Chapter 28: "To the Moon"
"But it seems the event is just over half a month away! Will we make it in time?" Lisa expressed her doubts.
Although the registration deadline was in early September, the announcement had already been released six months prior. This meant that the game developers and producers participating in this travel contest had already been developing their games for two or three months.
"Yes, and for a sci-fi game, we're probably very short-staffed right now, aren't we?" Jane interjected.
After developing Mirror and Undertale, Jane was no longer as clueless as she once was. While a sci-fi game wouldn't be a huge production, with only three developers in the company and such a tight deadline, wouldn't it be enough?
"A little over half a month is plenty of time. This game is even simpler than Undertale," Alex said with a smile.
"A game even simpler than Undertale?!" Lisa and Jane looked at Alex in astonishment.
Is Undertale good? Of course it is. But is it big? Not at all. But now, according to Alex, this new game is even smaller than Undertale? So, what kind of game is it?
"If it's smaller than Undertale, how can it possibly win an award at an event?" Lisa expressed her doubt.
Jane remained silent, looking at Alex, awaiting his explanation.
"Participation is what matters, and winning an award or not has nothing to do with the game's size. What really matters is whether you can impress the players and judges," Alex said with a smile.
Lisa was speechless upon hearing Alex's words.
"So, the new game is similar to Undertale, but not a metagame?" Lisa asked Alex, speculating.
With only two weeks of development and only three people on the team, the genre was quite predictable. With so little time, developing a game, even based on indie standards, would probably be something like Undertale.
"More or less the same," Alex smiled and nodded.
In reality, there were many possible directions to consider when it came to new game ideas. However, considering the current development and the corresponding points, Alex came up with an idea upon witnessing this event. Looking at the curious Jane and Lisa, Alex smiled as he gave a brief explanation.
"In the future, there is a company that uses special machines to access people's memories and alter them."
"However, this artificial memory is not temporary, but permanent. This means that when the person wakes up, it will conflict with their real memories, causing confusion."
"Therefore, this technology can only be used on the dying. It allows those who regret something in their life and wish to fulfill their desires by altering memories to create a new life and memories, allowing them to die without regrets."
The game's story begins with two employees of the company that provides this service, Dr. Eva and Dr. Neil, who help the dying Johnny fulfill his lifelong dream: to go to the Moon.
The game Alex decided to create was called To the Moon. Although it sounds like science fiction, it is actually a narrative game about a couple. It's a very small game. Previously, it was created with a game engine tool called RPG Maker. Additionally, the game lacks combat. Its gameplay is based on plot dialogues and puzzles.
However, such a simple game has moved countless players, a game that can truly make one cry. To the Moon has also garnered numerous accolades. In 2011, it won Best Story at GameSpot's Game of the Year awards, beating out major titles like Catherine and Portal 2.
It also received numerous awards that year, including Metacritic's Best Game and WIRED's Best Game. It was also successfully nominated for Steam's "I didn't cry, I just got something in my eye" award in 2017. Its producer, Kan Gao, even appeared on CCVT's "World Hear Me."
Alex chose this game partly for its sci-fi elements, which made it a perfect opportunity to participate in this event. Secondly, he wanted to capture players' emotions with this game. After all, relying solely on Undertale and Mirror would be a little insufficient. As for the awards, Alex can only say it's a matter of luck. After all, it's an exaggeration to classify To the Moon as a sci-fi title.
Alex's decision to choose this game was due to its small size and its unique ability to cure countless players. Of course, before this, Alex had also considered less-than-ideal games like Jump King and Dig for the Rise. But after some thought, he decided against it.
While these games were impressive in their ability to exploit players' emotional points, the key was the system's criterion: players had to spend money to rank. If you don't have money, choosing these games is basically a gamble. Winning is like a hotel health check-up, losing is a task at the dock. Of course, that's if you don't have money. With a little marketing and guidance, these games can become phenomenal successes.
After all, the live streaming industry is very developed in this parallel world. These games are standard live streaming games.
But even if they are popular, if there aren't many players, Alex won't be able to harvest emotional points. Furthermore, these games are a bit of a scam, and for Alex, currently, a good reputation is crucial.
So, after some thought, he discarded them and chose To the Moon. It not only builds reputation, but also captivates players' emotions, which could be said to kill two birds with one stone!
After briefly explaining the game to Jane and Lisa, Alex returned to his office to write the design concept draft for To the Moon. Of course, it's called a design concept draft, but in reality, it's the main plot. For this, Alex used a [Memory Capsule] to explore the deepest memories in his mind.
To the Moon also includes several classic piano pieces, and Alex also composed the score. With the reference, and with his current musical ability, there's no major problem.
The rest are some improvements to enhance the gameplay experience and visual performance. After all, the original To the Moon is a pixel game created by an RPG developer, and its visual performance and clumsy handling are its biggest flaws. And the parallel world's technology, half a month, is enough for To the Moon's development.
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