Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Three Oclock sharp, the Game Departments website and official social media accounts simultaneously uploaded their announcements regarding the latest developments of the contest.

To the Moon, First Place, Congratulations

Galactic Heroes, Second Place, Congratulations

And so on.

Chen Xu also received a phone call from the Games Department, offering their congratulations and inviting him to the awards ceremony.

Soon the homepage of the Games Department was updated with a huge banner, with artwork depicting the victory, as well as a tribute to the game.

Imagine laying there on your deathbed, pondering the joys of your life, and your regrets, especially the regrets.

You always tell yourself that if you could go back in time you would do this differently, achieve that finally, change this definitely, but something always stops you from fulfilling your dreams: could be family, commitments, work, or friendships.

And now that you are about to leave this world, there is no time left. What if, upon your deathbed, you could change your memories, and make it so that your dreams really did come true?

This is just the tip of the iceberg of To the Moon. It is not a big budget title. It does not have exquisite graphics or complex gameplay loops. But I must say, that just like Chen Xus last game, Undertale, that To the Moon is a lesson and a reminder to all designers who value narrative and storytelling that the bar can be raised, and raised very, very high.

To give a full review of this game, it will be difficult to avoid spoilers, so all we can say is that if you are a gamer who cares about the story in a game, this one is a must-play.

Perhaps this take may change with time, perhaps something better will come along in the future to shake up our perspectives, but at least for now, for what it is and what it seeks to be, this is an absolutely brilliant experience. N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

The dialogue is immersive and gut-wrenching, with a touch of humor sprinkled in alongside the witty banter of Dr Neil and Dr Eva, breaking up the often dark storyline.

The story touches the soul, depicting the twists and turns of Johnny and his wife, River. Sometimes happy, sometimes absolutely soul-crushing, a perfect blend of bittersweet goodness.

The music is absolutely beautiful, making use of piano melodies and having each track taking center stage during the different thematic moments. Something you would expect from the best feature films.

To the Moon is about life: the people, places, hardships and joys that make life worth living.

The first impressions of the game was a hodgepodge of strange decisions made by the designer, but ended up crystalizing into something truly magnificent.

There is no doubt that this is one for the books.

<cite> Head Judge of the official Science Fiction Game Design Competition</cite>

It can be said that this article of appreciation issued by the Games Department to the game To the Moon implies a very high rating and fully confirmed its status.

Chen Xu began counting off his fingers.

Mirror, Undertale, To the Moon, these were all small games. They didnt cost much to make at all. But in terms of sales? In terms of branding? They were absolutely successful.

He looked up, eyes scanning the faces of his expanded team.

However, the earnings weve collected from these three are still not enough to fund the creation of a true triple A title. But thats okay, because larger and more challenging games are still within reach.

At those words, the faces of those gathered grew tense, their eyes sparkling with anticipation. It was as if they were on the precipice of some life-changing event.

And it was no wonder, too. Because most people in the gaming industry have the longing to at least try their hand at a large project, something with the potential to cause great impact on the landscape.

For those with passion, it would be an important personal goal. For those who are career focused, it would look amazing on their resume.

Chen Xu did not share more on the details of his next planned project, instead telling his team to focus on the tasks at hand for now. They would be given the details as soon as the time was right.

After that, he returned to his office, leaning back into his chair as he began browsing the interface of his status screen.

He couldnt hold back a smile as he admired the points earned from To the Moon, it was a significant amount.

His current emo points were at 4.5 million, allowing him to draw 45 times from the magic gacha, if he wanted to.

And boy did he want to. But not yet though, he would be patient and stock up a little longer.

He has not decided on his next project, and even if he did, development could only begin after the national day vacation.

With the hype surrounding the contest, and the official website promoting his game, he knows that many players will soon flock in to make their purchase.

And in Chen Xus eyes, those players were walking sacks of money and emo points, ready to be harvested.

From a metaphysical point of view, if you draw ten times ten in a row, youre more likely to get the good shit. Allegedly.

So hopefully things will turn out better than before, where 21 draws didnt even grant him a single rare skill book.

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