Athena

Background

Athena Co. Ltd. was a Japanese game developer that was founded in July 1987 and went bankrupt and shut down on December 11, 2013.

Contents

1st Logo (Still variants) (November 24, 1989-May 27, 2004)	2nd Logo (April-December 1996)	3rd Logo (May 24, 1996-October 22, 1998)	4th Logo (November 21, 1997-August 9, 2002)	5th Logo (December 10, 1998-October 28, 1999)	6th Logo (October 7, 1999)	7th Logo (February 21, 2000)

1st Logo (Still variants) (November 24, 1989-May 27, 2004)

Visuals: On a black or white background, there is the text "Athena" in a futuristic font.

Variant: Sometimes, a logo appears on the title screen or on the end credits.

Technique: A still, sprite-based graphic.

Audio: None, or the opening/closing theme of the game.

Availability: Seen on many games of the era, including the 1990 Famicom game of Sword Master and the 1997 SGB game of Money Idol Exchanger.

2nd Logo (April-December 1996)

Visuals: Multiple black horizonal bars with a skewed image between them scroll up quickly before slowing down, this undoing the skewing on the image and revealing that it's a corkboard on a white background and with the white and blue-shadowed text "PRESENTED BY" above a pinned piece of paper with the Athena logo on it. The scrolling slows down enough that the image and bars scroll up slightly more before sinking down, stopping once the corkboard image is in view.

Variant: An early variant exists that simply has a fading in from and out to black.

Technique: Sprite and fading animation.

Audio: A brief, loud static-like noise, similar to that of turning a CRT TV on, then a five-note guitar jingle.

Audio Variant: The aforementioned variant lacks the static-like sound.

Availability: Seen on the Dezaemon titles released for the Satellaview, one example being Dezaemon BS Version - BS-X Shooting. The early variant is seen on Kaite tukutte Asoberu Dezaemon and may also be seen on emulated ROMs of the Dezaemon titles for the Satellaview.

3rd Logo (May 24, 1996-October 22, 1998)

Visuals: On a blue tile floor, a green ball with a light underneath it bounces from the left to the right three times, each bounce making part of the Athena logo rise up from the ground. The third bounce makes the ball launch high, and it promptly transforms into a green, round rabbit-like creature with long ears, blue eyes, a smiling mouth and a tan stomach, who then runs to the left of the logo. The screen then cuts to a gray background, and the Athena logo zooms in and the rabbit holds its arms up and out. The background eventually fades to white.

Variants:

On Dezaemon 2 and Crows: The Battle Action, the first part of the logo has multiple screens with the first part of the animation playing on them on top of a dark blue background. The rabbit also already has its arms in position.
On Joshikousei no Houkago... Pukunpa, the screen fades in to see the final part of the logo with the rabbit creature next to the Athena logo.
The logo used on Dezaemon 3D and the cancelled Dezaemon DD was simply Athena's logo on a white background, noticeably lacking the rabbit creature by its side.
- The logo used for Super Bowling is very similar to this variant, though the logo fades in and out.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Cartoonish bouncing and twinkling noises followed by a softer rendition of the jingle from the previous logo.

Audio Variant: The shorter variants simply have the jingle.

Availability: Seen on Dezaemon Plus and Dezaemon Kids!, among other games.

4th Logo (November 21, 1997-August 9, 2002)

Visuals: Just the Athena logo on a black background fading in and out.

Variants:

On Yakochu II: Satsujin Koro, the logo zooms out to the center to the screen.
On Taisen: Tsumeshogi, "PRESENTS" in white is seen below the logo.
On Kiwame Mahjong DX II, the URL to the company's now-defunct website in light gray is seen below the logo.

Technique: Simple fading/zooming effects.

Audio: The jingle from the 2nd logo, or an 8-bit rendition of the original jingle.

Availability: Seen on the Nintendo 64 release of Pro Mahjong Kiwame, Yakochu II: Satsujin Koro, Taisen: Tsumeshogi and Kiwame Mahjong DX II.

5th Logo (December 10, 1998-October 28, 1999)

Visuals: Over a black background, numerous triangles fly in towards the center of the screen to form the Athena logo, which then tumbles around briefly before stopping to face the camera and shining.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Synth wind noises followed by the jingle from the 2nd logo.

Availability: Seen on Pro Mahjong Kiwame Plus II and Pro Mahjong Kiwame Tengensenhen.

6th Logo (October 7, 1999)

Visuals: On a black background, a large grayscale version of the Athena logo quickly flies by from the left side of the screen. A smaller, white version of the Athena logo above the word "PRESENTS" then fades in at the center of the screen before it disappears in a pixel effect.

Technique: Sprite animation.

Audio: An 8-bit version of the Athena jingle.

Availability: Seen on the WonderSwan release of Pro Mahjong Kiwame.

7th Logo (February 21, 2000)

Visuals: On a black background, red lens flare orbits a 3D version of the Athena logo once before it stops at its middle and behind it and it rises up and quickly disappears.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Another rendition of the jingle from the 2nd logo.

Availability: Seen on Pro Mahjong Kiwame D.