by the Angel. When this happens, Shinji still regains his memories, however, it is inferred that he dies as a result of the Angel’s attack.
Links
Sega Retro’s Page on Neon Genesis Evangelion: 1st Impression