As more and more players got their hands on Undertale, its numbers skyrocketed.
Undertale had also made its way onto recommendation lists on quite a few third-party gaming platforms.
Although Chen Xu, just like in his previous life, had little fondness for Parallel World's distribution channels,
for the time being, releasing Undertale on those platforms did more good than harm. Only an idiot turned down money.
Even if he intended to change the landscape of the gaming industry, there was one thing he could not avoid.
That was capital.
So Chen Xu chose several third-party platforms that were willing to compromise.
Although Chen Xu was a newcomer to the gaming world,
he was still different from ordinary game designers.
First, Magic Mirror had given him a solid baseline for sales; second, his public spat with Zhong Mei had brought Undertale its own traffic.
That was why some third-party channels were willing to make concessions on their revenue cuts.
That was also one of the reasons Chen Xu was willing to release it there.
And judging by the current results, Undertale's sales growth was remarkably encouraging.
While Chen Xu kept an eye on Undertale's sales,
quite a few game designers in the Indie Game Circle were similarly shaken by Undertale.
In a small group chat for indie game designers.
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Three holy shits are the only way I can describe Undertale. Before this, I thought Zhong Mei had a point—what kind of good game could Chen Xu possibly make? But now, all I can say is that it's incredible!"
"What's going on? Is it really that exaggerated? Were those ratings bought?"
"What are you thinking? How could they be bought? Maybe on third-party sites, but try buying one from the official platform."
"Exactly, quit talking nonsense. Fake ratings? Go fake one on the official platform and show me. Aren't you afraid of losing your designer title and getting blacklisted?"
"I recommend anyone who hasn't played it to give it a try. I was genuinely blown away. Unbelievable is the only word for it!"
"To be honest, my new game was originally planned for release next week, but now I'll probably have to polish it for a while longer."
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
"How do I put it? On the surface, it's just an ordinary game, but it has several different endings. The first playthrough was shocking, the second, the Pacifist Ending, was heartwarming, and the third, the genocide ending, made me cry."
"When people said Magic Mirror would change the Gentleman Game scene, I just laughed. But I think Undertale might spark a wave of this kind of game design!"
"Isn't that overstating it? You're making it sound like it founded a whole new school."
"Founding a school might be too much, but carrying it forward definitely isn't. And I believe that whenever this kind of game is mentioned in the future, Undertale will absolutely be a name no one can avoid."
Amid the discussion, someone suddenly posted an article from a public account in the group.
"Stop talking and look at Chen Xu's Official Blog!"
"Holy shit! Is this guy even human?"
"A double harvest of sales and acclaim!?"
"It's only been three days, and sales have already broken one hundred thousand? That's ridiculous!"
Everyone clicked in and saw that it was Chen Xu's Official Blog.
It was a simple post of thanks, once again related to Undertale.
'Thank you all for your support. Undertale has sold over 100,000 copies, but I believe this is not the end!'
Chen Xu did not hide these figures.
For one thing, they were not much of a secret. Third-party research firms would probably publish their estimates within days. They would certainly differ from the actual numbers, but not by much.
More importantly, it was for publicity. With word of mouth this strong, it was the perfect time to add fuel to the fire.
Revealing the numbers was clearly a good way to stir up discussion.
Once Chen Xu revealed the sales figures, it was not only the game designers who had been following Undertale who were stunned.
Major media outlets paying attention to it were equally shocked.
An obscure little game, paired with a designer who had previously made Gentleman Games and had even gotten into a war of words with another game designer.
The topic was simply too hot.
And Undertale's performance was equally explosive.
Before this, some gaming outlets had considered Undertale beneath notice, but now their faces had been thoroughly slapped swollen.
As for ordinary players who had played the game, they had only one feeling.
Undertale's ratings and achievements could only be described as well deserved.
The memorable characters in the game, especially the final ending, were simply too emotionally overwhelming.
Before playing it, no player could have imagined that a game could be made this way!
Every player felt as though they were witnessing history.
Undertale might leave behind a brilliant mark in the history of indie games.
At the same time, other media outlets rushed to follow up with reports.
"Over 100,000 Sales in Three Days! A Rating as High as 9.9!"
"An indie masterpiece that every player must experience!"
"A unique RPG that overturns players' understanding of RPGs!"
"Players: This Game Played Me!"
"An unbelievable game! Unbelievable results!"
"The first playthrough brings shock, the second brings warmth, the third brings pain, and the fourth brings reflection."
There was no doubt that Undertale had become a hit. At first, it had received praise from some media outlets and players.
Then it spread through circles of game designers, because Undertale's design was completely different from previous games.
Not only in terms of story, but also in its methods of presentation.
For example, Flowey's lines in the game felt as if he were talking to the player through the screen.
That kind of design made every game designer feel as though a skylight had been thrown open.
Strictly speaking, Undertale in Chen Xu's previous life had not been a game with especially heavy META elements.
Because aside from the beginning and ending, its middle portions were really about characters like Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and the others.
And it was precisely because of that that Undertale was more immersive than ordinary META games.
When the secret behind the ending was revealed, players would feel an intensely powerful shock.
After every ending, there was also a hidden philosophical question and a form of reflection.
That was the greatest characteristic of META games.
In terms of META elements alone, Undertale was actually inferior to games like The Stanley Parable and Pony Island.
But in Parallel World, the concept of META games had not even begun to sprout.
Undertale's META setup, combined with its story, clearly hit players countless times harder than it had in Chen Xu's previous life.
Especially after livestreaming and video platforms showed players some of Undertale's content, the fire burned even more fiercely.
Before you continue