Digital detectives have obtained one of the most elusive video games to date. According for kotaku, the conservationists of the game Forest of Illusion obtained eSmart 2.0, a very rare training game for Nintendo DS distributed to Japanese McDonald’s employees in 2010. As a game hunter and enthusiast, Coddy Tretuit explained, the cartridge appeared in several frustrating online auctions and required an alliance of generous contributors (including Forest of Illusion) before reaching people willing to share the title with the community.
You don’t want to light eSmart 2.0 for fascinating gameplay. As you would expect, this is really a training exercise with game elements. You learn how to complete orders for counter and drive-thru customers with videos that illustrate the finer points of making Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets. It’s better than a dry training video, but you’ll want to start a game like Overcooked if you want a genuinely fun restaurant experience.
We wouldn’t count on the training game being easily available for a long time, as it wasn’t for the general public. That it is in the hands of any archivist is still remarkable. As with the unofficial releases for SimRefinery, PS2 game prototypes and similar projects, this is an attempt to preserve little-known chapters of gaming history that could easily disappear forever.
All products recommended by Ploonge are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.