![A Look Back at “ALIVE,” a Brutally Difficult Adventure Game Released in 1998 for the PS1 That Depicted a “2020 Surveillance Society” / Nagoshi Studio Officially Disbands / An Interview with the Developer of “Mugen Sakurakaku,” a Bishoujo Action Game Born Out of the Previous Title’s Complete Failure to Sell [Weekly Spalan, Oct. 30–]](/imgs/p/JIxo87wJh5Y_xgjF1boGNUXVYNtu3dzb2tnY/59534.jpg)
![A Look Back at “ALIVE,” a Brutally Difficult Adventure Game Released in 1998 for the PS1 That Depicted a “2020 Surveillance Society” / Nagoshi Studio Officially Disbands / An Interview with the Developer of “Mugen Sakurakaku,” a Bishoujo Action Game Born Out of the Previous Title’s Complete Failure to Sell [Weekly Spalan, Oct. 30–]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/59534.jpg)
![A Look Back at “ALIVE,” a Brutally Difficult Adventure Game from 1998 That Depicted a “2020 Surveillance Society” / Nagoshi Studio Officially Disbands / An Interview with the Developer of “Mugen Sakurakaku,” a Bishoujo Action Game Born Out of the Previous Title’s Complete Failure to Sell [Weekly Spalan, Oct. 30–]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/59535.jpg)
![A Look Back at “ALIVE,” a Brutally Difficult Adventure Game from 1998 That Depicted a “2020 Surveillance Society” / Nagoshi Studio Officially Disbands / An Interview with the Developer of “Mugen Sakurakaku,” a Bishoujo Action Game Born Out of the Previous Title’s Complete Failure to Sell [Weekly Spalan, Oct. 30–]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/59536.jpg)
![A Look Back at “ALIVE,” a Brutally Difficult Adventure Game from 1998 That Depicted a “2020 Surveillance Society” / Nagoshi Studio Officially Disbands / An Interview with the Developer of “Mugen Sakurakaku,” a Bishoujo Action Game Born Out of the Previous Title’s Complete Failure to Sell [Weekly Spalan, Oct. 30–]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/59537.jpg)
![A Look Back at “ALIVE,” a Brutally Difficult Adventure Game from 1998 That Depicted a “2020 Surveillance Society” / Nagoshi Studio Officially Disbands / An Interview with the Developer of “Mugen Sakurakaku,” a Bishoujo Action Game Born Out of the Previous Title’s Complete Failure to Sell [Weekly Spalan, Oct. 30–]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/59538.jpg)
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It’s time for the Weekly GameSpark Rankings—or Weekly Spa-Ran for short—featuring the top 5 most-read articles from those published on Game*Spark between Friday, October 30, 2026, and Thursday, November 5, 2026.This is perfect for those who want to catch up on the week’s highlights or are too busy to read everything and just want the quick rundown!
No. 5—Looking Back on “Armored Core 3” and “AC3 Silent Line” [Ollie’s Robot Game Column]
Ollie Bader, known as “the foreigner who knows way too much about robot games and anime,” looked back on *Armored Core 3* and *Armored Core 3: Silent Line*.
While *Armored Core 2* was a huge success overseas, sales for *Another Age* had dropped significantly. Against this backdrop, *Armored Core 3* appeared to be the title that fulfilled overseas fans’ desire for a return to a faster-paced, more intense atmosphere.
Both the visuals and performance saw major improvements, and the frame rate was far more stable than in previous titles. Weapon balancing was also significantly improved. Oliver, who was living in Mie Prefecture at the time, reportedly rode his bicycle to the nearest 7-Eleven at midnight to buy a copy.
He also recalls fondly being contacted by the American gaming magazine *Tips & Tricks* to collaborate on a strategy guide. The first installment of the column reportedly featured a breakdown of Mr. Ollie’s *Armored Core* unit configurations. The original article also provides a detailed look back at *Armored Core 3: Silent Line*, which is said to be one of Mr. Ollie’s favorites.
4th Place—Nagoshi Studio Officially Dissolved, Less Than a Year After Announcing a Game Starring Ma Dong-seok
It was revealed in the Official Gazette dated November 2 that Nagoshi Studio, led by Toshihiro Nagoshi—known for the *Yakuza* series—was dissolved following a resolution at the shareholders’ meeting on October 31, 2026.
The dissolution notice published in the Official Gazette (Extra Edition No. 240) lists Minoru Morinaga as the representative liquidator. The notice requests that anyone holding claims against the company file a claim within two months of the date of publication; claims not filed within this period will be excluded from the liquidation proceedings.
Game*Spark checked the corporate registry on October 5; at that time, the company was still in existence and no registration of dissolution had been filed. The directors, including Mr. Nagoshi, all stepped down effective March 31, 2026, and Mr. Morinaga was reappointed as a director effective May 31.It appears the studio was dissolved without Mr. Nagoshi or Daisuke Sato—who served as producer and director—being reappointed.
3rd Place—29 Years After the Release of the Original PlayStation Version of *Tales of Destiny*, It Has Been Revealed That “Lilith” Can Now Join Your Party During Normal Play
In the RPG *Tales of Destiny*, released in 1997 by Namco (as it was known at the time), it was discovered 29 years later—and became a hot topic—that “Lilith Elron,” the younger sister of the protagonist Stan Elron, can be recruited as a party member through normal gameplay.
Although Lilith is not originally a playable character, the “Lilith Glitch”—a method to recruit her via a game glitch—had long been known in the original PlayStation version, and she officially joined the party in the PS2 remake released in 2006.The discovery that she can be recruited through normal gameplay was made by Mr. Kurakura, who runs a *Tales of* series fan site; the conditions (though not 100% guaranteed) have been published on his website.
However, the conditions are quite complex. This is only possible in the initial release; it cannot be achieved in re-releases or later versions.If you fulfill numerous conditions—such as not taking items from many houses and not being warned by your party members when heading to a different destination—you’ll be able to purchase the “Silver Ladle” from a merchant. After purchasing it, speaking with Lilith will recruit her as a party member. However, recruiting Lilith prevents the event in Neustadt from occurring, which appears to make further progress in the game impossible.
It has been reported that if you save immediately after recruiting Lilith and then reload that save file in the BEST Edition, you can continue the game while keeping Lilith as a party member.
2nd Place—Developer Interview for “Mugen Sakura Rōkaku,” a Roguelite Bishōjo Action Game Born Because the Prequel Failed to Sell
On November 5, 2026, Denmao Games and Shochiku Games released the 3D roguelike action game featuring cute girls, “Mugen Sakura Rōkaku.” In the original article, we spoke with Hōsenka of Denmao Games, who worked on this title.
The project began 5–6 years ago. Since the roguelike action genre was still rare at the time, the idea reportedly stemmed from the thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a 3D roguelike action game that’s easy to play and features cute girls in the lead?”The team reportedly leveraged the 3D expertise they had accumulated while developing their previous title, the 3D third-person shooter *Star Tree Mechanized God: Unity Unions*, to incorporate roguelike elements and a Japanese-style aesthetic.
The protagonist, “Retra,” is one of the characters from *Star Tree: Planet Ruler*, released in 2015, and was already known for being “cute” back then. While retaining her trademark cat-ear hood, the game also incorporates a Japanese-style theme.The developer explained that since the previous title didn’t perform well in terms of marketing and failed to sell at all, they incorporated a “Japanese-style” aesthetic to appeal to an international audience.
The development team prioritized “ease of understanding,” aiming for gameplay where players can fight effectively even by just randomly mashing buttons. *Mugen Sakura Rōkaku* is currently available on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch. For a more detailed interview, please see the original article.
No. 1—Looking Back on “ALIVE,” a Brutally Difficult Adventure Game Themed Around “A 2020 Surveillance Society as Depicted in a 1998 PS1 Game”
On August 6, 1998, General Entertainment released “ALIVE” for the PS1.Composed primarily of live-action cutscenes, this live-action sci-fi adventure game is a cult classic still talked about among retro gaming fans today due to its incredibly high difficulty—one of the most unreasonable in the history of adventure games.
The story is set in “Tokyo in 2020,” 22 years after the game’s release. Centered on the theme of a surveillance society where individual actions are strictly restricted, the story follows 20-year-old Atsuko Kawada as she becomes entangled in a murder she has no memory of committing and flees from the police and a mysterious assassin.The game depicts a dystopia where citizens are centrally managed via “IDs,” drone surveillance cameras monitor private lives, and freedom is restricted in exchange for social safety through a “Safety Surveillance System.”
The original article points out that this mirrors real-world developments in the 2020s—such as the My Number system, location-based tracking, and scenarios where innocent people are framed as criminals using fabricated surveillance footage—all of which align with the threat posed by deepfakes.
The difficulty is extremely high; in particular, the “car chase” scene is the most challenging stage, featuring a continuous sequence of 30 to 40 or more QTEs, where even a split-second input error results in an immediate game over. Furthermore, save points are limited, so retrying forces players to watch long live-action cutscenes—which cannot be skipped—over and over again.The camera angles are also meticulously calculated, and the combination of the weighty world of a “near-future surveillance society” and the edgy sensibility of 1990s live-action games makes this a title that is still worth revisiting today.
This week’s most-read article was about the live-action sci-fi suspense game “ALIVE”! We highlight the game’s Hollywood-style car stunts, the final gunfight, hand-to-hand combat with an invincible assassin, and even a bath scene—all of which showcase the intense power of live-action action sequences as one of the game’s key attractions.
![A Look Back at “ALIVE,” a Brutally Difficult Adventure Game Released in 1998 for the PS1 That Depicted a “2020 Surveillance Society” / Nagoshi Studio Officially Disbands / An Interview with the Developer of “Mugen Sakurakaku,” a Bishoujo Action Game Born Out of the Previous Title’s Complete Failure to Sell [Weekly Spalan, Oct. 30–]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/59542.jpg)
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