NOVEL NEXT Chapter 100
Third Day of the Tokyo Game Show
Upon reaching the Makuhari Messe, the exhibition hall of the Tokyo Game Show, Jae-hyun gulped as he observed an incredibly long queue formed at the entrance.
It was five years ago, wasn’t it, that he first participated in the Tokyo Game Show to play *Girls’ Memorial* for the very first time. Yet, that queue was twice as long as what he remembered it was back then.
‘I’m sure the lines weren’t this long before…’
The entrance time for the Tokyo Game Show began at 10 a.m.
Considering Jae-hyun had arrived at Makuhari Messe around 8:20 a.m., it was surprising just how massive the crowd already was.
Actually, his underestimation had contributed to the situation. There were several people in the community who had advised him to arrive much earlier for the event.
But with a mindset that the crowd couldn’t possibly be *that* big, he had prepared leisurely and left in the morning—only to consider it a miscalculation now.
Given his self-inflicted dilemma, Jae-hyun had no choice but to silently join the queue without a word of complaint.
Upon joining the queue, Jae-hyun soon retrieved his Apple Pad from his bag and began drawing. He couldn’t afford to delay finishing some overdue artwork that he would have to catch up on later.
The artwork he was currently working on featured the characters announced in *Chronicle Connect: Relink*’s second PV.
Even though his current favorite game was *Reverse Arcadia*, Chronicle Connect was the dominant game in the secondary creation scene, leaving him with no other option.
After deciding which work he’d draw, character selection became straightforward.
The character he would now sketch—Serena. She was the first character introduced in the second PV and one of the mascots in the game.
Ash-black hair, silver eyes, a petite figure, and the unique ceremonial outfit of an elf—Serena was the design loved by many with a specific taste.
As Jae-hyun focused on drawing Serena’s rough drafts, time flew by—it was already 9:50.
“Entrance will begin shortly! Please remain in line!”
The long queue began to move forward with announcements from the staff at the entrance.
***
“Welcome to the Tokyo Game Show.”
Although the line started moving at 9:50, Jae-hyun didn’t enter Makuhari Messe until slightly past 11 a.m.
“Almost dead…”
Though the scorching midsummer heat had subsided by September, being in Japan still meant intense heat. The combination of time, the large crowd, and the sun was almost suffocating.
Fortunately, he managed to enter the air-conditioned exhibition hall before hitting his limit.
Regardless, Jae-hyun’s primary objective upon entering the exhibition hall was clear: the Enson GT booth.
Thankfully, unlike his previous experience of getting lost at the booth, this time he wouldn’t make that mistake. He had already learned that this year’s Enson GT booth was located right in the center of the exhibition hall.
The exhibition hall’s center featured two booths, bustling with participants, proving their prominence.
Before the queue for the booth grew even longer, Jae-hyun quickly joined. As he approached, the Enson GT booth came more clearly into view.
The booth for Enson GT was designed in the theme of *Chronicle Connect’s* Guild House concept—an aesthetic marked by wooden booth panels and an interior décor styled like wooden furniture.
At the booth’s upper section floated an airship model from *Chronicle Connect*, adding to the immersive experience.
Jae-hyun was so captivated by the booth’s design that he took out his phone and started snapping pictures. Before long, it was his turn to enter.
The moment he entered, he was greeted by booth staff dressed in maid costumes that matched the booth’s concept.
“Welcome, adventurer! Are you here to play the game?”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
For Jae-hyun, seeing a maid costume in real life was practically a first. The booth girl smiled at his reaction and led him to the Experience Zone.
“Please follow me this way.”
After being guided to where many tablets and smartphones were spread across a large space, the booth girl directed Jae-hyun to one of the tablet stations.
“Enjoy your experience.”
With that greeting lingering in the air, Jae-hyun turned his attention solely toward the tablet. Any thoughts of the booth girls were now entirely erased from his mind. He was now completely absorbed in the Enson GT experience.
With only 25 minutes allocated for the trial, there wasn’t a moment to waste.
“Finally, time to play.”
Jae-hyun swiftly donned the trial headset. The Enson GT logo appeared on the tablet screen, followed by the appearance of the character Arina—a continuation of the teaser shown in the 1st PV—but Jae-hyun quickly hit the skip button.
Although he generally enjoyed immersing himself in game stories, he understood that to truly experience the open world within the limited time, skipping was necessary.
“The full story will always be there once the game officially releases…”
Skipping through the cinematic introductions, the game began in the first-person perspective from the player’s viewpoint.
There, looking down at him with half-open eyes, was none other than Serena, the mascot character he had just been sketching moments before.
– [Oh, you’re finally awake, Master. I’m the guide sent by Arina…]
“Skip.”
As much as it pained him to skip Serena’s portion, as it featured one of his favorite characters, there was no way around it given the time constraint.
With that, the game began in earnest.
Before him stretched an expansive field, seen in third-person perspective. The player character stood atop the field, alongside the hovering Serena.
With the high degree of freedom characteristic of an open-world game, there was no immediate quest on display.
“So this is an open world…”
Coming from a Korean gamer background accustomed to linear game structures, Jae-hyun found himself momentarily perplexed. Yet, as he moved his character and began exploring the vast landscape—climbing cliffs and wandering aimlessly—he quickly came to enjoy the freedom it offered.
While wandering, Jae-hyun stumbled upon a lake. Approaching it idly, he realized different interaction buttons began appearing.
“Not only swimming, but also bait fishing and spear fishing? They actually implemented all this?”
Attempting bait fishing out of curiosity, the character began preparing.
The process of affixing bait, casting the fishing line, and preparing the reel—all these elements impressed Jae-hyun, who realized the interactions were not mere formalities but carefully crafted experiences.
Beyond fishing, he also enjoyed hunting field monsters, riding summons onto nearby islands, and reveling in the open-world freedom. Before he knew it, about ten minutes of the allocated 25 had already passed.
“This is terrifying.”
It was as if he was a child surrounded by new toys, endlessly fascinated by the countless things to explore. Time flew by without notice.
Eventually realizing he couldn’t continue like this, Jae-hyun paused his character.
With 15 minutes remaining, he needed to decide how best to use the remaining time. Should he start the main quest now to follow it through? Or should he continue freely exploring the vast open-world content as he had been?
With limited time, after some deliberation, Jae-hyun chose to let his instincts guide him. Starting the main quest this late seemed impractical, and the open-world content simply seemed more enjoyable right now.
***
“Your trial time has expired. Did you have a good experience?”
“Yes… I really did.”
At the end of the trial, Jae-hyun felt as if he had truly burned through every second of his time.
“How disappointing…”
“Please check if you’ve left anything behind and proceed to the exit.”
With unexplored content left behind, Jae-hyun exited the Experience Zone. His gaze caught the airship model suspended above the booth.
“On second thought, I could have tried riding the airship. Maybe next time…”
As he left the booth, his eyes caught sight of the Enzen booth located on the opposite side.
“Wait, wasn’t Enzen’s new release also an open world game? Maybe I should check that out too…”
Though he hadn’t originally intended to visit any booths aside from Enson GT’s, Jae-hyun was now reconsidering. If he was already at the Tokyo Game Show, it was worth experiencing another high-profile release from Enzen.
After exploring both the hotly anticipated booths, Jae-hyun returned to his hotel where he immediately opened the Chronicle Connect: Relink community gallery to pen a detailed review.
**[Nickname: JH]**
**[Title: Review) Tokyo Game Show Day 3 Recap]**
[Photos uploaded: Tokyo Game Show crowd entrance, exhibition hall, and Enson GT booth]
I originally planned on writing this at home, but I couldn’t wait—I feared all the excitement would dissipate by then.
So this is a quick recap, written right away upon returning to the hotel, and if it seems a bit scattered, I hope you’ll forgive me.
To cut to the chase, the experience was simply incredible.
Now I understand why Jihojin emphasized the open world in the PV. Interactions like fishing and gathering are crafted with such fluid motions—one can see all the effort that went into making every detail feel just right.
If you enjoy solving puzzles around the map or diving into a world’s lore, you’ll quickly realize how time flies while exploring it all.
My only regret is the limited trial time of only 25 minutes—it barely felt like long enough. After skipping the entire story and failing to even sample the main quest, time flew by in no time.
Something else that impressed me was how well integrated the original Chronicle Connect setting was. From the booth’s Guild House-themed design to the in-game Arpeggio continent, it was clear they stayed true to the original world.
I can imagine how immersive the experience will be when the full version releases and I dive deeper into the story.
With this quick and scattered review ending here, I’ll plan on writing a more detailed one when I get home.
+ I also tried out Enzen’s booth, which, while impressive, honestly comes down to personal preference. *Chronicle Connect* and *Enzen*’s titles cater to different tastes.
Enzen’s latest release was definitely of high quality, but as a devoted fan of female characters, I found playing *Chronicle Connect* far more enjoyable.
[Comments Section]
-“What kind of quality does this game really have that all these reviews are glowing praise?”
-That level of enthusiasm makes me scared, actually.
-Were both the Enson GT and Enzen booths packed?
-(Author) Crowds overflowed at both booths, making it hard to decide which one was more crowded.
-How was the monetization model?
-(Author) It’s definitely a gacha system, but I forgot to try it out during the trial 😅 Maybe check out other reviews for more details.
Reading the comments, Jae-hyun began to look forward to the official release of *Chronicle Connect: Relink*.
The game he experienced had the potential to exceed all these glowing reactions and deliver something truly remarkable.