TELENET MUSIC-BOX

Released by Nihon Telenet in 1989, Telenet Music Box is a music software for the PC-8801 that allows users to fully enjoy a variety of hit tracks from the company’s popular games. At the time, Telenet was widely beloved for its high-quality BGM that pushed the limits of the FM sound chip, and this package served as a groundbreaking product that let fans listen to those scores without needing to boot up the games themselves. Available for an accessible price of 2,980 yen, it was a pioneering effort that treated game soundtracks as independent pieces of art. This exhibit captures both the excitement of the late 1980s, when game music was transitioning from a mere "extra" into its own legitimate genre, and the exquisite acoustic landscape produced by the PCs of the era.

As a dedicated music listening tool, this software contains a compilation of background music from past titles released by Nihon Telenet and does not feature its own narrative. Players can navigate a menu to select their favorite tracks and freely enjoy the diverse game music rendered through the PC-8801's FM sound chip. By bringing together the many iconic melodies that defined the company's popular titles, it stands as a monumental collector's item for fans of the era.