GDYARVE # Chapter 53 Run Quickly!
# Chapter 53 Run Quickly!
At midnight, the game download began promptly.
Priced at $12, it seemed to hit all the right notes with players’ gambler psychology. As soon as the clock struck midnight, the download count had already exceeded a million.
Yinzi entered the game at the first opportunity.
"Let's aim for the prize money now. The money and the console will be given away to the viewers through a draw. All I want is the achievement badge."
As he spoke, he glanced at the comments.
‘Yay! I just followed a hundred tech streamers in an instant, increasing my chance of winning a hundredfold!’
‘Forget the draw! I want to earn those rewards myself! (dog head for protection)’
‘The boss actually thinks about finishing the game; I’m already dead on the flower delivery quest in Hollow Knight.’
‘The Mantis Lords tortured me for seven hours, and you want me to compete for the prize money?’
‘Though, to be fair... I’ve always had a talent for rhythm games since I was young.’
...
Entering the game, the background image was a vast and boundless universe, with a long track made up of blocks in the center of the screen.
Red and blue balls were getting ready.
The gameplay was simple: the two balls would hit the blocks alternately as they advanced, and the player needed to press the action button at the right time when the balls were in the middle of the blocks.
Following the rhythm and melody, completing the song, starry night and vast universe, the game included over twelve different celestial continents and magical music. After completing the first six levels, speed mode would unlock, pushing the limits.
“Tap, tap, tap!” Tuanzi bobbed her head to the rhythm, her fingers tapping the keyboard along with the beat.
Each point where the balls landed matched the drumbeats perfectly, creating a very satisfying and rhythmic feeling!
“What great feedback! You can always trust the old thief!” Tuanzi pressed enthusiastically, not realizing the changes in the game path ahead.
At the first curve, she instinctively pressed the button following the previous rhythm.
The spinning balls exploded like fireworks, and the level ended instantly.
“Huh? Huh? Ah!?” The sudden end interrupted her excitement, catching her off guard.
“The curve has a delay! It catches people off guard!” Tuanzi immediately restarted the game.
The rhythmic beats filled the live stream again.
‘I knew it! The old thief’s money isn’t that easy to earn!’
‘The curve changes speed, so sneaky, folks!’
‘Dying on the first level, isn’t that too weak?’
‘Ears: It’s time! Hit the beat!
Brain: Press now!
Hands: What?… Oh!’
‘Seeing the restart, the mentality is already starting to crumble.’
‘Run!!! I bet the initial frustration will accompany you throughout the game!’
‘Play games with a roar!’
...
Tuanzi restarted the game, thinking the earlier mistake wasn’t a big deal. She just needed to be careful at the curves, and the game would be fairly easy.
Indeed, the second run was much smoother.
As long as you paid attention to the rhythm changes at the curves, you could still feel the game’s beat. The straight paths, the vast universe background, and the rhythmic music gave a sense of mathematical beauty in the straightforward paths and melodious music.
“Tap, tap, tap!” Tuanzi bobbed her head, completing each curve seriously.
The first level wasn’t long. Following the rhythm, the end of the path was soon in sight.
However, just before the endpoint, there was a snail symbol on the straight path.
What’s this?
Before she could figure it out, the balls landed on the blue snail symbol.
The game provided the answer: the snail symbol indicated a deceleration.
The balls’ speed suddenly slowed down. Despite the endpoint being close, her brain saw the slowdown, but her fingers were already pressing the keyboard, used to the previous speed.
“Ah!!!! He must have done it on purpose! It’s right near the end!” Tuanzi slammed her desk, the only way to vent her frustration.
The endpoint was so close, and the feeling of near-success followed by failure was overwhelming.
‘I knew it! This is the old thief’s usual trick.’
‘Old Thief: My stuff isn’t that easy to get!’
‘So unfair, putting the speed change symbol at the end.’
‘It looks like an ordinary rhythm game, but once you experience it, you realize it’s a mental breakdown machine.’
‘Thanks for the invite, that familiar feeling is back again.’
...
Indeed, players starting the game at the same time all stumbled at these two spots. Each failure required restarting the level.
Each level had different music and maps, providing an extreme tactile experience.
In both domestic and international markets, countless players were racing through the game levels, hoping to win the prize money.
If the first and second levels were novice tutorials with frequent curves and simple speed change symbols, then the third level marked a significant increase in difficulty.
Yinzi wiped the sweat from his forehead; he was already finding it challenging.
Indeed, money is hard to earn, and excrement is hard to consume.
Especially the old thief’s money, which was doubly difficult to earn. He should have known the prize money, consoles, and exclusive achievements wouldn’t be easy to get.
The only advantage was the great music, making the game enjoyable despite the frustration of restarting.
As the new level began, a gentle and beautiful song played, and he glanced at the level’s name.
Love Letter.
“Brothers, the old thief really put his heart into making music and his feet into making the game!” Yinzi controlled the balls along the rhythm, noticing that the map was no longer simple straight lines or right-angle turns.
The map was still square and straight, but the path was slanted, circling in triangular shapes.
“If all the music in this game is original, $12 is a steal, provided you can hear the later tracks.”
This song was slow, but the map wasn’t simple at all.
The symbols on the path became complex, and for the first time, a whirlpool symbol appeared, instantly reversing the balls’ rotation direction.
Fortunately, Yinzi had been paying attention to the symbols and anticipated the balls’ changes, not letting it affect the rhythm much.
“I was a bit absorbed in the music earlier and didn’t notice. Luckily, that whirlpool symbol didn’t get me.” He chatted with the viewers while tapping the keyboard.
Sometimes he had to admire the old thief’s dedication to game-making. Despite the game’s $12 price, it was made with utmost seriousness.
Following the rhythm, the distant path turned into a triangle. He prepared himself mentally but was still caught off guard by the curve.
He glanced at the level number, fourth level.
His smile froze, and he looked at the camera, opening his mouth but only uttering two words after a long time, “Run quickly!”
There should be another chapter for you to read in the morning~
(End of this chapter)