I don't know if it's just my imagination.
Ella sensed that something was off about the atmosphere at the dinner table today.
Both the younger brother and the mother were chatting casually about the day's events, just like always.
They shared those trivial little things.
But Ella could sense that a strange tacit understanding had developed between the three of them.
Or rather... a sense of rhythm.
Clang!
The fork slipped off the plate and fell onto the tablecloth with a crisp sound.
But neither Ella, nor her mother, nor her brother touched it.
Oh, don't get me wrong, nothing extraordinary has happened here, and no one has suddenly awakened the the Force.
This strange phenomenon is actually just because the Table is vibrating.
"Thump, thump, thump thump thump..." It was my younger brother shaking his leg.
His leg happened to be pressed against the table leg, which caused the entire dining table to shake.
Sigh, it's nothing new. Giving him a few words of advice is enough.
only...
Why does this rhythm feel so familiar?
"Pon pon..."
Ella looked at her younger brother and tentatively called out twice.
"Pata pon!"
As expected, I received the response I had anticipated.
But here's the problem...
Why is it my own mother who's responding to my mom?!
As if realizing her lapse in composure, Harper hesitated for a moment, then covered her mouth in embarrassment. The atmosphere became quite awkward.
To be honest, after playing for more than an hour, Ella's situation has completely changed.
Although the catchy melody still lingered in her mind, she had evolved.
These influences have now been perfectly integrated into her soul and will not be easily revealed.
She has become a deity of the Patapon clan.
These two mortals, however, have not yet undergone such a baptism; they are still only at the surface level.
Perhaps this is why they always find it hard to control themselves from making noise.
"Ha! You guys have been brainwashed by ' Patapon ' too, haven't you? I can tell!"
"... Sis, I've been sitting next to you all afternoon listening..."
Allen scratched his head, looking rather helpless.
He wasn't actually interested in this thing at first.
To be honest, even now, he has no intention of giving it a try. Because Allen really has no interest in music or rhythm games.
But that didn't stop him from being completely captivated by the mesmerizing melody.
Because he wanted to play video games, Allen spent the whole afternoon sitting on the sofa with the controller in front of his sister.
Unfortunately, my older sister has absolutely no sense of self-awareness; she plays the volume up really loud and doesn't go back to her room.
This really put him in a difficult position.
It even got to the point that when he was playing his own content, he would unconsciously follow the beat of the " Patapon " music playing next to him.
It's not just affecting his gameplay anymore; it's gradually starting to impact his daily activities as well.
For example, when he was eating just now...
Ella could clearly sense that this guy would pause strangely every few bites, and the interval between each bite had to be exactly right.
Ah! 4/4 time, a timeless classic in music!
In California, Los Angeles, Saul Bass sits casually on a bench by the street, leaning on a Civilization stick.
He silently watched the passersby, his eyes filled with a jumble of emotions.
There was shock, helplessness, amusement... and also admiration.
"This is the trend... This is what high-level gameplay looks like from a pro."
As an artist, no one knows better than him just how difficult it is to achieve what he has today.
Gamenova created a completely new trend almost out of thin air.
Look at those weirdos who mutter magical little spells even when they're just walking around!
Look at those crazy kids Spear of Protection Pon with broken tree branches!
These guys are clearly being tormented by the new Patapon.
What's wrong with this world?
Saul smiled helplessly.
Okay, actually he knew exactly what was going on. It was the terrifying, viral impact of Patapon that had taken hold.
Without relying on various media for promotion, apart from the MTV released at launch, Gamenova did not do any other publicity or promotional work.
Even so, it couldn't slow down the spread of " Patapon ".
If even one person in a room is playing, the rest are doomed.
In retrospect, Lin Lixin's promise to him to "create trends" was not just empty talk.
It's truly unparalleled that a single game could generate such a nationwide buzz.
However, after sighing, a sense of pride also emerged spontaneously.
Throughout his life, Saul created many "artistic masterpieces" that have been endlessly praised by the world.
But none of these events brought him as much satisfaction as today's scene.
This is a project I was involved in from start to finish.
It's a project where I served as the art director.
Although Lin Lixin and Hans Zimmer were the ones who truly made it invincible, his contributions should not be underestimated.
Lately, he's been sneaking into game stores all over the place whenever he has free time.
The place was full of young people, and even if he didn't disguise himself, few people would recognize him.
He would just find a chair, sit down, and then stay there quietly, like he did today.
I did nothing but secretly listen to other people's reviews of the game, hoping to hear some comments about the graphics.
Unfortunately, after several days, he only heard a few comments about the footage.
"I don't even know what I'm disappointed about... Isn't this just proof of my skill level?"
He gave a helpless, self-deprecating laugh.
I should have guessed this long ago.
Because from the very beginning of the project, Lin Lixin had already clearly explained the requirements to him.
The minimalist style aims to minimize the visual burden on players while ensuring a harmonious and clean visual aesthetic.
No one paid attention to the visuals he designed himself; this, in fact, proved that he had perfectly met Lin Lixin's requirements. Like the bass line in a song, when a bassist can play in a way that no one else can hear, he has already succeeded.
Because only those flawed, discordant notes would stand out so jarringly in a harmonious piece of music.
His design is the same.
He succeeded, but no one noticed the artistic details.
No one noticed how much effort he put into achieving that harmony and naturalness, that so-called "pleasing to the eye."
He has achieved the highest level of design without anyone noticing.
But somehow, an inexplicable sense of loss would still occasionally invade his heart.
Even after decades of ups and downs, he has long since let go of fame, fortune, and all other external things.
But when faced with this project, he always felt a sense of dissatisfaction.
I was just thinking about it.
A little boy suddenly sat down next to him.
She held the NovaSwift handheld console in her hand, completely absorbed in playing Patapon. Through the speakers, Saul could hear the interesting auditory effects designed by Hans Zimmer and Lin Lixin.
It sounds like this little guy has progressed quite a bit; he's even doing the "don don chaka chaka" jump.
Is this " Patapon "?
Saul asked the question knowing the answer already; he was simply trying to find a gentler way to start a conversation.
"Hmm... yes! My favorite game this year!"
The child silently completed a short section in front of him before pausing the game and replying with a smile.
Her little eyes blinked brightly, clearly showing that she had really had a lot of fun.
Saul smiled slightly, glancing past her at the screen, feigning surprise.
"How can the graphics be so rudimentary? How can a game like this become so popular?"
"No way!"
The little girl frowned slightly, somewhat displeased with the strange old man's rigid assessment.
"Aren't the little Pons adorable? I think it's a shame Gamenova didn't make any merchandise for them." Upon hearing this, Saul was taken aback.
He hadn't expected such a response.
He had expected the other person to bring up things like music and gameplay to argue their point, explaining how meaningless the graphics were in the game.
"You've definitely never seen pons dance! It's so funny to see their little stick-like limbs swinging around!"
As she spoke, she rummaged through her small schoolbag and pulled out a black card.
This appears to be a handmade piece of hers; the cardstock was carefully cut into round shapes, and a ring of white cardstock was pasted on top to create the effect of the whites of the eyes.
She actually made a patapon herself by hand.
However... Little Pon doesn't know why he only has one arm left.
"Ah!"
The little girl exclaimed in surprise, seemingly having noticed this as well, and quickly continued rummaging through her schoolbag.
After a long while, she pouted pitifully and held up the crippled Spear of Protection Pon, to show it to Saul.
"Its hand and javelin are gone! Isn't it cute? I made it myself~" Saul silently looked at the simple but very childlike creation in her hand, speechless for a moment.
If he had a control panel, his head would probably be flooded with messages about gaining experience points right now.
Do you really like the characters in Patapon?
Of course!
Do you want their merchandise?
"Hmm..."
The little girl thought seriously for a few seconds, then put on a very determined expression and nodded emphatically.
"Of course! But Gamenova didn't do it..."
Saul smiled and said nothing more.
He sat there silently, watching the little girl finish another level and get a beautiful spear for the Spear of Protection Pon.
He designed them himself, both the Spear of Protection Pon and the spear. Saul stood up and walked towards the end of the street.
The next day.
gamenova headquarters.
Lin Lixin, who was planning his next move, suddenly received a phone call.
It was Saul Bass calling.
An art master who recently collaborated with them on a project.
"Yes, it's me. What's up?... Oh? Really? That's great."
Lin Lixin was taken aback, then laughed.
"Okay, send a fax and let me know. If there are no problems, we can start production today."
After hanging up the phone, he looked at Sam, who looked puzzled, and began to explain.
" Bass said he designed a set of merchandise for ' Patapon,' including a prepaid card and barcode toys, and that he said it was quite complete." Lin Lixin would have almost forgotten about it if Bass hadn't brought it up himself.
He'd been so focused on semiconductors these past few days that after finishing the " Patapon " project, he'd completely forgotten about the related peripheral matters.
"Take a look at the design. If there are no problems, go and arrange production. I have to go out for a bit."