C28: To the Moon (▼・ᴥ・▼)

Continued conversation from the last chapter

"However, it seems to be more than a month away from the event! Can we make it in time?" Yang Xin asked, expressing her doubts.

Although the registration time is set for late September, this announcement was released way back in June. That means most of the game makers and producers who are eyeing this expedition competition and the innovator title prize have already been developing their games for two or three months.

"Yeah, and for a sci-fi game, aren't we severely understaffed right now?" Ruan Ningxue chimed in.

After developing both "Magic Mirror" and "Undertale," Ningxue wasn't the same as before. Though we all knew the sci-fi game wouldn't be a massive production, our company only had three developers. Wasn't it too late to meet the deadline?

"More than a month is enough. This game will be even simpler than 'Undertale,'" I said, smiling confidently.

"A game that's simpler than 'Undertale'?!" Both Yang Xin and Ningxue stared at me, clearly bewildered.

"Undertale" was excellent, no doubt about that. But it wasn't a large-scale game. Now, according to~ What Chen Xu is saying, this new game would be even smaller.

So what kind of game could it be?

"Smaller than 'Undertale'? Can this even stand a chance at the event?" Yang Xin voiced her skepticism, which is concentrated in a thick concern.

Ningxue stayed quiet, waiting for my explanation.

I started

Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, never smell!

Buy more, buy more, buy more, buy more, We will be doing well!

Cough Wrong Start...

Here~

"The important thing is participating, not necessarily winning. It's not about the game's size—it's about whether it can move the players and judges," I emphasize my point with a big smile. I was showing them that I was ready to take the plunge~ for just development, player, and the Competition. It has nothing to do with whether I can profit from the game and Awards.

Yang Xin remained speechless, still processing my words.

"So, this new game is similar to 'Undertale,' but it's not a meta-game?" Yang Xin asked, trying to guess my intentions while trying to pull off the wool, I was trying to put over them.

Considering we had only a month left and just the three of us on the team board, it wasn't hard to imagine the kind of game we could manage within that timeframe. If we were aiming to develop a game, even for an indie standard, it had to be something small and focused, just like "Undertale."

"Almost," I replied with an affirmative nod.

There were several ideas I could explore for this new game. But given our current situation, time constraints, and the points we needed a hit, I already had a solid concept in my mind as soon as I saw the announcement for the event.

Noticing the curiosity on both Yang Xin's and Ningxue's faces, I leaned back in my chair and began explaining the plot very seriously.

"In this future world, there's a company named Sigmund Corp that uses special machines to enter people's memories and alter them."

"But these artificial memories aren't temporary—they're permanent. That means when the person wakes up, their implanted memory will clash with their real one, creating confusion and internal conflict."

"So, this technology can only be implemented on dying people—those who have regrets during their lifetime and want to change their memories to fulfill some of their wishes, allowing them to realize a new life, concern free and memory so that they can pass away without any regrets."

The whole story begins with two employees of the company that provides the service, Dr. Eva Rosalene and Dr. Neal Watts, fulfilling the lifelong dream of a dying man named Johnny: To go to the moon.

Hold it! Hold it!... (ﾉ￣□￣)ﾉ ~┻━┻

The game I'm creating is called To the Moon.

Of course, it sounds like a sci-fi game, but in reality, it's a storytelling game that revolves around a pair of lovers.

This is a tiny game. In my previous life, this game was even made with a tool called RPG Maker. It doesn't have any combat; the gameplay consists of dialogue-driven storytelling and puzzles.

But despite its simplicity, it has moved countless players.

In fact, To the Moon has won numerous awards. It even outperformed masterpieces like Catherine and Portal 2 to win the Best Screenplay Award at the 2011 Game Spot Best Game of the Year Awards.

It also picked up accolades like Metacritic's Best Game and WIRED's Best Game in the same year. In 2017, during Steam's "I Didn't Cry, Just Got Sand in My Eyes" event, it was nominated for being one of the most emotionally impactful games.

Its creator, Gao Kan, was even featured on CCTV's show The World Listens to Me.

For me, choosing this game has a bit of a sci-fi element, which aligns with the event I'm participating in. But more importantly, I want to use this game to connect with players emotionally.

After all, relying solely on games like Undertale and Magic Mirror feels a little weak for that kind of emotional depth.

As for winning awards? Well, that's up to fate. To be honest, it's a stretch to categorize To the Moon as a sci-fi game.

The game's small size and its unique ability to emotionally heal players are what convinced me to choose it.

Of course, I did consider other games like King of Jump and Digging for Ascension, but I ultimately decided against them.

While those games are great for evoking strong emotional reactions from players, the risk is high, especially if there isn't strong financial backing. It's a gamble—if you win, you get big returns, but if you lose, you're stuck in a tough spot.

In a world where money is no object, these games could become popular with some clever marketing, especially since the live-streaming industry is also very developed. These types of games are perfect for live streams.

But despite their potential to catch fire, they don't have much replayability, which means I wouldn't be able to collect enough emotional points from players.

Plus, these games can be a bit tricky, and I want to build a solid reputation. That's why I chose To the Moon over those other titles. It allows me to build credibility while also harvesting emotional points from players—two birds with one stone!

After explaining my plan to Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin, I went back to my office to work on the design concept draft for To the Moon.

Of course, calling it a "design concept draft" is a bit much—it's just me writing the core plot with copypasta work from my memory.

To help with this, I used a memory capsule to dig into the memories deep in my mind. There are several classic piano songs in To the Moon as well, and I've jotted them down. With my current musical skills, I don't foresee any major issues there.

The rest of the work involves some improvements to make the game feel smoother and more polished. After all, the original To the Moon was a pixel game made with RPG Maker, and its clunky visuals and awkward controls were its biggest flaws.

But with the technology in this parallel world, a month is more than enough time for me to develop To the Moon.