บท 64: C64: Promotional Interview

"Qin Yi's your rice is overcooked, and you're still chopping vegetables!"

"Then what am I supposed to do? I told you to wash the dishes. But there's not a single clean plate to put food on! What else can I do but keep chopping vegetables?"

"I'm furious!"

"I'm still pissed off! Because of that..."

In the office of Neon Games, I overheard Zhao Zhu, who was in charge of level design, arguing with Qin Yi, the one handling the numbers.

This is already the fourth issue that has come up since the game demo was completed.

"Mr. Chen, is our game truly meant for couples? To help foster relationships? In such a state, some will surely be broken!" Yang Xin asked, looking at me with a bizarre expression.

Next to her, Ruan Ningxue didn't say anything, but the way she was nodding her head like a serious, concerned elder clearly showed that she shared the same thoughts.

I cleared my throat. "Ahem, of course, it's not just for couples. Friendships, brotherhood—anyone can play this game," I said, trying to sound convincing.

['Anyone can play this game and become enemies; I sought tyranny, not peace. ༽つ۞﹏۞༼つ kidding with my internal monologue']

"But the real reason for this tension... well, I can only say that Qin Yi and Zhao Zhu are too competitive. They are even trying to compete with each other instead of cooperating," I added with a shrug.

"I still feel like something's off in there," Yang Xin muttered, her eyes fixed on the screen of overcooked food in front of her.

At first, she thought this game would be universally loved.

But now?

She seemed hesitant. After all, she had played it herself. While the normal difficulty and clearing levels weren't much of a problem, aiming for three stars made her blood pressure spike instantly, and she couldn't help but feel frustrated at times.

"Alright, here's the promotional video for the game. Sister Xin and Ruan can check it out. As for me, I've got an interview with the media in a bit."

I looked at them, trying to steer the conversation away from the endless debates about being overcooked.

"Media interview?" Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue seemed a bit surprised.

"Yeah, an exclusive with our friends from Game Time and Space. It's part of the promotion for the new game," I explained.

They both blinked in surprise.

After chatting with Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue for a bit longer, I headed towards my office.

This interview is to promote Overcooked; it's a big deal. Now time to put on my best face.

Many media outlets have been interested in me lately.

After all, in the game industry, although I'm not as popular as those top game designers and masters.

But at least in the indie game scene. The name Chen Xu has gained some recognition.

"Coach Chen, it's a pleasure to meet you! A real pleasure!"

As I pushed open the door to my office, Wu Tian, the editor of Game Time, greeted me excitedly.

He had come across Undertale by accident, and it completely blew him away.

Since then, he has been paying close attention to my work ever since. My games hadn't let him down.

The emotional depth of To the Moon had brought him to tears. As for Escape... well, even though horror games weren't his personal favorites, he had to admit it was an exceptional game—one capable of making even the toughest guys wet their pants. As for his experience, there is no need to mention it. Who would like to rub salt on themselves?

He had long admired me as a game designer, so when the opportunity to interview came up, he immediately jumped to catch it, applying to be the editor-in-chief for the assignment.

"You don't have to call me Coach Chen, just use my name," I said, feeling awkward hearing him call me that.

Although in my previous life, with the rise of many stars, the brilliant photos of Coach Chen and his computer hard drive didn't mean much anymore... Cough, what is this?

Still, in the photography world, Coach Chen was at the level of a founding figure. So when I heard others call me that, it didn't feel right.

He looked confused by my request. After all, from his perspective, wasn't this an honorary title? It was pretty common in the gaming industry.

"Uh... okay then, Mr. Chen," he eventually said. "First of all, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview."

After a moment of thought, he adjusted his wording. He clearly didn't understand why I didn't like the title of Coach, but he wasn't going to call me by my first name either.

"Don't be so nervous, we will have a casual chat," I said with a smile, handing him a bottle of Coke from a box beside me before grabbing one for myself.

"Uh... okay, okay," he replied, taking the bottle with a slightly appalled expression before placing it in front of him.

"How about we begin the interview?" He asked, thinking about what I said now...

"Let's talk about the game Undertale first. After all, Magic Mirror was too gentlemanly and difficult to report on, and the development of Undertale mainly focused on identifying the rare shortcomings of a game on the market. Before that, meta-concepts appeared more in novels and movies, so I thought—why can't this model be used in games? From a perspective of immersion, such games are more dominant."

"To the Moon? How does that sound? I believe countless players already have an answer in their hearts. As for Escape, I developed it with complete passion. Based on player feedback, I could feel them too."

"Players want games like this, and there's a gap in the market for them, so we make them. That's why they say, say~ I feel like a warrior of love—each of our games is bursting with passion for the players as if it's about to erupt like a volcano."

The same goes for our new game. My love for the players is reflected in it as well."

I told him the full story. It was as smooth as the bullet fired from a machine gun. It looks like I am the one in control and doing all the talk here, Poor Wu.

New game?

Hearing my words, his eyes lit up like a torch as he leaned forward toward me. Clearly interested...

'Finally, something hot that can capture some attention. Sure, I know that the main goal of Neon Games is probably to promote its new releases. But at least this is a big break, and it's an exclusive reveal.' He mused

He asked eagerly, "Can you give us a little teaser about the new game, President Chen?"

"Of course. The new game will be a co-op experience for all ages, releasing on March twenty-four on Valentine's Day." Chen Xu announced.

"We hope this game can deepen the connection between couples and players alike. Of course, if you don't have a partner, you can still team up with your close friends, brothers, or sisters to enjoy the love and joy we want to share among players."

With a sincere smile, Chen Xu continued.

At the same time, Chen Xu showed him two original concept paintings from Overcooked.

There was a cute little crocodile chef, the onion king, and Kevin the dog. Two chefs with hats were in a lively kitchen, and everyone was smiling.

In four words, to summarize this: Pure harmony and love.

And four more: It's pure fun.

At first glance, this game gives off a very warm feeling. It looks like the kind of game you'd want to play with friends.

The interview time wasn't long, about 20 minutes.

With a smile like a spring breeze, Chen Xu walked Wu to the gate and watched as he entered the elevator.

"Young man!" Chen Xu sighed.

In the elevator, Wu glanced down at the recorder in his hand and the unopened Coke.

At that moment, he snapped out of his dream and replayed the whole interview.

His head felt a little dizzy.

Wasn't he supposed to be the interviewer? How did he end up feeling like a stenographer instead?

He stared at the recorder and the Coke in his hand and got lost in thought.

When did he lose control of the conversation?

It seemed to start with this bottle of Coke, right?

"But still, it wasn't a complete loss. Chen Xu's new game sounds promising, but he needs to push the write-up for the press release quickly!"

He'll go with the title "Blissful Spring Awaits" as the headline, and from the original artwork, the game "Overcooked" feels heartwarming. It looks like players with girlfriends during the Spring Festival this year are in for a good time!