The next day, Chen Xu arrived at the company at 7:30 a.m., but surprisingly, both Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue had already arrived ahead of time.
Seeing Chen Xu walk through the door, the two rushed toward him with excited faces.
"It's exploded, it's exploded! Mr. Chen, the reputation has exploded!" Yang Xin waved her laptop in excitement.
On the screen was the rating from the official app store.
9.9 out of 10âa shockingly high score.
And it wasn't just that. Two media outlets had already published game reviews for Undertale on the very second day after its launch.
What was most astonishing was that both outlets had given it a perfect 10 out of 10.
Even more impressively, a review site called Game Timespace had placed it on a pedestal.
In their review, they avoided any spoilers, instead adopting a riddler-like tone that left readers in suspense.
Yet within the article, they used numerous exaggerated descriptions.
For example, after finishing Undertale, the editor remained silent for a long time.
"This game breaks the constraints of traditional RPGs."
"It overturns players' understanding of RPGsâshowing how a game can be this powerful."
"Despite being a low-budget independent game, it delivers an experience more impactful than any AAA blockbuster."
Similar praise flooded the comment section of Undertale.
It was filled with bewildering comments.
For example: "An unbelievable RPGâmy spine was still chilling even after the game ended!" "Shatter your mercy, and mine too!" "This fills you with determination!"
"Sales are good, but we should let it simmer a bit longer," Chen Xu said with a smile as he took the laptop and checked the backend sales data.
2,749 copies soldâa modest number, but perfectly normal.
Despite the prior hype campaign with Zhong Mei, it had merely made more players aware of the name Undertale.
For many players, Nebula Games and Chen Xu were completely unfamiliar.
The only notable title they had released before was a gentleman's game.
And Chen Xu had priced Undertale at 36 yuan, the same as in his previous life.
For an independent game, it wasn't expensive. Plus, the economic level in this parallel world was much higher than in his previous lifeâotherwise, the gaming industry wouldn't have flourished so greatly.
From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. was considered prime time.
The review from Game Timespace had already helped boost the game's popularity, and this time slot was also when players were most free to try out the game.
Before 7 p.m., Undertale's sales were increasing at a rate of about 500 copies per hour.
But after 7 p.m., that number more than doubled, reaching around 1,200 copies per hour.
Total sales also successfully surpassed 14,000 copies.
Moreover, player reviews began to pour in.
After all, it had only been a day and a half since Undertale officially launched on the platform.
Inside the private room of the hotpot restaurant at MixC where they had previously dined, Yang Xin listened to Chen Xu reveal the numbers and was even more excited.
Although Mirror (Game) had achieved astonishing sales, she hadn't been involved in it at the timeâshe was just a spectator.
But for Undertale, she had been fully involved in its creation.
Even though the development process felt like "so easy even a dog could win," the story content was mostly crafted by her.
This gave her a deep sense of accomplishment.
"I wonder how many copies we'll sell in the end!" Ruan Ningxue sipped her juice, equally thrilled.
"I feel like it could break a million!" Yang Xin exclaimed excitedly.
"Given the current trend in reviews, reaching a million is just a matter of time," Chen Xu nodded with a smile, giving his affirmation.
................
Unlike Chen Xu's confident demeanor, players who had been closely following Undertale, as well as some designers in the industry, were completely stunned by the game's reviews.
What was going on?
At He Pai Media, Zhong Mei's eyes were wide openâhe had no intention of leaving work.
Did Nebula Games bribe people? How much money did they spend?
Buying positive reviews and media endorsementsâZhong Mei had done it himself. But Undertale? This was going way too far!
That was his first thought, and also the immediate reaction of everyone else who saw Undertale's results.
No one believed the actual quality of Undertale deserved such praise.
After all, it was just a low-budget independent game.
Such a score could only be given to a standard masterpiece.
Was Undertale, a small-budget game, really worthy of this?
Yet at the same time, this sparked curiosity among many players: What kind of game was Undertale really?
And once these players became curious, they would become another part of the wave of positive reviews, adding more fuel to the fire.
The most direct evidence was the game data Chen Xu had been closely monitoring.
Every hour, upon refresh, the numbers showed a significant jump.
But even more crucial was the game's reviews.
They were almost uniformly positive, and the overall rating remained steady at 9.9, not dropping despite the increasing sales.
Generally, a game's rating slowly declines as more players join.
Typically, reaching 8.5 was considered the bare minimum for being excellent.
A score of 9 already marked it as a quality title, while 9.5 or above could be called a masterpiece.
Yet despite Undertale's sales skyrocketing, player ratings remained extremely stable.
Although the score would inevitably drop as more players came in, its current stability was already terrifying.
Under the shop listing, player reviews further expressed their thoughts on the game.
"I thought it was just a regular RPG fighting monsters, but I was truly shocked by Poppi's appearance and the ending!"
"I was initially curious about Nebula Games and Chen Xu because of Mirror, but Undertale truly showed me what a game should be! Honestly, it overturned my understanding of RPGs!"
"I can only describe it as unbelievable!"
"Never harm the monsters in this game, or you'll regret it! Trust me!"
"The wind howlsâstanding before you is a true Hero (attack type)!"
"It feels like an explosion! I foresee that Undertale will definitely become a hit!"
"Birds are singing, flowers are bloomingâchildren like you should burn in hell!"
"This fills you with determination!"
"An incredibly fresh and shocking game design!"
Countless players gave Undertale extremely high praise, though a few negative reviews were mixed in.
They brought the score down by 0.1, but compared to the flood of positive reviews, these criticisms were like a drop in the ocean.
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