Chapter 31: First To the Moon Experience
Days passed and the contest deadline approached. Major developers and video game companies uploaded their projects to the official platform. These included mobile and PC games, the vast majority being single-player, although some online ones also existed. Some clearly aspired to awards, but others simply joined in the fun. After all, they already had projects underway, and if they could participate in a contest, they might as well. And what if they won?
After the projects were uploaded, they underwent a preliminary review. Works with problematic content and poorly made materials were removed. Of course, this part of the process was not open to the public, but the eliminated games were still uploaded to the platform. Although it was a rule, not many were eliminated each year. After all, the requirement to participate was that the game designer be a qualified designer with some training.
This time, the contest had captured the attention of many in the industry and among players. The question was whether Alex, who had spent just over ten days developing the game for the competition, would be eliminated.
"Here it comes, here it comes! I've checked the long list and not a single game has been eliminated!"
"Damn! Does that mean the Game Department has approved Alex's game as eligible?"
"In that case, at least it's playable, right?"
"I found it, I found it! Alex's new game is called To the Moon."
"The name sounds impressive, and it even involves the universe?"
"It's very cheap! Only $3?"
"It seems to be cross-platform, with two different versions."
"What do you mean by two different versions? Not even Undertale gets that treatment!"
"I want to see what kind of game Alex has been developing these past ten days!"
As the entries were published, countless interested players found their favorite games and downloaded them to try them out. Naturally, Alex's To the Moon was the first to stand out.
The gaming section of the Twitch live streaming platform. Many streamers also began to try out the game for this expedition. This was officially promoted by Twitch. After all, the expedition was spearheaded by the video game department, so it had a certain official tone. Although Twitch wasn't found, the platform didn't hesitate to show off when it came time to suck up. They might not have found you, but those who are in the know are the ones who are.
As a Twitch streamer, Jay was also aware of this platform event. So he started his live stream early in the morning, titled: "Experiencing the Expedition Entries."
"Jay!"
"What's up, bro? Are you streaming so early today?"
"Good grief! Which monkey escaped from the zoo?"
"Jay, did you get here so early?"
As soon as Jay started his live stream, the screen was filled with a flurry of mocking comments. He chuckled.
"Ahem!"
"Alright, alright, good morning everyone. Today, we're going to play the entries from this expedition. It's a tough task!" Jay said as he adjusted the live streaming equipment and entered his account and password to log in to the official game platform.
"To start, let's play the new game from the author of Undertale."
"To be honest, I've been looking forward to it for a long time."
"Why? Isn't it from Undertale? It was great."
"But this one is called To the Moon. I heard it was created in just over ten days, and most importantly, the game department hasn't even removed it yet. Damn, I'm so curious to know what kind of game it is!"
While talking, Jay opened the official game platform and searched for To the Moon.
"Altering memories, an old man's last wish is to go to the moon. Wow, how crazy!"
"Today, as a two-meter tall man, I want to see what this game has to offer me."
The game wasn't very big, and his broadband connection downloaded it quickly. Seeing the questions flooding the live stream, Jay decisively ignored them and decided to open the game. "1.6 meters is impossible; he's always been 1.92 meters tall!"
The game installed quickly. The game icon was simple: it showed two children sitting on a wooden stake, gazing at the distant moon. Upon opening the game, the Nebula Games logo popped up. A full moon and a lighthouse appeared on the screen, the sky dotted with stars and some dark clouds slowly drifting by. The game title, To the Moon, was etched on the moon. Meanwhile, the camera slowly moved downwards.
A warm piano concert played in the background. It was as peaceful as moonlight. A lighthouse, a meadow, and a large house stood on the cliffs above the lighthouse. The camera slowly moved inside the house, where a girl played the piano, accompanied by a small boy. The background music then changed: a simple piano piece. Closing one's eyes and listening, one felt as if in a forest, with a stream flowing before them.
"Putting everything else aside, this music is beautiful!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, it's Alex's work. Without going into detail, the music is truly magnificent!"
"Yes, these two piano pieces are really beautiful."
"And Undertale, the music adds a cool touch to the soundtrack!"
"Not just Undertale, Mirror's music is great too!"
"Capture the person!"
Seeing the comments in the live stream, Jay subtly nodded. The game hasn't started yet, so I don't know if it's fun, but the music is pretty good.
While everyone was immersed in the beautiful piano music, the sudden roar of an engine was heard, followed by a crash. The game screen shook with the impact. The camera focused outside, where a black sedan had crashed into a tree. Two men and women in white coats, looking like doctors, got out.
"Where were you looking while driving, Neil?"
"Um, sorry, I was just heroically dodging that squirrel that suddenly darted out."
"...but anyway, you ran it over and crashed into the tree."
"Look, there's nothing to worry about. It's a company car."
"Are you kidding? The boss will kill us!"
"Well... let's say I rescued a puppy. He likes dogs, right?"
"He prefers cats."
"Why does the world have to be so complicated? Well, whatever he likes, crisis averted!"
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