The horse jumped over the moon, the story of Namco, part 23

Namco’s Wonder Eggs opened in 1992, and the Egg Empire opened up in 1994. The game company made famous for creating Pac-Man, DigDug, Xevious, Pole Position, and a slew of other arcade classics managed to create two urban theme parks where play was the core experience. Both parks were popular with locals, and visitors from outside of Tokyo. Part of the reason why was because they tapped into timeless elements. Wonder Eggs was inspired in part by carnivals, amusement parks, pleasure fairs, and world’s expos of the past. These were similar to the things that influenced the creation of Disneyland. Their sister park across the street was decidedly more futuristic in origin. Namco looked at what the theme park experience might look like in the next millennium.

The Egg Empire was supposed to be more experimental, if anything I would liken it to a virtual theme park. There would be a lot of video game elements to this park. From top to bottom this park had an entirely metal facade. All of the buildings were painted in gray, black, and red. They looked as if all the architecture was carved out of a giant steel block with a laser cutter. It was a stark contrast from the wood, brick, and handmade quality of Laperot village. The concept behind the hangar-like buildings was sound. If an attraction needed repair, or replacement then they could simply close that particular building, and get to work. Namco really embraced the egg motif from both parks, but double so at the Empire. The center of the campus was called the “Dyna Yolk,” and the surrounding hangars were numbered “Dyna Shells.” Let’s talk about the central attraction.

The Fighter Camp was a 40 minute experience. It was a fighter jet simulator that seated two players side-by-side in each cockpit. Dreamers would dress in flight suits, sit through a briefing, as if they were in the Top Gun academy. They would then get a short test flight in order to get used to the controls. They would then get called into service to enter a battle. They would be recorded, and get a debrief after their mission was concluded. From the description that I read about the attraction it was realistic, and at the same time difficult to control. This attraction was put together by Magic Edge in partnership with Namco. It used some cutting edge hardware, and software to build an experience that Namco would take to California later the same year. The Fighter Camp was one of the pricier experiences at the Egg Empire as well. It was charging dreamers 100 Eggs per session or ¥1000 Yen which was about $10 US

When I read the descriptions for each attraction I noticed that this park had an option for cash at each ride, instead of buying tickets at the gate. This was anathema to the magnetic Wonder Tickets sold at Wonder Eggs. It made me wonder if the business wing of Namco were playing armchair theme park designers. The attraction located in Dyna Shell 2 was called Miracle Tours. It was a movie ride recreating the sense of speed at different scales, including being bounced around on a pinball table. The CGI footage was created by Showscan Corporation/Talent Factory. Showscan had been building movie rides since 1985. Director, special effects expert and Showscan owner Douglas Trumbull produced the show film. The ride system and its controls were later the basis for Disneyland's Star Tours ride. The specific ride at the Egg Empire was Cosmic Pinball, and thankfully the reel was on YouTube. It was a 10 minute ride worth 50 Eggs.

The attraction in Dyna Shell 3 was called the Q-Zar Arena. It was a massive laser tag game course. Laser Tag was a popular activity among kids, and there were many arcades that featured arenas to this day. The technology behind it actually stretched back to the 1970’s when it was used for US Army training exercises. As a toy it hit its peak in the 1980’s. The history of Laser Tag according to Main Event was a fascinating read if you had the time. Visitors got armor, and laser rifles at the Q-Zar arena. Matches lasted 25 mins, and cost 50 Eggs. I noticed how little planning, and forethought the attractions had at the Egg Empire. It seemed like the people controlling the finances at Namco had gone through a catalog of amusement rides, and selected the cheapest ones that could fit within each hangar. That was not to say that the Miracle Tours, or Fighter Camp attractions were inexpensive. They probably cost a quarter-million dollars just to install. They were sadly forgettable rides, and not very cost effective as Magic Edge went bankrupt a few years later in 1996. As far as park design went the Egg Empire seemed like a lazy cash grab.

The designers at Namco were still working hard to create a theme, and aesthetic for the park, and its attractions. They needed to make sure they stood out from their peers. The goal was to make everything appear futuristic, and cutting edge. Just look at how they approached the attraction in Dyna Shell 4. The Drift King was a kart racing attraction on a slick course. In the mid ’90s drifting was starting to become popular. It was nothing new for the people at Namco. They loved racing in all forms. The designers were turned on to street racing from the Megalopolis Expressway films from the ‘80s, and the Wangan Midnight manga, and anime of the ‘90s. So how could they turn a slippery kart race into a futuristic proving ground?

They gave each kart a visual makeover. The bodies now looked like some sort of cybernetic hovercraft. They also provided headsets to each racer. In this way they could communicate with each other, hear the lap counts, and more important so they could talk to their cars. The more vocally excitable you were during the race the more energy your ride had. If you yelled “turbo” then it would give you a short speed boost. It was the same bold approach that turned traditional bumper cars into the Future Colosseum. The six-minute race was worth 50 Eggs like most of the experiences in this park.

The remaining attractions filling out the Empire felt lacking. They were the kind of things you could find at a mall. For example Dyna Shell 5 had something called The Circus Plaza. It was an outdoor collection of tumbling equipment. A gyroscope, and bungee trampoline. It was 30 Eggs, or ¥300. I assume the experience ended when the guest got bored, tired, or injured with the equipment. Dyna Shell 6 had the Cyber Station II. This was an updated version of the arcade at Wonder Eggs. This one featured the latest games, and prize machines. It also featured networked cabinets, but I could not find out if it featured any gigantic games like Sim Road or Naviway. This arcade was the third location that accepted cash as well. Dyna Shell 7 contained a quick service restaurant called the Empire Kitchen.

It took me about 10 blog entries to break down everything that went into the creation, and execution of Wonder Eggs. This post summed up the entirety of the Egg Empire. The attractions were nice, but not extraordinary. The elements of play that were the foundation of Wonder Eggs were lacking. There were no shows, no secret language, no rallies, or seasonal events to look forward to at the Egg Empire. Namco needed to make it more relevant to visitors or else it would close just as fast as it was built. We will look at what happened in the next blog. I hope to see you back for that. Were there any defunct parks that you visited? Please tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Wonder Eggs, and Egg Empire research collected from: Wonder Eggs Guide Map, Namco Graffiti magazine, the book “All About Namco II", NOURS magazine, The Namco Museum, Namco Wiki, Ge-Yume Area 51 Shigeki Toyama Collection, mcSister magazine, first person attraction details from Yoshiki. Event details from Hole in the Socks.

The horse jumped over the moon, the story of Namco, part 22

The roots of Wonder Eggs went fairly deep. They extended back to the foundation of Namco in 1955, and the philosophy that guided the company over the decades. Bringing the theme park to life was more than relocating the popular Galaxian³, and Tower of Druaga “Hyper Entertainment” attractions from Expo ’90 at Osaka’s Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park to a corner of Tokyo’s Futako-Tamagawa Park in 1992. The mythology of Laperot village, the Goddess Elds, and the Pyrallis helped create a world for guests to explore. Namco called it “Wonder Imagination.” Laperot was a place that mixed science, and magic in equal measure. The origins of this fantastic place most likely came from Tower of Druaga series creator Masanobu Endō. He had previously designed the arcade hits Xevious and Grobda. Much of Laperot’s story was inspired from Sumerian and Babylonian mythology including The Epic of Gilgamesh, and The Tower of Babel.

I mentioned previously that Namco’s financing people were mad at the game designers for how much they spent on the Expo ’90 attractions. They warned that they would never be allowed to spend that kind of money again. From this point forward anything the team built had to fall within a set budget. Of course this was not the news that they wanted to hear when creating a theme park. Thankfully they would be allowed to bring over their Expo ’90 gems, but they needed to add much more into the park, for much, much less. The designers always up for a challenge came up with “Participatory Story Attractions.” They would use the lessons from game design to create interactive walk through attractions like The Fortune Telling Witch’s house, and The Murder Hotel. These places turned the visitors into the main characters of an “unfamiliar world, in an unknown era.” They were unlike anything available at any other park. Like a hybrid of an escape room, and a Halloween maze, with multiple paths, and outcomes. These also rewarded the best players with prizes, and even discount tickets.

The initial goal from Namco was to build a limited-time urban theme park. Something that lasted exactly four years then would be retired. It was a proof-of-concept from the CEO Masaya Nakamura that audiences were ready to engage in a new form of play. Mr. Nakamura was right. Wonder Eggs was a hit. Within a year they had a million visitors. This allowed the financing people to loosen the purse strings. Designers now had the freedom to “plus” attractions that needed work. This also made the company realize that they should expand while the market was hot. Unfortunately for them Wonder Eggs had maximized every square inch of property. In order to build new attractions Namco needed to buy more land from the old Futako-Tamagawa amusement park. They did so quickly, and started a marketing blitz. They would build a second gate across the street. They called it Tamago Teikoku, the Egg Empire.

This location had a new look, and feel to it. The slogan for this park was “The Alchemy Nation of Play.” Namco would have it finished within two years. It was an amazing turnaround from start to finish. Attendance was not slowing down at either park. Namco had to rethink their goals. At the end of four years neither Wonder Eggs, nor the Egg Empire would be retired. The main park would get a refresh, and a new theme would be applied. Namco Wonder Egg 2 opened on July 20 1996 with the slogan “Love and Success.” It had earned over 5 million visitors. Namco Wonder Egg 3 opened on April 3 1999 with the slogan “Dreams and Romance.” Namco announced that they would officially retire both parks on December 31, 2000. The closure would mark the end of the 20th Century, and signal the birth of a new millennium. It was commendable that with a relatively small budget the team at Namco managed to create a park that lasted twice as long as the company had originally planned. Before they closed they would exceed 6 million visitors.

The Egg Empire was a smaller sister park that had a different look, and feel altogether. This was apparent with the advertising, architecture, and even the new Pyrallis. The original four Pyrallis from Wonder Eggs were brightly colored, cartoonish mascots. The ones for the Egg Empire were drawn in grayscale. They had sharp angles, and looked like cybernetic constructs. They reflected the industrial look of the new park. It was presented as a park from the future visiting our timeline. There was very little written, or published on these mechanized Pyrallis. As I was reading the book “Man, Play and Games” from where Namco took the names Agon, Alea, Ilinx, and Mimicry for the Pyrallis. I began wondering of the ones from the Empire had names as well. Two of the other words that Roger Caillois brought up in his description of play were Tyche (luck), and Moira (destiny). These were the unofficial names I gave the new characters.

So what were the attractions that went into the Egg Empire? How was it similar to Wonder Eggs, and how did it differ? During my research I would argue that the Egg Empire had an even more restrictive budget. Wonder Eggs was already a small theme park. This new park was even smaller. The financing people at Namco struck again. They wanted to build the best second gate they could, but for the smallest budget possible. The Empire featured experiences were very much “off the shelf” amusement rides. These were similar to things that could be found at other parks the world over. The best thing that the Egg Empire had going for it was the art, and architecture featured in the park. We will dive into it in the next blog. I hope to see you back for that. Were there any defunct parks that you visited? Please tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Wonder Eggs, and Egg Empire research collected from: Wonder Eggs Guide Map, Namco Graffiti magazine, the book “All About Namco II", NOURS magazine, The Namco Museum, Namco Wiki, Ge-Yume Area 51 Shigeki Toyama Collection, mcSister magazine, first person attraction details from Yoshiki. Event details from Hole in the Socks.

The horse jumped over the moon, the story of Namco, part 21

The previous blog talked about how Namco changed the attraction Magical Illusion multiple times over the life of Wonder Eggs. It evolved into Mirrorona / Miranda’s Psychological Labyrinth, The Fortune Telling Witches House, and finally the Wedding Judge. Each version had a tighter story. The elements that shaped each version made it more appealing to couples rather than general audiences. It was not the only one of Namco’s patented “Participatory Story Attractions” that evolved over the years. Many traditional parks featured a haunted house. These were often rides, but were also popular walk through mazes during the holidays. Wonder Eggs had a very unique haunted house that only got better with age.

When the park opened in 1992 the original version was called the Hotel Ghost. This attraction had multiple rooms where guests could watch the antics of the ghosts play out in front of them. There were animatronic characters, projection mapping on statues, pepper’s ghost effects in mirrors, and various other things to scare guests. Here was the original description of the attraction; “A number of mischiefs played out by ghosts at an old castle hotel. The mop moves on its own, the walls rotate, and they tease and play with the people who visit. In the dining room, be careful as the mirror will reflect differently depending on where you sit. “Room 204” also surprised me. Ghosts are waiting for you in a new type of haunted house that uses imaging and sensing technology.”

The Hotel Ghost was fun however Namco discovered that there was little reason for dreamers to return to it. Repeat visits at each attraction were crucial for the success of the park. So the team went back to the drawing board, and had an entirely new experience ready within three years. Hotel the Hell would debut in 1995 at Wonder Eggs 2. A new story, new rooms, and new play elements were added. Dreamers were given a wireless headset called a “Psycho Receiver.” It allowed them to hear the voices of the souls trapped within each room. The thing about the experience was that each person heard a completely different thing through their receiver.

The goal of the attraction was to figure out where the demons running the hotel had kidnapped the beautiful captive Helena to. The clues that each person got were pieces of a bigger story. They never contradicted each other, but forced guests to not only listen for clues, but also watch the changing rooms, and animatronics for information. Let’s say an elevator door opened, and closed quickly. If there were numbers, or a message written on the far wall then guests only had a second to memorize the scene before they were taken to another floor.

According to the official guide; “The challenges in the various rooms are very difficult to solve with one out of dozens being able to save Helena each day. It rivals the Tower of Druaga for its difficulty.” This attraction was popular with guests, and especially couples. It played like a murder mystery-meets-escape room. Two years later in 1997 an updated version called The Killing Hotel, also referred to as the Zombie Bride would debut. Once more the rooms, ghosts, and effects were changed. The attraction expanded to include the land around the Hotel. The story also changed tremendously. This time around a murderer named Jacob came back as a zombie, and hid the body of Mary somewhere on the property. It was up to dreamers to find her body before she came back as Jacob's zombie bride. It was speculated that the kidnapping and murder plot was changed to zombies because of the Kobe serial child murderer case which happened just before the attraction opened.

The wireless technology, and branching paths had been improved in the span of a few years. They were now called “Zombie Receivers” which still allowed dreamers to hear ghosts. Again each one got different messages, and clues as they went across the different locations. The hotel had everything from banquet halls where you could dine with ghosts, to a casino, and a barbershop. Dreamers were tasked with not only figuring out what happened to Mary’s body, but also where her soul was trapped. If guests managed to catch all of the clues they could enter a combination on a coffin, and it would open revealing multiple “souls.” These were actually Carnival Coins with different barcodes on them. Guests were only allowed to pick one which could be redeemed for a prize. Then they were then prompted to identify the location of the body. If they were correct then the hotel employees would reward them with a sticker as well. This version had multiple endings so visitors never got the same outcome twice. It greatly increased the repeat visits for the attraction.

Every good theme park needed more than memorable attractions. Wonder Eggs was no different in this regards. It had small, quick service restaurants. It also had at least three souvenir shops which sold exclusive Wonder Eggs merchandise, Namco arcade items, and products from the kid friendly Namjatown (which was short for Namco Japanese Town). These stores were Daimaru which sold mostly stationary items. The Pyrallis Pockets sold souvenirs featuring the lovable Pyrallis characters. There was also the Seventh Grocery, which was often decorated, and sold seasonal items. The park was a hit with locals, and tourists. Within a year it had a million visitors. This inspired the team at Namco to propose a second gate. If Wonder Eggs was a park that had a classic fantasy theme then this second park would be inspired by the future of play. The name was Tamago Teikoku aka the Egg Empire.

Namco was able to secure a little bit more land on the site of the old Futakotamagawa amusement park. Once more it was all hands on deck. The mandate was to build a new park within a two years. It was the same pressure cooker mentality that delivered Wonder Eggs from the studio just two years after Expo ’90. Were they able to hit the mark? Or did they have to cut corners? We will look at this in the next entry of the blog series. I hope to see you back for that. Were there any defunct parks that you visited? Please tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Wonder Eggs, and Egg Empire research collected from: Wonder Eggs Guide Map, Namco Graffiti magazine, the book “All About Namco II", NOURS magazine, The Namco Museum, Namco Wiki, Ge-Yume Area 51 Shigeki Toyama Collection, mcSister magazine, first person attraction details from Yoshiki. Event details from Hole in the Socks

The horse jumped over the moon, the story of Namco, part 20

In the previous blog I talked about one of the attractions that wasn’t a repeat draw when Wonder Eggs opened. Magical Illusion was a sort of mirror maze / fun house / art installation. It was designed for couples, and families to explore. It was similar to the pop up installations today where people took selfies for their social media. But this was way back in 1992, decades before Instagram or TikTok. Magical Illusion did well with first time visitors, however since it wasn’t a ride there wasn’t a reason for repeat visits. Namco went back to the drawing board.

Namco had already pioneered Hyper Entertainment a few years prior with the Tower of Druaga, and Galaxian³. These were the types of attractions that turned riders active participants. Namco founder, and CEO Masaya Nakamura had been pushing towards the development of hyper entertainment since 1987. After he had a chance to ride Star Tours at Disneyland, and had a meeting with George Lucas in Los Angeles. He felt that movies, amusement attractions, and video games were not separate forms of entertainment. He argued that they they worked well together, and should form a new kind of play. He envisioned an attraction where guests were not passive riders, but active participants in the story. He believed that Galaxian³ from the 1990 World’s Expo was a way to turns audiences into the heroes of Star Wars. Galaxian³ predated the immersive experience from Star Wars: Millennium Falcon - Smuggler’s Run by almost 30 years. The Disney attraction from 2019 put guests in the cockpit of the titular ship where they could interact with the controls, and have slightly different experiences during the ride. The challenge for Namco was in making a stationary building into an attraction.

The company came up with something that they called a Participatory Story Attraction. This allowed them to transform a building into a living movie set. They would use this for a few attractions at Wonder Eggs. It allowed the designers a chance to place dreamers in the middle of a story. They could shape an outcome that was unique for themselves as they progressed through the attraction. It was far more interactive than modern "escape rooms." This was hardly a new idea. Walt Disney imagined that the Pirates of the Caribbean was supposed to be a walk through attraction before it became a flume ride. Namco would have a variation of that concept but guests could have multiple outcomes.

Magical Illusion became Mirrorona / Miranda’s Psychological Labyrinth within a year. A new character was introduced from the same mythology that created Wonder Eggs. According to the official description “Miranda, the mirror fairy, will unravel the deep psychological threads that even you are unaware of, and answer who you really are. You get the “Kokoro’s Medical Record” at the end.” Kokoro was a comprehensive term in Japanese religion, philosophy and aesthetics often translated as “heart.” Its range of meanings included mind, wisdom, aspiration, essence, attention, sincerity and sensibility. Dreamers would answer questions projected on mirrors, and screens within the attraction. They would move from room to room, deeper within the mirror dimension. At the end the staff would have a small printed journal waiting for them. It was a sort of fortune / psychological evaluation based on their selections during the attraction. The questions actually changed as the day progressed, so that dreamers would never be asked the same things twice.

Namco was happy with the reaction to the updated attraction, however they thought they could still do better. Three years after the opening of Wonder Eggs there was an update to the park called Wonder Eggs 2. The original theme was “Wonder Imagination” the new theme was “Love and Success.” Mirrorona would get a face lift, and become the Fortune Telling Witch’s House. Here was the description from Namco “The fortune-telling witch Lilisa lives in an eerie Western-style mansion. She asks personality questions to reveal your future. In Colors Tunnel, you can see your current state, and in the “Echoes Organ,” you can clearly see the balance of your heart. A Crystal mirror will predict your future six weeks from now, and at the end you receive the “book of truth” that contains the true nature of yourself, and what you are unaware of… *Perfect for couples! (Those under elementary school age must be accompanied by an accompanying person).” The printout at the end of the attraction was much longer, and more detailed now.

The final evolution of the attraction was called the Wedding Judge. It was prepped in time for Wonder Eggs 3 and their new theme “Dreams and Romance.” This attraction was more than just a reskinned version of the Fortune Telling Witch’s house. In fact the Witch’s house was moved the the Himeji Central Park, a safari zoo in Japan where it stayed in operation until 2008. This new attraction was designed with couples in mind. The official description read; “A fortune-telling attraction set in a church. After going through wedding costumes (we will take photos with the costumes in the background), choosing your favorite from colorful candles, answering questions, etc. (Do you have the qualifications to do so?) The content and wording of the result sheet is quite strict, and there is a warning in the pamphlet that says, "The results may deny the customer's romantic/marital relationship, but we cannot be held responsible for any troubles caused by this.”

The only thing that was carried over with each evolution of this attraction was the statue of Miranda. She evolved into Lilisa, and finally Shadow Moon the God of all marriages. The statue was sculpted and designed by Junya Okabe who has worked in film, and animation. A preview of the attraction read; “This time, the newly launched marriage eligibility determination attraction "Wedding Judge" is an attraction with a new concept that is mainly targeted at couples in love. While the two people held a personal data memory item, the "Ring of Truth," and experienced a simulated wedding ceremony, including a wedding photo shoot, candle ceremony, and vows at the altar, the God of Marriage held their "Truth Ring." This is a unique attraction that has never been seen before, as it diagnoses a person's thoughts and wishes regarding marriage and determines whether the couple is eligible for marriage.”

It wasn’t guaranteed that each couple would pass the test. Those that did were eligible for the “Ideal Couple Contest.” Wonder Eggs would select one couple, and host a wedding party for them in Elds Square. On Monday, September 29, 1997 Tomomi Nishimura and Takumi Nishio were the lucky couple. According to the press release; “This wedding was held at Mr. Nishimura's request. On the day of the event, approximately 3,500 people, including guests and Dreamers who came to visit WE2, celebrated the couple. Nishimura was filled with happiness and said of their first kiss, “It was a peppermint green kiss, like the wind…” Namco discovered that the Wedding Judge went over well with couples. For those that weren’t ready to commit to intense psychoanalysis there was a more user friendly “Memorial Shop” called the Wonder Chapel right next door.

The shop was a place to put together a newspaper featuring you, and your partner. Here was the official writeup from Namco; “If you want to spend a warm spring day meaningfully with your boyfriend or girlfriend, this is the place. This spring, a memorial shop [Wonder Chapel], perfect for couples in love, will open right next to [Wedding Judge]. What's more, you can read the newspaper of the memorable day when the two met, you can take a commemorative photo with Pyrallis in a bag that gives off the atmosphere of a church, and there is someone who can predict the compatibility between the two of you based on your physiognomy. With mutual fortune-telling, the two of you are sure to have fun here!”

The team at Namco learned that dreamers were very invested in being the focal point of the Wedding Judge. They had a project in mind that would be a full-scale attraction at Wonder Eggs, and would become a smaller arcade experience outside the park. The Star Audition was an attraction that judged talent in different fields. There were six categories to try out: Singer, Actor, Model, Comedian, Radio Announcer, and Variety Idol. The test involved choosing from the categories, and then taking the "pitch test," in which you tested your voice at the same pitch as the voice coming through the headphones. Then there was the “expressiveness test,” in which you made a specified facial expression. There were also three “aptitude tests” to answer questions about the type of job. It was considered a live test because this was before AI technology could help with the judging. It was assumed that the audio, and video were analyzed, and judged by Wonder Eggs employees. At the end of your audition, you would receive a result sheet. If you passed, that sheet would become your application form for the second round.

The Star Audition would later be made into an arcade game using similar metrics. It turned out that the attraction, and arcade cabinet were a joint project between Namco, and the entertainment production companies Amuse and Horipro, as well as the Nippon Broadcasting System. Since its debut there were eight people who won the auditions out of the 260,000 people who experienced it at Wonder Eggs. For example the actors Satoshi Tsumabuki, and Yui Ichikawa were discovered thanks to the Star Audition, and were still active today. Wonder Eggs was making dreams come true. But what would happen if the park brought nightmares to life? We will look at this in the next entry of the blog series. I hope to see you back for that. Were there any defunct parks that you visited? Please tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Wonder Eggs, and Egg Empire research collected from: Wonder Eggs Guide Map, Namco Graffiti magazine, the book “All About Namco II", NOURS magazine, The Namco Museum, Namco Wiki, Ge-Yume Area 51 Shigeki Toyama Collection, mcSister magazine, first person attraction details from Yoshiki. Event details from Hole in the Socks

The horse jumped over the moon, the story of Namco, part 19

In the previous blog I mentioned the classic attractions that Wonder Eggs featured. These were traditional things that would be found in the oldest fairs around the world. Things like a carousel, a carnival midway, a creek ride, fortune tellers, and even bumper cars were expected in any amusement park the world over. By the late 20th century however the parks had to keep up with the times. They couldn’t rely on sticking with the classics, and expect repeat visitors. This was especially true in a city as big as big as Tokyo. Tourists, and locals had a million places to see. Any new park needed to make sure they gave clients different reasons to stick around, and spend their money.

One of the easiest things that a park could do would be to provide arcade games. They were popular with guests of every age, but especially with kids. Best of all these games could be put in any corner, and were guaranteed to make money with minimal maintenance. Even Disneyland wasn’t immune to this. In the early days of the park they had a literal Penny Arcade. The machines were turn-of-the-century devices that cost a penny to play. A few of which you could still find in the corners of the stores on Main Street. In the ‘70s, and ‘80s video games started being added into the arcade. There was a larger arcade in Tomorrowland called the Starcade. It was two stories of the latest titles, and some classic hits. In its prime I would rank it one of the top three arcades in all of Southern California.

Wonder Eggs had their own arcade called Cyber Station. Actually they had an enormous building that hosted several attractions. It brought an industrial feel to the rustic village. This area of the park was known as the “Factory of Time.” In the canon of the park this was the place that was previously used to build war machines for the Devil Godot, but was liberated by the Goddess Elds, and turned into a portal for the future. It could be considered the Tomorrowland equivalent for the park. The Factory of Time also hosted Phantomers, which I featured on a previous blog.

One of the big draws to the Cyber Station arcade was a four-player, interconnected cabinet of Driver’s Eyes. Namco was not the first game studio to make a racing game, but they were arguably the best (not named Sega). Pole Position was Namco’s arcade sensation. A few years later they released Winning Run, and Driver’s Eyes. Their hardware was growing by leaps and bounds, and as early as 1988 they were developing polygon games. They pushed the industry to 3D, including their rivals at Sega. Driver’s Eyes was a massive three-screen arcade racing game. The one featured in the Cyber Station in 1992 was four interconnected cabinets. It also featured in game commentary, and a massive display for audiences to follow the action as if it were an actual live Formula-1 race. It was a spectacle to say the least. Not to be outdone Sega would be able to connect up to eight cabinets when Daytona USA was released in 1994.

There was an even more impressive attraction that was available for dreamers to play. Sim Road was not an arcade game as much as it was a real driving simulator. Sim Road featured a real Eunos Roadster (Mazda Miata) with a bright red body. According to a description of the attraction; “The screen that stretches across the front is made up of three 100-inch large screens connected together. Once you fire up the engine, first select one of three difficulty levels. Eunos original course where you can ride with your girlfriend in the passenger seat. It feels great!”

The things the company learned from Sim Road would be applied to a full scale version of Ridge Racer. Sim Road would eventually be replaced with the Full Scale Ridge Racer, the experience was called Naviway. Ridge Racer had a notable bump in graphics when compared to Sim Road, Driver's Eyes, or Winning Run. It featured the next generation of 3D graphics engine, and challenged the supremacy of Sega in the racing department. More than 20 years later Bandai Namco kept the tradition alive. They published a spiritual successor to Driver’s Eyes, Sim Road, and Naviway. The wraparound screen simulator called Real Drive was released in 2015.

A year after Wonder Eggs was opened they unveiled their 15th attraction. Virtual Vehicle was a unique simulator-style ride that mixed live video with a shooting game. Dreamers would get into a metal rig that looked like a clockwork pressure cooker. Once inside the riders would be “shrunk” to a microscopic scale. They would use the video screen or “electronic eyes” in front of them to control the direction of their exploration vehicle. They were tasked to hunt down cybernetic viruses called “Rusu” that were infecting the power source of the Cyber Station. The ultimate virus which was difficult to track down, and defeat was called the “Mother Bug.” The attraction actually “flew” through a physical environment with the use of a microscopic camera. Viruses would pop up on the screen. Players would chase them down in the miniature world, and shoot them with their lasers. Of all the attractions at Wonder Eggs it was the one that had the least images, or corresponding video. I guess it wasn’t a popular attraction.

Being able to fail while designing an attraction was something that the team at Namco was allowed to do. They built many things in the few years that Wonder Eggs was in operation. Many of them went relatively unchanged over eight years. If an attraction didn’t work then they were allowed to update, or fix it. The changes they implemented happened within the span of weeks, to months, rather than years. This was an issue when updating areas of the Disney parks. Disney needed to figure out the logistics of any new build or renovation so that it had the least impact on daily operations. In a few cases the team at Namco updated an attraction multiple times. This was what happened with Mirrorona.

This attraction was part mirror maze, part art installation for couples to explore. It was similar to the pop-up installations for influencers to take selfies inside of in the current era. Once people experienced it then they had no reason to return. This didn’t sit well with the team at Namco. They began looking at how they could incorporate storytelling elements into this place. How could they make a mysterious building into a place for play? We will look at this in the next entry of the blog series. I hope to see you back for that. Were there any defunct parks that you visited? Please tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Wonder Eggs, and Egg Empire research collected from: Wonder Eggs Guide Map, Namco Graffiti magazine, the book “All About Namco II", NOURS magazine, The Namco Museum, Namco Wiki, Ge-Yume Area 51 Shigeki Toyama Collection, mcSister magazine, first person attraction details from Yoshiki. Event details from Hole in the Socks

The horse jumped over the moon, the story of Namco, part 18

On a previous blog I mentioned that Wonder Eggs was inspired by the same history that Walt Disney looked at when he created Disneyland. The team at Namco studied the trade caravans, carnivals, pleasure fairs, and world’s expositions that predated amusement parks. They wanted the village of Laperot to have a timeless quality to it. To appeal to every generation. In order to do that they had to fill the park with updated versions of some classic experiences. For example fairs had live entertainment in the form of musicians, jugglers, clowns, and dancers. The Disney, and Universal parks were known for their live entertainment. Wonder Eggs had these things as well. Ancient fairs also had entertainment in the forms of sideshow attractions. I’m not talking about the tattooed man, or the bearded lady, but rather acts like mystics, and fortune tellers.

Tarot readers, and fortune tellers were a staple at classic fairs, and carnivals. These mystics were known for reading palms, letting visitors know what to expect in the future, or for the more curious who they would marry. They often traded their skills inside an ornate tent, or a caravan. For the sake of being more conscious of history remember that the term “Gypsy” was actually a slur. The correct ethnic term for many of these fortune telling traditions could be traced to the Romani people. Please try and remember this when speaking of the culture. Romani fashion, and traditions were often caricatured by many acts. The costumed characters extending back to the renaissance inspired the creation of arcade machines that dispensed wisdom, fortunes, and winning lottery numbers. These machines went back more than a century. There was even a version that played audio from 1904!

Wonder Eggs had its own unique spin on the fortune telling tradition. In this case the “servants of play” were blessed with wisdom. The Pyrallis Fortune Telling statues were their own mini attraction. Guests could insert their Wonder Ticket aka Karla Card into one of the four bronze statues. Each statue had a unique daily message. I’m certain that they were appropriate for the temperament of each Pyrallis. Not to mention that guests could only request one fortune per day. The other Pyrallis would refuse the card if it had already been used. It was not the only attraction they were in charge of. If you listened to the Pink Monorail podcast that my wife, and I hosted then you would know that carousels were among the oldest amusement rides in the world. The carousel was originally a simulator attraction for jousting. Riders would sit on a saddle mounted over a sort of half barrel on a wheel. As they went in a circle they would try to lance a ring. This tradition of going for the brass ring was carried over to latter carousels. If you grabbed the brass ring, and were able to toss it into a hoop then you would earn a free ride.

The Carrousel of Pyrallis didn’t have a brass ring, but it was nonetheless a classic attraction. Just an FYI “carrousel” was a historically accurate alternate spelling of the ride. Here was the description from the Wonder Eggs guide “A nostalgic carousel at the top of the stairs overlooking Elds Square. It has a Pyrallis (Ilinx) on its roof and is a symbol of the entire park. The night view from the carousel is also beautiful. Of course, the carousel is also lit up, and you can't help but be transported to a dream world.” My wife was happy to learn that the Carrousel of Pyrallis rotated clockwise, a tradition that started in the UK. The ones that went counter-clockwise were built later. They were more popular with the rest of Europe, and North American builders. The fortune tellers, and carrousels I’ve mentioned were carried over from ancient history, and updated for Wonder Eggs. What about popular amusement attractions from the 20th century? How did Namco incorporate those into the park?

The bumper car was invented by Theophilus Van Kannel, who also invented the revolving door. The bumper cars that we know today could be traced back about 100 years ago to the Dodgem Corp. in Lawrence, Massachusetts. According to the Coney Island History Project One of the first bumper car rides may have been the Witching Waves at Coney Island’s Luna Park. These were motionless and propelled by undulating rollers under a flexible road. USA Today compiled a brief pictorial history of the attraction. Witching Waves was an historical flat ride that was installed at several amusement parks worldwide. The first was at Luna Park on Coney Island, New York, United States, in 1907, where it was one of the most popular rides. Luna Park was synonymous with the first American amusement park, and was covered on our podcast. Namco wanted to update the concept of the bumper car, and turn it into a form of play.

Namco turned the bumper cars into a game of tag called “Future Colosseum.” The description from the Wonder Eggs guide didn’t make much sense. “Future Colosseum” is an exciting kart battle where 16 karts violently collide with each other and compete for points. That shock when you hit it with all your might without hesitation. A futuristic cart that is sure to become addictive.” Namco gave each car a unique design. The bodies had a similar aesthetic to the Laperopter designs from Shigeki Toyama. These bodies had a function, the cars lit up with different colors when they hit each other. The way the game worked was that the cars were divided between eight “Angels” and eight “Devils.” Angels added points, and Devils deducted them. If an angel hit a devil they would earn a point, and they would turn the devil into an angel as well. Alternately Devils converted angels, and deducted points. There was an electronic scoreboard on the wall that showed the points for each player. The last 30 seconds of the ride was pure chaos as it became a free for all against everyone. Future Colosseum predated the release of the original Ridge Racer arcade game by a year. I believe it inspired the developers at Namco to make the two best cars in the series an angel, and a devil.

Early amusement parks had boat rides where boats followed a closed circuit on a stream. They were originally called “old mill” rides where visitors would see scenes as they passed by. They might see pirates, monsters, native villages, or other things depending on the theme of the attraction. Variations of which inspired the creation of the “tunnel of love,” and flume “log” rides. The Möbius Creek, sometimes written Moebius Creek was a classic gondola ride around Laperot village. Here was the official description “The Möbius River flows around the entire park. A romantic excursion is the water ride “Möbius Creek.“ Enjoy the park's performances to your heart's content…” mcSister magazine added “The “Eternal Sacred River” is very popular with parents and children during the day and couples at night. The concept behind the river that flows through the park is that it is a “sacred stream that continues forever.” Ride on a round gondola and stroll through a mysterious world. Möbius Creek is very popular with couples at night.”

Not every attraction in the early parks were rides, or fortune tellers. Games of skill were possibly the biggest draw at every midway. A part of Laperot was named the Carnival Arcade. It had updated versions of the most popular Namco games featured in their play centers, and the original ones that they created for Expo ’90. There were nine carnival attractions in total including games like Hurry Up Chef, Wani Wani Panic Land, and Lucky Monkey. The prize at each was a small stuffed animal. These were easily the most family friendly games on the market. What I thought was really special were the coins required for play. Instead of paying for the games with the egg currency on the tickets, the dreamers could buy individual Carnival Coins. The coins could be used to play any one of the games. These coins were slightly larger than traditional arcade tokens. They were minted with a portrait of Laperot Village on one side, and engraved with a message in “Elds Character” on the other.

Wonder Eggs had all of the elements of a textbook fair, hometown carnival, and traditional amusement park. The introduction of Elds the Goddess of play, the Pyrallis as the servants of play, and Laperot as the village of play helped transform it into a theme park. Modern parks relied on modern technology, new attractions, new midways to pull the experience out of the past. How did Wonder Eggs find the balance for visitors? We will look at this in the next entry of the blog series. I hope to see you back for that. Were there any defunct parks that you visited? Please tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Wonder Eggs, and Egg Empire research collected from: Wonder Eggs Guide Map, Namco Graffiti magazine, the book “All About Namco II", NOURS magazine, The Namco Museum, Namco Wiki, Ge-Yume Area 51 Shigeki Toyama Collection, mcSister magazine, first person attraction details from Yoshiki. Event details from Hole in the Socks