We Need More Events Like Bandai's Bonus Level

Last weekend, Bandai Namco Entertainment treated Filipinos visiting Glorietta's Activity Center to an event that let them try some of their biggest lineups and earn chances to grab freebies, take photos, and meet local cosplayers and content creators. We simply need more like it.

There was a time when brands like Bandai Namco made an effort to showcase their titles and products like in major conventions or other events, but in recent years it has become a rare sight. If you look hard enough, though, the effort is still there as it feels like most of them have realized doing their own thing is more effective, and last weekend gave us a simple but effective concept for exposing a wide variety of titles to the public.

A Weekend Pop-up

When I visited the event on a Friday, I realized one thing: this isn't for me. It's for the players who don't keep tabs on the latest games, or on what their favorite studio is working on next. It's not for the over-informed. Bonus Level felt more like a launch point for games that might catch your attention.

The event featured playable demos for Echoes of Aincrad, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, Hello Kitty Party Land, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3, Tekken 8, and the upcoming Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. There were also booths for other upcoming titles like The Blood of Dawnwalker, One Piece: Grand Gourmet, Gundam Rogue Orbit, Taiko no Tatsujin, and Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Revelation, though none of these had playable demos, just spots to grab some freebies, with a trailer playing on the side.

Maybe you're a Sword Art Online fan who didn't realize Echoes of Aincrad was set in the same world. Maybe you're a parent who felt Hello Kitty Party Land was perfect for a child going through their Hello Kitty phase. You might not be a gamer at all and were just hanging out with friends when you saw Tekken 8 was free to play, good for a short burst of fun together. Content creators like KingFB and cosplayers Myrtle Sarrosa and Katiecakey also showed up at set times for quick meet and greets with their fans, which is genius as they have their own pocket communities that are obviously showing up to meet them in person, but will likely stick a bit longer to check out what games are featured.

It's all about the experience, brief or memorable, because the brand and the games are now attached to it, and it was completely free.

Getting People Curious Is Enough

As I checked out the event, I kept noticing how little detail there was about the games, with no playable demos for several of them, which struck me as odd at first. But thinking it through, events like Bonus Level don't need to hard-sell you a game. Being curious enough to wonder what it's all about should be enough in a world where almost everyone has a smartphone that can look up the answers on the spot.

The Blood of Dawnwalker drove this home. Its booth activity required visitors to recreate a key visual from the game, found at a mirror altar inside the closed booth, with hooded cosplayers guiding them through it. There was barely any information about the title itself; it was all about guiding people through the activity to earn their freebie.

While checking out the setup, I came across an elderly group who stopped, thought it looked interesting, and started taking photos by the entrance of the structure. They had no idea it was tied to a video game. They just thought it looked cool and wanted a photo. Moments like that felt powerful, and it's what stuck with me most from the weekend. At first glance the concept seemed strange, but among everyone who took part, a handful will likely search up The Blood of Dawnwalker out of curiosity, or discovered something new, like Bandai Namco working on a new Gundam game. And that curiosity beats any forced pitch.

In today's world, that's all you need, really as the hard part is getting people at the door. People aren't dropping by to learn more about the games; they're there to earn some free stuff, and chances are they've already seen the latest trailers and updates online.

It's small but effective, and it's something Bandai Namco has been running across Southeast Asia. Bonus Level isn't exclusive to the Philippines as similar events was recently ran in Indonesia, Singapore, Bangkok, and Jakarta. It's a tour that works well with minimal effort for both parties and I do hope we see more of it in the future as video games is pretty big in the Philippines, despite recent decisions making it more expensive.

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About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.