Beyond the video game, "Hong Kong 97" was a major focus of global journalism as the UK prepared to return the territory to China:
Magazines often adopted a tone of cautious optimism, focusing on Hong Kong's resilience and its ability to reinvent itself—a theme that has continued to dominate the city's narrative ever since. Conclusion: A Living Archive hong kong 97 magazine work
Frustrated by the highly corporate, sanitized, and restrictive nature of mainstream video game companies like Nintendo and Sega, Kurosawa wanted to build something intentionally offensive, cheap, and artistically bankrupted. During a trip to the computer malls of Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong, he discovered the "Magiccom"—unlicensed hardware add-ons that allowed consumers to copy retail Super Famicom cartridges directly onto standard floppy disks. Beyond the video game, "Hong Kong 97" was