Chapter 70. Seele: "Huh?"
At the same time, whether thanks to money power or drawn by the hype, roughly half of the game streamers began their suffering journey in Hollow Knight.
The game is indeed hard, and in almost every livestream you can hear the streamers' voices on the verge of breaking after being tortured by bosses.
Yet it's precisely this seemingly torturous game that has them hooked, unable to stop at all.
Higher difficulty makes players focus quickly.
When a person's attention is locked on one thing, they enter a state of not wanting to be disturbed, the brain highly excited, to the point of not even feeling the passage of time.
That state lets players notice more of the game's details and fun.
Also, this state is genuinely comfortable for players.
Many often feel they've barely started, and several hours have already slipped by without notice.
Most importantly, in terms of pacing, this game's control is excellent.
For individual execution, the demands aren't actually high.
Simple slashes, jumps, dashes, at most a few small Spells.
More than that, it's about letting players get familiar with each boss's attack patterns and rhythm.
On the first encounter with a boss, you might be sent back to your chair quickly by their fast attack frequency and unreadable moves.
But as players challenge the boss again and again, becoming gradually familiar with its offense, they discover that every move is filled with a unique sense of rhythm.
They won't deceive you the way girls can—except for Zote.
If the startup animation looks a certain way, then that's exactly how the boss's attack comes out—very straightforward.
With each challenge you can feel clear progress compared to last time.
This bit-by-bit positive feedback is completely released the moment players defeat a boss, bringing an unparalleled sense of achievement and exhilaration.
Even those rough types who dislike "memorizing patterns" will, after failing again and again, suddenly discover that they've "got it," dodge every attack, and easily defeat the boss that tormented them for half a day.
Add in the crafting of boss arenas, the catchy background music, and the outstanding environmental presentation, and it reaches the pinnacle for this type of game on the market.
Just looking at it already feels like enjoyment.
This also reduces player frustration and enhances the sense of achievement brought by victory in battle, as if you truly forged an epic of your own.
And in Hollow Knight, high difficulty = high reward.
There are never any deliberately spiteful bits.
If a path section feels difficult to pass, or a certain boss is hard to defeat, then once you overcome it, you obtain a reward corresponding to that difficulty—important abilities and Charms, for example.
When we cross one challenge after another and undergo trial after trial,
Every inch of this world's scenery unfolds before us, little by little.
The grandeur and beauty of Blue Lake.
The desolation and decline of the City of Tears.
The danger and thorns of Queen's Gardens.
The Abyss piled high with remains and unwillingness.
The Knight's footprints traverse this underground world, writing an epic that belongs only to them.
The journey is not only battle.
In Hallownest, every bug has a story of their own.
For example, Quirrel, who accompanies players all along the way.
Every time we see him, he brings a sense of safety.
His words let everyone, amid all the fighting, pause to appreciate Hallownest a little—look at the rain, listen to the wind, soak comfortably in hot springs.
Then, we watch him sit by Blue Lake and speak to us.
"I have forgotten all the tragedies; all I see are miracles."
In that moment, the shock it brings is unparalleled.
It's also because of this that, after he lies in long rest, that Nail left by Blue Lake becomes the players' lasting regret.
In Hallownest, almost everyone has a chance to be saved, yet Quirrel alone leaves players feeling so powerless.
"IGN score 9.6: Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania with rich content to explore and caverns.
The world it depicts is rich and eye-catching, full of stories waiting to be unearthed."
"Bonfire score 9.4: Exploration full of secrets and fun, plus that hearty, exhilarating combat—those dozens of hours spent on this game feel completely worth it."
"Anti-Entropy Titan Game Nation score 9.9: ..."
"Schicksal National Geographic Center score 9.1: ..."
"Divine City Starry Sky score 9.5: ..."
The successive high scores from major review sites added another layer of heat for Hollow Knight.
Soon, the first-week sales were released.
"Congratulations to Hollow Knight for surpassing 3,000,000 copies sold in the first week!"
With a notice on Gensokyo's official blog, all the players who love this game cheered, and those companies that had wanted to step on it shut their mouths tight.
What a weird thing—can't play it at all?
I'm out, I'm out.
"Heh-heh, three million, heh-heh..."
In the living room, Xander and Seele were squeezed together, both frowning as they looked at Bronya, who was still giggling nonstop on the other side.
Freshly back from going out, Xander leaned close to Seele's soft shoulder and asked her in a low voice, "How long has Bronya been like this?"
"Ever since the specific sales data came out at ten in the morning, Bronya has been like this the whole time.
No matter how I called her, she wouldn't wake up."
Seele glanced at Bronya with worry, then turned to her brother and spoke a little helplessly.
"..."
It's almost twelve already.
Could Bronya have gone silly?
Out of worry for his future wife, Xander let go of Seele, went to Bronya's side, and gently pushed her shoulder.
"Hey, wake up.
Hurry and wake up, Bronya."
"Heh-heh, heh-heh..."
Seeing her still giggling blankly with no reaction, Xander prepared some harsher medicine.
"I'm about to marry Seele and plan to have you be the bridesmaid."
"Heh-heh... Eh?"
"Eh?"
Not to mention Seele blushing—this line finally plucked at Bronya's heartstrings, and the mist over her eyes gradually cleared.
She looked at Xander somewhat blankly.
"What did you say?"
"No, I didn't say anything.
As for you, what have you been giggling about all morning?"
Hearing this, Bronya's confusion instantly turned to delight.
Under Seele's suddenly wide-eyed gaze, she directly hugged Xander.
"Xander, Xander, our game sold over three million copies in a week.
That's so great!!!!"
"Mm-mm-mm, I know, I know."
Though he couldn't feel it firsthand, Xander could more or less imagine Bronya's mood now.
A childhood dream realized after going through so many difficulties—Bronya really should be excited.
"I'm so happy.
I'm really, really happy."
Beaming, her cheeks flushed red from excitement.
Seeing Xander's gentle gaze and smile fixed on her, Bronya couldn't stand it anymore.
Right in front of Seele, she leaned in and kissed him.
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