The following day, boxes of game cartridges called "Shanghai" were loaded onto trucks and shipped to distributors in various regions.
Without any promotion or marketing, this thing was quietly placed on the shelves.
Robert pushed open the door and walked into a digital store near the company.
Today is the second most important life-or-death test of the year for him.
To put it simply, today is his daughter's birthday.
If you can't find something you like----
Robert shuddered; the mere thought of it broke his heart.
To prepare for this important battle, Robert specifically consulted Sean, one of the more fashionable and avant-garde young men in the company.
According to him, young people nowadays all like electronic products.
Especially GAMENOVA's high-end, cutting-edge products.
You can't go wrong buying from them.
At least now, the mice and Minesweeper that are widely used throughout the company are GAMENOVA products.
His eyes swept across the shelves briefly.
Many of the items inside were priced shockingly high, leaving him speechless.
Ultimately, his gaze settled on the beautifully designed NovaPocket handheld console.
The design features a soft pink color scheme and is adorned with a pattern of a pink kitten.
The overall paint job was fresh and cute, and he fell in love with it at first sight.
"Buying this... it shouldn't be a bad choice, right?"
Robert reached out and took it off, then went straight to the counter to pay.
The clerk glanced at him twice, then looked at the packaging boxes on the counter.
"Sir, this doesn't include the Pokémon Red /Green cartridges, have you never played them before?"
"Haha—" Robert scratched his head sheepishly, "I bought it for my sweetheart."
"Oh, sir, you're such a good father. Look, these are two limited-edition Pokémon. If your child likes dogs, I suggest—"
After some explanation, Robert, though still a little confused, finally understood what was going on.
"So this swapping feature requires other people to play together, right? Hmm... then I'll get another one."
Robert looked somewhat helpless.
To be honest, he really didn't have the energy to play these kinds of silly things during his spare time after get off work.
He'd rather kill time by playing a couple of Minesweeper or Spider Solitaire at the office.
However, to ensure my daughter has a perfect gaming experience, it looks like I'll have to buy another one.
After all, her child wasn't a very outgoing child, Robert knew very well that she probably wouldn't like social interaction or anything like that.
"By the way, sir, you've come at the perfect time. We just launched a new handheld game today."
The clerk smiled and took a new card from the counter.
The cover features several mahjong tile illustrations, with somewhat puzzling names.
"Shanghai"
A city name from China.
Perhaps the teller's enthusiastic and friendly introduction had left a good impression on Robert.
He glanced at the price tag and nodded casually.
"Okay, I'll take one too."
"Ahem, Yuli, happy birthday!"
Robert took the shopping bag out from behind his back and showed it to his daughter.
"Socks!!!"
Yuli's eyes lit up, and she immediately jumped up and clung to Robert. "What is it? Wait, let me guess—is it Madonna record?! If it is, I'm definitely going to faint!!"
"Well?"
Robert's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, did I buy the wrong thing again?
I'll make that Sean make two more trips to the warehouse tomorrow!
Before Robert could say anything, Yuli had already grabbed the shopping bag and peered inside.
"Sweetheart, let me explain, I originally—"
"Socks!!!"
Yuli's surprised scream rang out instantly, almost piercing his eardrums.
"NovaPocket! They even have Pokémon!"
Robert cautiously opened his eyes, and his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down.
"I'm glad you like it. I picked out this pink one especially for you."
"Eek—I'll choose the white one, Daddy, you can use the Mew- themed one."
"Let's stop here for today. Hopefully, this saves successfully."
"Huh? So early? ---- Okay, then promise me, when we come back tomorrow, we'll take on our first gym battle, and I'll teach you!"
"Good----"
After finally getting his little darling to sleep, Robert slumped onto the sofa and tossed the NovaPocket aside.
To be honest, although his daughter had a lot of fun playing Pokémon, for Robert, with his current level of cognitive development, it was just too much information for him.
But seeing how much fun she had, it was worth the money today.
Just as he was about to turn on the TV, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the shopping bags on the table out of the corner of his eye, and then he snapped back to reality.
There's still one cassette tape that hasn't been opened!
"I've already bought it."
Robert picked up the NovaPocket again, this time with a cassette that seemed nonsensical from its cover to its name.
The gameplay is surprisingly simple.
At the start of each level, the game will randomly generate these mysterious mahjong tiles from the East on the screen.
He needs to use the arrow keys to select one of the cards and match it with another card of the same suit.
They can be eliminated once a pair is successfully matched.
You win by eliminating all the cards.
The only slightly complicated rule is that only cards exposed on the outside are allowed to connect.
To be honest, although Robert doesn't like to spend much time on games, he is still a Minesweeper after all.
Enthusiasts.
Compared to works like Minesweeper that require mathematical calculations, Shanghai feels more like a WYSIWYG experience.
Is it really that simple?
Robert was a little puzzled, so he turned on the TV and found a channel that was showing an evening soap opera.
He listened to the TV show while casually playing with his game console.
[NOPOWER]
"Out of power?"
Robert, who was challenging a new level, paused for a moment and casually took out the battery from his handheld console.
Good morning, America!
A warm and enthusiastic greeting suddenly came from the television.
This marks the official launch of the famous morning news channel, " Good Morning United States."
Robert glanced up as usual, then looked down again to continue fiddling with the battery in his hands.
Suddenly, his movements froze.
He suddenly raised his head and looked out the window.
Daylight broke.
How did I end up playing such a simple, even boring, game all night without even realizing it?
Looking back, he wasn't given any time to rest after each level; after clearing a level, a simple score would be displayed before quickly switching to a new level.
He didn't think much of it, figuring he had nothing else to do, so he just kept fighting.
Robert stared blankly at the pink handheld console in his hand.
This color is so awkward.
"Hmm---- Sean deserves a lot of credit for finding such a perfect gift for her. Consider this handheld console a reward for him."
I'll have to buy another one when I get to work.
Otherwise, how would you play "Shanghai"?