is a multiplatform business simulation video game that turns the player into a highly respected

corporate title Corporate titles or business titles are given to corporate officers to show what duties and responsibilities they have in the organization. Such titles are used by publicly and privately held for-profit corporations, cooperatives, non-profit or ...

holder.

Gameplay

Using the management abilities provided by the game, players must turn their fledgling into a profitable super corporation. Created by

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...

, the game was geared towards Japanese business students in high school, college, and university while also attempting to appeal to casual gamers who have an interest in learning how a Japanese corporation is operated. Literacy in the Japanese language is required in addition to advanced arthimetic skills. ''Top Management'' features

abstract art Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th ...

that serves as the game's

graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture ...

. A general business meeting is always held on the beginning of April as a measure to set things like employment levels, executive salaries, and financial benefits for the employees. Meetings held every other month focus on spreading advertisement throughout Japan, improving the performance of the products, and determining how many products to manufacture for sale on the open market. The game is mostly text-based and players can choose between five major electronics companies to play as (IBN, Pujitsu, Tochiba, Charp and NEG, parodying IBM,

Fujitsu is a Japanese multinational information and communications technology equipment and services corporation, established in 1935 and headquartered in Tokyo. Fujitsu is the world's sixth-largest IT services provider by annual revenue, and the la ...

, Toshiba,

Sharp Sharp or SHARP may refer to: Acronyms * SHARP (helmet ratings) (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme), a British motorcycle helmet safety rating scheme * Self Help Addiction Recovery Program, a charitable organisation founded in 199 ...

, and NEC). Like most business games,

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

results in a game over. The NEC PC-9801 version was sold primarily as a research guide into the Japanese business world, with the ability to purchase licenses for up to 10 students and a teacher's version.

Sequel

A sequel named '' Top Management II'' was later released for the Super Famicom in addition to the Windows operating system and for the NEC PC-9801. The game was essentially the same type of gameplay except with enhanced graphics.

References

{{reflist 1990 video games Business simulation games Japan-exclusive video games Koei games Koei Tecmo franchises NEC PC-9801 games Nintendo Entertainment System games Video games developed in Japan Video games set in Japan Multiplayer and single-player video games