In just half an hour, the game reviewer was utterly captivated.
At that moment, he was still on the phone with the sponsor, bubbling with excitement. "It only took half a day to beat the game! I whipped up an evaluation as swiftly as possible today; the sponsor must be thrilled, right?"
With a robust fan base in the gaming community, he wielded more influence than the producer who relied on promotional gimmicks.
"Dear sponsor, are you pleased with the outcome? I managed to finish the game without dying again," the reviewer boasted.
"I even survived the Hand of the King," he added emotionally, a hint of pride in his voice.
If it weren't for the cash incentive, he genuinely would have praised the game. Those mysterious props during the final boss battle had been a game-changer.
Plus, the gameplay had been smooth, and the battles exhilarating. He found himself yearning to try out different weapon combinations.
But the response from Yogame's contact person threw him off. "Are you too embarrassed to ask for money? We expected a genuine evaluation of the game, including any flaws or shortcomings!"
Confused, the reviewer retorted, "That's exactly what I did! I wrote the evaluation based on my honest opinion."
Yet, as he scrolled through the flood of replies on his phone, a sinking feeling settled in.
Oops.
He realized his evaluation had likely been overturned. If his critique had been accurate or relevant, most players would have casually read it without feeling compelled to respond.
The influx of comments could only mean one thing: his review had missed the mark, and not by a small margin.
With a heavy heart, he clicked on the reply page and scanned through the comments, his vision darkening with each word.
Was the game not over after all?
Had he missed crucial levels beyond Cell Zero?
He hadn't bothered researching online before playing, fearing it might cloud his judgment. But now, he regretted his decision.
According to online sources, defeating the Hand of the King rewarded players with an Origin Cell, allowing them to adjust the game's difficulty. Subsequent levels—Cell One, Two, and beyond—were where the true challenges awaited.
Veteran players claimed they were delirious from the relentless difficulty, debating the best weapon combinations to tackle the game's escalating challenges.
And here he was, having only completed Cell Zero, hurriedly penning a scathing review without fully understanding the game's depth.
Quickly, he deleted the review and issued an apology, admitting his oversight in not completing the game before critiquing it.
He hoped the matter would be put to rest, but instead, he faced a deluge of termination notices from the game companies he'd previously collaborated with.
In their eyes, his lack of thoroughness in evaluating games rendered him unreliable.
With sweat dripping down his back, he knew there was only one solution: to immerse himself fully in the game and rewrite his review based on genuine player experience.
Turning on his computer, he launched the game and stared at the daunting image of Cell One, swallowing nervously.
He had read the players' comments: if Cell Zero lured players in, Cell One was where the real challenge began.
Even the seemingly simple Cell Two and Three proved daunting. Enemies grew stronger, more dangerous, and more numerous, posing a significant threat even to seasoned players.
And with each level, the stakes rose. Cell Four stripped away the safety net of recovery pools, leaving players to fend for themselves against escalating dangers.
By Cell Five, players faced a living nightmare. The island was plagued by disease, contaminated food spreading infection with every bite.
But amidst the escalating challenges, a gripping narrative unfolded. What began as a simple quest to defeat the Hand of the King evolved into a tale of betrayal and redemption.
The green seaweed, once dismissed as mere foliage, turned out to be the protagonist—the true king of the game.
With each level, the story delved deeper into the king's pursuit of immortality and the sacrifices made in its name.
As the plot thickened, the players discovered the true ending lay beyond Cell Five—a revelation that left them reeling.
But for the reviewer, there was still a dilemma: he needed to add a touch of romance to the narrative.