Tokimeki Memorial

Tokimeki Memorial is the first in the long-running series of dating sims by Konami which started life on the PC Engine. Released in 1994, it boosted the popularity of the dating sim genre in Japan immensely.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Overview

Tokimeki Memorial ("Heartbeat Memorial") is considered in some circles as the first modern Japanese Dating Simulation game. The game was first released for the PC Engine CD-ROM (TurboGrafx-16) by Konami in 1994 in Japan, and went on to have versions on various other systems; Super Famicom, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC.

The PlayStation, PC and Sega Saturn versions of the game were named Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You, and featured a graphical upgrade and various new additions. Conversely, the Super Famicom version Tokimeki Memorial: Densetsu no Ki no Shita de ("Tokimeki Memorial: Underneath the Tree of Legend") had to drop the graphical quality and remove the CD music due to the limitations of the 16-bit cart technology, but instead included an audio CD with a radio drama adaptation of the game as well as a new remix of the theme song.

Legacy

The game and series of games that have followed afterward are wildly popular in Japan and have gone on to be a lucrative property for Konami. The company has gone on to release music and radio drama CDs and other related merchandise related to the game too

Tokimeki Memorial had a major impact on the Japanese video game industry, which incorporated dating sim elements in many subsequent games ranging from visual novels to role-playing games. The games have also attracted more female audiences to the dating sim genre through the Girls Side otome game spin-offs. Beyond video games, the Tokimeki Memorial series has also had an impact on the anime industry, where the concept of "moe" would slowly gain considerable popularity over the next decade as well as visual novel adaptations.