"To the Moon" First Experience

Days passed, and the deadline for the Conquest Game Competition drew near.

Major game developers and companies alike uploaded their entries to the Official Game Platform.

Among them were mobile games and PC games, the vast majority being single-player titles, though a few online games also appeared.

Clearly, some were aiming for awards, while others were just there to join the fun.

After all, if they already had a project that fit the criteria, they might as well enter it.

Who knew—maybe they'd win an award?

Once these works were uploaded, the next step was a preliminary review.

Games with problematic content or shoddy craftsmanship were weeded out.

Of course, this part of the process was not open to the public, but the eliminated games would still be released on the platform.

Such was the rule, yet every year, not many were actually removed.

After all, the entry requirement was being a qualified game designer.

They had at least some foundation.

This time, however, the industry and players alike were paying close attention.

The question was whether Chen Xu's game—developed in just over ten days—had been eliminated.

'Here it comes, here it comes. I skimmed the big list—not a single game got cut!'

'Damn, so the Game Department acknowledges Chen Xu's game is qualified to compete?'

'That means at least it's playable, right?'

'Found it, found it! Chen Xu's new game is called "To the Moon"'

'From the name, it looks legit—does it involve space?'

'The price is cheap! Only 15 bucks?'

'Looks like it's dual-platform, two different versions.'

'What do you mean two different versions? Even "Undertale" didn't get that treatment!'

'I gotta see what kind of crap Chen Xu cooked up in just over ten days!'

As the entries were released, countless interested players scrambled to find their favorite games and download them for a try.

Among them, Chen Xu's "To the Moon" naturally took the spotlight.

In the game section of Shark TV's streaming platform.

Many streamers had also started testing the games from this competition.

This was part of Shark TV's official promotional push, since the Conquest Game Competition was spearheaded by the Game Department and carried a certain official flavor—even though Shark TV hadn't been approached.

But when it came to sucking up, the platform never held back its tongue.

Whether they were asked or not, those with awareness took the initiative.

As a Shark TV streamer, Dong Zhen knew about this platform event.

So bright and early, he started his stream, titling his room: "Experience the Conquest Game Competition Entries."

'Good morning!'

'What's up, little bro? Streaming this early today?'

'Damn, which zoo let this monkey out?'

'Little Dong's here already?'

As soon as Dong Zhen went live, the screen flooded with all kinds of teasing comments.

Seeing them, Dong Zhen let out a chuckle.

"Cough cough!!!"

"Alright, alright, good morning, everyone. Today, we're diving into the entries from this competition—heavy workload ahead!"

While adjusting his streaming equipment, Dong Zhen typed in his account and password to log into the Official Game Platform.

"For the first game, let's start with the new one from the creator of 'Undertale.'"

"Honestly, I've been looking forward to it for a while."

"Why? Well, that's gotta go back to 'Undertale,' right? That game was really well made."

"But this one, 'To the Moon,' I heard it was made in just over ten days, and it didn't get cut by the Game Department. Damn, I'm really curious what kind of game this is!"

As he spoke, Dong Zhen opened the Official Game Platform and searched for "To the Moon."

"Altering memories, an old man's dying wish to go to the moon—damn, that's wild!"

"Today, I, a proper seven-foot man, am gonna see what this game's all about."

The game wasn't very large, and his broadband connection finished the download quickly.

Watching the barrage of question marks flooding the livestream, Dong Zhen decisively ignored them and chose to open the game.

One meter six? No way—he's always been a towering one meter ninety-two!

The game installed quickly.

The game's icon was simple: two kids sitting on a wooden stump, gazing at the moon in the distance.

Opening the game, the Nebula Games Company logo skipped past.

A full moon and a lighthouse appeared on the screen, stars dotting the sky as a few dark clouds drifted slowly by.

On the moon was carved the game's title: "To the Moon."

At the same time, the camera slowly panned downward.

A warm piano concerto started playing as the BGM.

It was as tranquil as moonlight.

The lighthouse, the grass, and a large mansion perched on the cliff by the lighthouse.

The camera slowly moved into the house, where a girl sat playing a piano, with a little boy beside her.

Then the background music shifted, and a simple piano piece began to play. Closing your eyes to listen, it felt like you were in a forest, with a babbling brook flowing before you.

'Putting everything else aside, this music is really nice!'

'Yeah, Chen Xu's work—say what you will, the music is absolutely top-notch!'

'Right, these two piano pieces are really beautiful.'

'And "Undertale"—the music added a ton of points too!'

'Not just "Undertale," the music in "Magic Mirror" was also great!'

'Caught a gentleman red-handed!'

Watching the livestream's comments, Dong Zhen nodded to himself.

The game hadn't even started yet—whether it was fun or not was unknown—but the music was genuinely good.

As everyone was immersed in the beautiful piano piece, suddenly the sound of a car engine roared, followed by a crash.

With the crash, the game screen shook appropriately.

The camera view shifted outside the house, where a black sedan had crashed into a tree.

Two people in white lab coats, resembling doctors, got out of the car.

'Where were you looking when you were driving, Neil?'

'Hmm, sorry, I was heroically trying to avoid that squirrel that suddenly darted out.'

'...But regardless, you still ran over it and crashed into the tree.'

'Look, nothing to worry about—it's the company car.'

'Are you kidding me? The boss will kill us!'

'Hmm... let's say we saved a puppy. He likes dogs, right?'

'He prefers cats.'

'Why does the world have to be so complicated? Fine, whatever weird thing he likes—crisis averted!'

Thanks to 'Qian Qiu VV' for the 100 tip.