Blind Japanese boy sends Nintendo heartwarming thank you letter, gets amazing response

Nintendo shows how much they care about all of their fans.

We’ve seen time and again how Nintendo has gone out of their way to help their fans. From sending new DS systems after they broke, to “Uncle Miyamoto” replacing broken NES cartridges, there are plenty of stories of Nintendo’s goodness.

But one recent story has popped up online and touched our hearts in a different way. Japanese Twitter user @kentarock1020 recently posted the letter his son (who is blind) sent to Nintendo.

His son didn’t ask for any replacements or anything. Instead, he just had a simple, beautiful message.

▼ Here’s the original tweet made by his father.
(Translation below)

My son Hibiki is blind and has perfectly cleared every game in the Rhythm Tengoku series, the only games he can play. He sent Nintendo a letter and they actually responded! Them sending such a sincere correspondence to just one person is truly divine customer service. Nintendo, we’re anxiously awaiting the next installment in the series!

For those unfamiliar with the Rhythm Tengoku series, here’s a video showing off some gameplay from Minna no Rhythm Tengoku (Rhythm Heaven Fever) on the Wii:

▼ You have to do a bunch of rhythm-based mini games such as putting candy
in boxes/swatting bugs, making lobsters dance, and spinning pigs. It’s amazing.

Hibiki was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in both eyes at the age of one and a half. As a result of the surgeries to save his life, he has been completely blind since age two.

But that didn’t stop him from pursuing one of his passions: video games. Since Hibiki cannot see, the number of games he can play is limited, but the Rhythm Tengoku series does not require eyesight, and he wanted to tell its makers just that.

▼ Hibiki’s letter to Nintendo, complete with cute stationery.
(Translation below)

Dear Nintendo,

Hello. My name is Hibiki Sakai and I am in fifth grade. I am blind, but I’ve always wanted to play video games like everyone else. But there aren’t many games I can play at all. The one game I can really play is Rhythm Tengoku. It’s the only game I can enjoy together with others, and I never lose at it. I’ve gotten perfect scores on all the versions on the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii, and 3DS too.

So I really, really want you to make more Rhythm Tengoku games. And it’s perfectly fine if you make them a little harder too!

I think that there are a lot of other kids with visual impairments who want to play video games but can’t. So I’d love for you to develop more games for people with handicaps to enjoy playing with others.

I will always support you, Nintendo.

From Hibiki Sakai

I don’t know about you, but after reading that, I could feel my heart melting. As someone whose childhood was defined by video games, for Hibiki to want to have that same experience but not being able to, is heartbreaking. But the fact that he was able to find games that he could play, love, and completely master is inspiring.

Nintendo must have felt the same way as well, since eight days later a reply from them came in the mail:

▼ And it was written in braille, so Hibiki could read it himself!
If that doesn’t make you smile, nothing will.

▼ They also sent a printed version for the parents.
(Translation below)

Thank you so much for sending us here at Nintendo your heartwarming letter.

We are so happy to hear that you’ve perfected and enjoyed Rhythm Tengoku, Rhythm Tengoku Gold, Minna no Rhythm Tengoku, and Rhythm Tengoku The Best.

We have passed on your letter to Nintendo’s development department. We want to keep making games that everyone can have fun playing, so thank you for your support.

Just like Hibiki’s father said in the tweet, for Nintendo to take the time to read and send a personalized reply to a single fan’s letter shows how much they value their fans. He hopes that his son’s letter might change the mind of Nintendo to release a game that they weren’t planning on before.

And while waiting for new releases, Hibiki is keeping busy. He’s talented not only at music games, but at playing the drums too. You can see a video of him showing his impressive skills here:

▼ Since hearing about his story,
Hibiki has been invited to play the drums at big events in Osaka.

Hibiki’s father has said that his son undergoing surgery was nothing but “days full of pain and tears,” but seeing Hibiki persevere has taught him that “it’s not having a disability that causes sorrow… but letting the disability hold you back that causes it.”

Here’s to hoping for plenty more Rhythm Tengoku releases to come, and maybe even a few surprises in the future, for Hibiki and others out there like him who just want to have fun and play some video games.

Source: Yahoo! News Japan via My Game News Flash, NetLab
Top image: Twitter/@kentarock1020



Credit:
at 16:40

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