Chapter 42: Exceptionally High Praise

Chapter 42: Exceptionally High Praise

Amid various online discussions among players and media,

At precisely three o'clock in the afternoon, the Game Department's website, official game platforms, and their official Weibo account simultaneously announced the latest results from the Game Design Competition.

To the Moon had successfully won first place in this competition, while Galaxy Heroes secured second place.

Chen Xu from Nebula Games also received a phone call notification from the Game Department.

The call was an invitation for him to attend the upcoming award ceremony hosted by the Game Department.

At the same time, on the official game store, a banner announcing To the Moon's award win was prominently displayed on the homepage.

Additionally, on the official game store's homepage, a featured appreciation review declared To the Moon the first-place winner.

‘Imagine sitting on your bed, facing the end of your life. You recall every joy, every regret—especially the regrets.’

‘You always told yourself that if you could go back in time, you would do this thing, fulfill that dream. But something always seemed to pull you off course: family obligations, work, time spent with friends.’

‘And now, as you approach your final moments, time has run out. What if you could alter your memories at life's end, fulfilling that dream within your dying mind? What then?’

‘This is merely the tip of the iceberg for To the Moon. This isn’t a large-scale production. It lacks intricate graphics or complex gameplay. But I must say, much like Chen Xu’s previous title Undertale, To the Moon delivers a masterclass in video game storytelling, raising the Threshold for narrative-driven games to an astonishingly high level.’

‘To fully review this game would require spoilers, making it difficult to discuss without revealing key details. But we can say this: if you are a player who values storytelling in games, then this is a must-play.’

‘Such an opinion may be influenced by time, but at this moment, this is undoubtedly a perfect game.’

‘The dialogue is flawless. The partnership between Dr. Eva and Dr. Neil is filled with clever wit and humorous banter, providing levity that breaks up an otherwise dark narrative.’

‘The story is flawless. The tale of Johnny and his wife Liva is rich with twists—some bittersweet, others profoundly sorrowful—but it is more than just a blend of humor and sadness.’

‘The Music is flawless. Filled with beautiful piano melodies, each track shines individually, recurring at pivotal story moments and thematic choices just as you would expect from the finest films.’

‘To the Moon is about a life: the people, places, struggles, and joys that make us human.’

‘The entire narrative begins as a chaotic jumble, but as time unfolds in reverse, it crystallizes into a deeply satisfying conclusion.’

‘Without a doubt, this is an absolutely perfect game.’

This appreciation article from the Game Department represents an exceptionally high evaluation of To the Moon, fully affirming the game’s status within the Gaming Industry.

………………

Inside Nebula Games’ office,

Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue were among the first to see the Game Department’s announcement, both erupting into cheers.

“Chen Xu, look! To the Moon has made it onto the recommendation slots of the official game platform!” Yang Xin exclaimed, her face glowing with excitement.

This was the official game platform!

And this game had actually claimed first place in the competition!

Something Yang Xin could never have imagined possible before.

For someone who had always dreamed of achieving greatness in the Gaming Industry, this moment was so thrilling she could barely contain herself.

Her face flushed completely red from excitement.

Beside her, Ruan Ningxue wore the same expression of exhilaration.

Meanwhile, the new employees who had recently onboarded to Nebula Games since To the Moon's launch were equally thrilled.

Granted, they had nothing to do with the game’s development.

But such remarkable results proved beyond doubt that Nebula Games had a bright Future Era ahead. And they were about to work at a company with limitless potential—naturally, they were overjoyed.

“By the way, are you going to attend the award ceremony for To the Moon?” Yang Xin suddenly remembered and turned to Chen Xu.

“Yeah, the Game Department’s leadership already notified me,” Chen Xu nodded.

“The award ceremony—will it be televised?” Ruan Ningxue asked curiously.

“You're overthinking it. It’s not a commercial award event. Basically just a brief appearance and receiving a certificate,” Chen Xu shook his head.

“Oh, I see!” Ruan Ningxue said, understanding.

“Alright, let’s move on. Let me give you an inside scoop about company matters. After the National Day holiday ends, we’ll begin development on our new project. This time, it’ll be a fairly major action.”

“Also, before the end of October, we need to have the platform fully set up. Non-core, time-consuming tasks will be outsourced directly.”

Chen Xu addressed the group.

Mirror (Game), Undertale, and To the Moon—these three games were all small in scale and development cost.

Yet in terms of sales, they were undeniably successful.

The funds generated from these three titles were still insufficient for Chen Xu to develop a large AAA game.

But for something more polished, with a larger scale, it was now entirely feasible.

Listening to Chen Xu, everyone’s expressions turned serious—yet even more so, filled with anticipation.

After all, who in the Gaming Industry didn’t dream of being part of a Big Project?

Whether for personal goals or career resume, such an opportunity was priceless.

After chatting briefly with the team, Chen Xu returned to his office, leaning back in his chair and gazing at the UI interface only he could see.

Unquestionably, To the Moon had given him a massive points boost.

It had earned him a full three ten-pulls’ worth of points, added to those from Undertale and Mirror (Game).

His total points had now grown to 4.5 million—enough for forty-five pulls.

Yet, staring at this pool of points, Chen Xu had no intention of spending them immediately.

He decided to hold off and stockpile them.

Although he hadn’t finalized the new project yet—development wouldn’t start until after National Day anyway—

Chen Xu estimated that with the current growth rate, he’d likely earn another ten-pull’s worth of points by then.

After all, now that To the Moon, fresh off its first-place win, was featured on the official platform’s recommendation slots, it would undoubtedly attract a huge wave of players.

And each of those players meant hot, fresh points.

Saving up for a ten-pull, from a superstitious belief standpoint, also increased the odds of obtaining something valuable.

Unlike last time, when a twenty-one-pull yielded nothing but two Memory Capsules and not even a single rare skill book.

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