C31: "To the Moon" First Experience

Days passed by, and the deadline for the game department Sci-fi theme competition was approaching.

Game developers, both major producers small teams, and independent companies albeit indie developers, were busy uploading their gameplay, screenshots, and various snippets of their creations to the official game platform in addition to their own and company social blogs.

There were mobile and PC games, most of which were stand-alone, although some online games also made an appearance.

Some participants were competing for the prize, while others were just joining for the fun of it. After all, if there's an opportunity to participate in a competition, why not take a chance? What if you win an award? The Competition itself is a Marketing stage for all game developers.

Once all the submissions were in, the initial review process began. This phase wasn't open to the public, and it focused on eliminating questionable or low-quality content.

However, even the games that were rejected could still be launched on the game platform, a rule meant to encourage broader participation. In reality, though, very few entries ever got eliminated because every participant was already a qualified game designer.

This year, the attention of many in the gaming industry, as well as players, was focused on one individual: Chen Xu. Having spent over a month developing a game for the competition, many were wondering whether his entry would even survive the initial review.

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"Check it out! Not a single game has been eliminated!" Doge noted

"So, the game department accepted Chen Xu's submission? It passed?" Milky Way questioned in a knowing tone

Chu Dong mocked, "Does that mean it's at least a playable game?"

"I found it! The new game from Chen Xu is called 'To the Moon'!" Doge mentioned

"From the title, it looks like it's set in space or involves the universe, right?" Doge Continued

Cat Empire posted in bold font. "It's cheap too! Only 15 bucks?

( ノ ^o^)ノ"

"It seems like there are two different versions of it, though. What's that about? (=｀.´ =)"

"Undertale didn't even get this treatment!" Jiang ping messaged

"I need to see what kind of game Chen Xu managed to develop in just over a month!"

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With the games released for the Sci-fi competition. Countless eager players, Jiang Ping included, rushed to add these games to their favourites list.

Naturally, "To the Moon," the game Chen Xu had developed, was at the top of many lists.

The Shark TV live-streaming platform's gaming area is similar to many other streamers who also started testing the entries for this expedition competition.

This was Shark TV's way of promoting the event, given that the competition was officially led by the game department under the Ministry of Culture. Although Shark TV wasn't directly involved, the platform was eager to support the event, sensing the official vibe and the traffic surrounding it.

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Dong Zhen, a streamer who is part of Shark TV, was quick to pick up on this. Early in the morning, he started his live stream titled: "Experience Tour: Competition Entries for Sci-fi games."

"Mornin', everyone!" Dong Zhen added some greetings to the side chat

"What's going on, man? Streaming this early?" Fan no 1 replied

"Who let this guy out of the zoo?" Fan no 2 added

"Why's Xiao Dong starting so early today?" Dad no 1 questioned

As soon as Dong Zhen tuned into his stream, he could see the barrage of playful comments on the screen. Laughing, Dong Zhen greeted his viewers.

"Ahem, alright, good morning, everyone. Today, we're diving into the expedition competition games. There's a lot to cover. Let's get started!"

While adjusting his equipment and checking his mike, Dong Zhen entered his account details and logged into the official game platform.

"For our first game, let's check out the new work by the creator of 'Undertale.'"

"Honestly, I've been looking forward to this."

"Why? Because 'Undertale' was a good game. You can't help but have high expectations."

"This new one's called 'To the Moon.' Word has it that it was made within a month, and it wasn't eliminated in the review process. I'm curious to see what kind of game this is!"

As he spoke, Dong Zhen searched for "To the Moon" on the platform.

He started with reading the game summary, which was a little cryptic~

"Altering memories? An old man's last wish is to go to the moon. Well, this is gonna be interesting!"

"Today, I'm also a grown man, not an old man, but I'm ready to uncover the mystery of this game (╯°Д°）╯︵/(.□ . \) ."

As soon as he said this on the stream, a series of emojis, 666, and memes appeared on his side screen, which passed as soon as it came.

The game wasn't large, and it downloaded quickly on his fast connection. As comments filled the screen with questions and a couple of flip tables

ʕノ•ᴥ•ʔノ ︵ ┻━┻ , Dong Zhen ignored them, focusing on launching the game.

The icon for "To the Moon" was simple: two children sitting on a log, gazing at the distant moon.

The game opened with the same Neon Game Company's logo flashing by, followed by a serene scene of a full moon, a lighthouse, and stars twinkling across the night sky as a few clouds drifted by. The title "To the Moon" appeared, engraved on the moon itself.

At the same time, the camera slowly panned downward, accompanied by a peaceful piano concerto. The setting was quiet, and tranquil, under the moonlit night.

A lighthouse stood on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by meadows and a large mansion nearby. The camera shifted focus to the mansion, revealing a girl playing a piano with a young boy beside her. The background music changed to a simple, soothing piano tune, evoking images of a forest with a flowing stream.

"Not gonna lie, the music is fantastic," commented Fan no 1.

"Yeah, Chen Xu's games always deliver on the music front!" another user added.

"Remember the soundtrack in 'Undertale'? It was a huge part of why that game worked so well."

"Upstairs it was the game plot and META element that worked well" Cat Empire added.

"'Magic Mirror' had a great score too!" Leech commented

Reading these comments, Dong Zhen nodded in agreement. The game hadn't even fully begun, but the music was already captivating.

Just as everyone was getting lost in the tranquil piano melody, the sound of a car engine roared, followed by a crash. The screen shook in response.

The scene cut to outside the mansion, showing a black car that had crashed into a tree. Two figures, a man and a woman in white coats like doctors, stepped out of the vehicle.

"Where were you looking when you were driving, Neil?" the woman asked questionably.

"Sorry, I was focused on dodging that squirrel which jumped out of nowhere," the man replied.

"…but you still ran over it and crashed into a tree." the woman questioned again.

"Relax, it's a company car, no big deal. They will give us a new one."

"Are you serious? The boss is going to kill us. Remember, I am not going to take a pay cut for this!"

"Let's say, We saved a puppy which was about to be killed by our car, and he'll go easy on us. He likes dogs, right?"

"He prefers cats!"

"Why is life so complicated? Whatever! Anyway, problem solved!"