"A piece of—shit!"
Kuroto Dan's sense of professional responsibility as a game producer was fully aroused, and he criticized Yuzu without any hesitation.
"Games are something that should keep pace with the era! Even if you want to pursue the pixel art and complicated gameplay of retro games, you have to find a balance between that and the gaming concepts of modern people!"
Yuzu's eyes turned into circles: "Wow... But, but the romance of retro games..."
"Increasing the difficulty of the game and deliberately disgusting people are two different things." Kuroto Dan rubbed his eyes.
"Restricting game saves, having no guides for items, and relying on external manuals for the game plot are all things that happened back then. The games back then had to compromise due to technical reasons and hardware limitations."
"Although there are developers who can develop good games under such conditions, those games are called masterpieces at the time and are also works that are worthy of praise in modern times. HOWEVER! Most people will not buy these games in modern times! Because it's too tiring!"
Kuroto Dan slammed the table. "Playing a game that is as tiring as farming. Who would suffer that with you? Farm Simulator doesn't really let you press the mouse to plant rice one by one!"
"Wow... I was wrong..."
The confidence that Yuzu had just built up collapsed again, and her voice became choked.
The image of Kuroto Dan that she had just established in her heart was gone. It was very reminiscent of the time when she was overwhelmed by negative reviews and was chased and spat on online.
When she was about to shrink back into the closet with her head in her arms, Kuroto Dan changed the subject.
"Don't worry, I haven't finished talking yet."
Kuroto Dan stretched out his hand to stop her.
Facing such a timid and cowardly girl, perhaps the most correct way was to slowly integrate into her world in a gentle way.
But Kuroto Dan couldn't care about delicate matters. He is a godly genius who does his own thing.
Picking the lock is for the weak; kicking the door is the God's way!
"After experiencing your game in depth, I can understand the effort you put into it." Kuroto Dan's words made Yuzu's expression stunned. "Although the game mechanism is too retro causing only a small number of players who really like this kind of game will appreciate it, the side quest design, the nested task process, the polishing of the worldview, and the characters that will slowly enrich their own personality with exploration, etc.—these details are indeed the highlights of this game."
Kuroto Dan stretched out his hand and firmly pressed the door of the cabinet that Yuzu wanted to get back into, directly blocking Yuzu's way back. "So, although your game is a niche game and the quality can only be considered average, it is undoubtedly your hard work."
"Wu... admitted, admitted..." The expression on Yuzu's face was difficult to describe.
First, there was the sadness of being denied, then the fear of accepting bad reviews, and then she was stunned by Kuroto Dan's sudden change of words. Now, it was the joy of being acknowledged.
After a series of expressions, it was hard to tell whether the expression on Yuzu's face was crying or laughing. It was a mixture of several expressions, a bit ugly and cute.
Midori beside her sighed and showed an embarrassed expression. "Mr. Dan, you are an adult... Can't you be more straightforward when praising? Yuzu-chan is easily scared."
"That's right!" Momoi also crossed her arms and nodded repeatedly. "Yuzu is a very sensitive girl. She had received too many harsh reviews before!"
"This is the lightest criticism in our industry, right?" Kuroto Dan couldn't help but complain. "I haven't even started to work hard yet?"
"Don't apply the mature industry standards of adults to the Game Development Department at the student club level!" Momoi's eyes turned into two white circles. "We motivate ourselves to make games with passion!"
"Idiot!"
Kuroto Dan took out a folding fan from somewhere and hit Momoi on the head with a "snap." "If you try half-heartedly, you will achieve nothing! To reach the top in both games and game development, both talent and hard work are indispensable!"
"Wow—stop scolding me!"
Momoi rubbed her head bitterly.
Midori beside her paid attention to Alice's progress in playing games, she couldn't help but exclaim. "So fast! Aris has also conquered several games quite fast!"
"Really?" Momoi walked around behind Alice. "Really! She reads subtitles so fast! Although her strategy is not as accurate as Mr. Dan's, it is also efficient and fast!"
"Two incredible people are here..."
Yuzu felt that she didn't seem to be so scared anymore.
Alice was a cute girl, and she didn't criticize her. Although Kuroto Dan spoke with a heavy tone, every word was pertinent, and he even played her Tales Saga Chronicles!
Just for this point, Kuroto Dan had already earned a plus!
"Oh right! I mentioned before, let Aris-chan join our club to make up the number of people!" Momoi walked to the door of the activity room. "I will ask everyone in Veritas to add Sister Alice's information to the student file of Millennium! And I will get Aris-chan some school uniforms!"
Momoi acted decisively and went out. Alice waved to her and continued her "study."
The remaining three people, Kuroto Dan, Midori, and Yuzu, sat together and looked at each other.
"Well, that..."
In the end, it was Midori who broke the awkward situation first. "Kuroto Dan-san, about the 'method to make the best game,' can you... tell us?"
"Well... after all, we have to talk about this topic." Kuroto Dan nodded, crossed his hands, and made a Commander Hikaru gesture. "In order to prevent your Game Development Department Club from being abolished, you plan to use this new game to win the award at the 'Millennium Prize' to shut up the student council, right?"
"That's right." Midori nodded. "Then... Mr. Kuroto Dan?"
"Well... from the 'Tales Saga Chronicles' just now, although you guys are a mess in grasping the gameplay, there are still some merits." Kuroto Dan said to the two people in front of him. "Even you lot have passed my first test."
"Great! This way we can catch up with the Millennium Prize!"
"Great... Great!"
Yuzu and Midori high-fived each other and celebrated. But Kuroto Dan continued to ask. "So, you two, do you want me to directly bring out the 'ultimate game,' or do you want to make your own 'ultimate game' from scratch?"
"This question—" Midori and Yuzu looked at each other and made their own choices.
"Then do you still need to ask? Please teach us the method!"
Kuroto Dan pushed away the computer and stood up from the chair. "Just now, I just browsed the various games released in the entirety of Kivotos. Although I don't know why there is only the internal network of Kivotos, I have a general understanding of your entertainment industry."
"Understanding?"
"From the perspective of a game producer, they basically come from a variety of studios." Dan Kuroto stretched out his hand to pop up a virtual light screen, which listed dozens of game studios from top to bottom: "Except for your Millennium Science School In addition, there are many game studios in the autonomous regions under the two schools of Gehenna and Trinity. However, there are not many large and complete game companies, or even none."
"After all, the game industry right now is already saturated with just these dozens of studios now..." Midori nodded and said, "Our Game Development Department can't even be counted among them. After all, there is only one 'Tales Sage Chronicles' that can be taken out by us for so long..."
"Wow... Midori..." Yuzu burst into tears.
"Okay, okay~ Yuzu-chan has worked hard~" Midori patted her head and comforted her.
"Then, if you want to gain experience from me, you have to develop games according to my method!" Kuroto Dan pointed his finger directly at the two people. "And all of you must become my employees!"
"Employees?" Midori and Yuzu were puzzled.
"It's my Genm Corporation!"
Kuroto Dan pointed in another direction, and Midori and Yuzu were surprised to find that a strange handwritten sign had been hung at the door of their activity room.
It read "Genm Corp." in large letters and even had the initials GD painted on it.
"When was this hung up?!"
"That's right. I also have my own purpose."
Kuroto Dan reached out and took his crystal card from his storage space. "This is a game cartridge called 'Gashat' which I developed myself. It is a game cartridge that transcends the era."
"And the exchange condition for helping you successfully win the championship in the Millennium Prize is to help me set up my company and become my employee!"
Kuroto Dan smiled, a very sunny and healthy smile.
"And in return for agreeing to my conditions, I will teach you how to develop and use your own 'Game Gashat.' You can use this method to develop your own ultimate game!"
"Mighty Action X?" Yuzu came forward curiously, and Kuroto Dan generously placed the cartridge on the table.
Picking up the cassette, Yuzu could feel its weight. The handle of the cassette was just ordinary plastic, but the crystal plate appears to use some special technology.
Yuzu could see the dense and fine lines engraved on the crystal plate, which together formed a human-like shape. "Is this... a new storage method? Sorry, I don't know much about this..."
"And how do I use this cassette?" Midori also came over curiously. "Is this crystal card part inserted into a carding reading device? It doesn't match any machine socket currently on sale. Do we need to prepare a new game platform?"
"Hmph! Do you think I can't think of this thing?" Kuroto Dan snorted proudly. "I am a genius in game development! Gashat is an epoch-making game cartridge with integrated data reading device and the function of a 'Game Area!' This technology is absolutely unique!"
In the world before Kuroto Dan was resurrected, Game Gashats was popular all over the world. Unlike the Rider Game Gashats which requires the Gamer Driver, the general released model of the Game Gashat only needs one to press the button of the cartridge to start the game, using the transcription technology in the Bugster virus to make the additional 'Game Area' in reality come true.
However, what Yuzu was holding in front of her was the real Rider Game Gashat, which could make one transform into a Kamen Rider as long as it was matched with the Gamer Driver.
Even so, Kuroto Dan had also equipped it with a game function so it can also act as a normal Game Gashat.
"Is it this?"
Yuzu found the only button on the Gashat and reached out to press it.
A light curtain shot out from the cartridge in her hand, and the Game Area quickly expanded with a ray of light, wrapping the surrounding space.
Various boxes in the game flew out, and more game props were generated in the space.
As the Game Area unfolded, a loud voice shouted the name of the Gashat.
"Mighty Action X!"
"Wow?!!" Startled by the sudden sound, Yuzu shuddered and reflexively went to find the cabinet, but the surrounding space had completely changed.
Alice who was playing games nearby was also pulled into the Game Area. She turned her head around in confusion. "Aris found a lot of unknown things, Aris was shocked!"
"The surrounding scenery has changed..."
Midori looked around in surprise.
The world in front of her appeared to have become the outside world, like the streets of a city in Kivotos, but this decoration and architectural style did not look like the buildings inside Kivotos.
A dessert processing factory stood among a large number of flowers, plants, and trees, and everyone was already standing in front of it.
"Where is this?" Yuzu looked to the side nervously, trying to find the answer from Kuroto Dan.
Kuroto Dan simply pointed to the Gashat in his hand and said, "This is the Game Area of 'Mighty Action X,' and what it looks like it when it's fully activated."
"I-Is this a game?!" Midori's eyes widened. "This, this, this is simply another world! No! This kind of technology! Even the most powerful reality projection technology in Millennium can't project from a small activity room into a building of this size without being exposed!"
"Puchi~Projection?" Kuroto Dan sneered. "Walk forward and see?"
"Huh?"
Midori took two steps without knowing why and walked very carefully because, according to her memory, if she walked two steps ahead, she would be at a shelf full of game discs, and there would be all kinds of debris thrown on the ground under her feet.
However, as she took two steps like this, she didn't bump into anything.
On the contrary, she was getting closer and closer to the dessert processing factory in front of her.
"This is my masterpiece that transcends the era! How could the technology inside be just a bluffing holographic projection?"
Kuroto Dan crossed his arms, leaned back, and smiled proudly. "This is the ultimate technology that allows you to experience the world of the game 100% super realistically and completely immerse yourself in the game, plus the wonderful ideas that my godly mind came up with—the ultimate product combined is this—"
"The Gashat! Hahahahahaha!!!"
Kuroto Dan proudly unveiled his masterpiece.
Midori and Yuzu looked at each other and felt the shock in each other's eyes. As game developers, they certainly knew what this meant.
As Kuroto Dan said, this is a technology that transcends the era, a technology that even the most technologically advanced club in Millennium Science School cannot come up with!
And they will use this technology to develop their games later!
"——We won."
"Yes, we won."
Alice who was standing by, had already walked to the gate of the dessert factory when Kuroto Dan laughed loudly.
Midori and Yuzu clapped and sang "We Are the Champions."
Alice waved to the three people behind her. "Aris is entering the mysterious building! Aris is sending out a Team invitation!"
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