2000 · Wave Master · Life simulation · Simulation

Roommania 203

Timed Sega exclusive

Roommania #203 is a simulation game first released for Dreamcast in 2000 and later released on PlayStation 2 in 2002. It follows the life of Neji Taihei, a student living out a mediocre existence in Japan. The game is described as an 'intervention' simulator, where the player takes the role of God whose task is to make Neji's life more meaningful. The game's writer and composer Tomoko Sasaki cited an obsession with internet webcams as her inspiration for the game's story and mechanics. A sequel was released for the PS2 in 2003, New Roommania Porori Seishun.

Released: 2000
Platforms: Dreamcast PlayStation 2
Genres: Life simulation Simulation
Developers: Wave Master
Publishers: Sega
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Comedy Drama
Country: Japan
Languages: Japanese

About

Roommania #203 is a life simulation game developed by Wave Master and published by Sega, initially for the Dreamcast in 2000 and for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. The player assumes the role of an omniscient being who observes and influences the life of Neji Taihei, a man whose apartment you occupy. A sequel, New Roommania: Porori Seishun, was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Story

The player assumes the role of an omniscient god-like being that resides in the apartment of an average young Japanese man named Neji Taihei, and whose actions transform Neji's mundane existence into a dramatic and tumultuous one.

Gameplay alternates between two modes, depending on whether Neji is present in the apartment. At times when Neji occupies the apartment, the player can draw his attention to specific objects by throwing polygonal balls at them. When he has left, the player can freely roam the apartment from a first-person perspective, where they can perform actions such as reading Neji's journal or rearranging objects.

Development

The original concept and music for Roommania #203 were created by Tomoko Sasaki of Wave Master, a studio within Sega. Wave Master originated as Sega's music production group, but contained a subcommittee that fielded proposals for games that it could potentially develop. Sasaki suggested a game in which a Wave Master employee is closely followed for a single day, which formed the initial concept of a game that occurred entirely within a single room. She based Roommania #203 on her interest in Y2K-era webcamming culture, such as idols who publicly streamed themselves and websites showing fixed-point cameras from around the world.

Serani Poji, a fictional musical group within the game, was jointly developed by Sasaki, producer Yukihiro Fukutomi, and singer Yukichi. The group is heavily influenced by the Shibuya-kei music genre, and would go on to release several records as a legitimate musical group.

Reception

Roommania #203 was positively reviewed by the Japanese video game press upon its initial release. Colin Williamson of IGN said that he was "pretty baffled" by Roommania #203, comparing its surreal gameplay to the 1999 video game Seaman.

In 2017, FuRyu announced that it was developing a video game titled Project One Room for PlayStation 4 as a spiritual successor to Roommania #203, to be published by Sega with Sasaki returning as the game's composer. The game was cancelled in 2021.