Inside the game, powerful DJ music played on an endless loop.
While none of the songs could replicate the soul-stirring effect of "See You Again," their fast rhythms and catchy melodies far surpassed the quality of typical game background music—and were even more engaging than many popular songs.
Vinny casually found a small weight to hold down the W key, letting the bus auto-drive, while he leaned back in his chair, swaying gently to the rhythm.
After the initial emotional impact and shock, his professional instincts as a streamer whose mission was to "appraise" various games began to return.
Although a faint sadness still lingered in his stream, when he spoke, his tone had reverted to his usual analytical style, seasoned with a bit of playful complaining:
"Alright chat, let's calm down a bit."
"As a professional appraiser of history... ahem, I mean, a game content creator, we still need to objectively and without filters discuss the Shovel King's new work."
The chat also gradually shifted from "Missing my boys" and "I'm crying" to "Streamer calm down," "Class is starting," and "Objective mode activated."
Vinny organized his thoughts and began:
"First, we have to admit—this game has two outstanding advantages that frankly crush many current games on the market."
"First, the graphics."
"Look at the texture of this desert, the lighting and shadow effects, the detailed model of this bus... It might not be flashy, but it's incredibly realistic. Raw. Authentic."
"It's completely different from the mainstream cutesy, cartoonish styles, or the eye-searing vibrancy of games like Rainbow Bubble Dragon."
"This shows that the Shovel King... oh wait, I mean Great God Blake Weiss, actually has a knack for art and technology, and his aesthetic sense is on point."
"Second, the music—and this needs special mention."
"Besides that divine song 'See You Again,' I also sampled a few other DJ tracks, and honestly, their quality is quite good. At least upper-middle tier. Very engaging."
"And as for 'See You Again'..." Vinny paused, seemingly searching for the right words. "What makes it so good?"
"Besides its catchy melody, its lyrics are just too spot-on."
"It doesn't use overly flowery or obscure language. It's just plain, everyday words: 'It's been a long day,' 'we've come a long way,' 'family's all that we got'..."
"Isn't that just describing us?"
His tone became slightly more emphatic: "Calling it plain language isn't a put-down, alright."
"For us ordinary people, sometimes a song that's too artistic—you know it's brilliant, but the resonance might not be as direct or as powerful as these plain-language lyrics."
"It's like the heartfelt words your buddy says when he's had too much to drink and puts his arm around your shoulder—rough, but true, and every word hits hard."
After analyzing the strengths, he changed his tone:
"But, chat, here comes the 'but.'"
"If we ignore the music and just look at it as a game..."
Vinny spread his hands. "Is it acceptable? I think it's not."
"What's the fundamental difference between its core gameplay and Infinite Scrolling?"
"Isn't it just going from infinitely scrolling the mouse to infinitely holding down the W key?"
"It's all about infinitely repeating one action, with no end in sight, no goals, no feedback."
"The only interactive fun might be the honking system I discovered, which might allow some musical geniuses to get creative, but for ordinary players, it's still too monotonous."
He cleared his throat and concluded: "So, the conclusion is: for a dollar, you won't lose out or get scammed. You'll even get several high-quality songs. Definitely a huge profit."
"But if you're looking for gameplay or fun, it might still disappoint you."
Finally, Vinny looked at the constantly refreshing positive reviews and rapidly growing online player count on the screen, his tone becoming somewhat profound:
"However, have you noticed, chat?"
"This is Blake Weiss's new work after creating Infinite Scrolling and Pinball Simulator."
"Although the core gameplay concept is abstract and consistent, its graphics, music, and even that... hmm... inexplicable atmosphere, have improved so, so much."
"This is not even on the same level."
"I think Great God Blake Weiss might have just been exploring or dabbling before."
"But now..." Vinny paused, then stated with certainty, "He has definitely found his groove."
"Or rather, he's laid his cards on the table. No more pretending. He is a genius game designer."
"I have a premonition that as long as he's willing, he will definitely create something truly sensational in the future."
"We can look forward to it."
Just as Vinny was giving this "objective evaluation," the numbers behind the system notifications—which Blake had blocked from his view in the bottom right corner—were still wildly fluctuating.
[Steam New Game Popularity Ranking: No. 51]
[Online Players: 1,827]
[Total Sales: 8,942]
[Player Reviews Received: ★★★★★ (+357)]
[Player Reviews Received: ★★☆☆☆ (+18)] — ("Worthless except for the song, but the song alone is worth fifty bucks!")
[Side Quest Completed — Going Corporate: Join a company with a market value ≥ $1 million]
[Quest Reward Issued: System Points × 1,000]
[Current Total Points: 2,000]
[Starter Quest Completed: Create any game with ≥ 3,000 downloads]
[Quest Reward Issued: One random game in the System Shop discounted to 50% of host's current points]
[Randomizing Shop Game...]
Blake subconsciously held his breath. While download and review notifications could be blocked, quest completion notifications could not—or rather, he had chosen not to block such relatively important information.
"?" Ivy looked at the slightly tense designer with some confusion. "Mr. Weiss?"
She thought he should be nervous when discussing terms, not now.
But now that the terms were settled and he had decided to officially join, what was there to be nervous about?
Blake regained his composure and said without changing his expression: "Perhaps my allergies are acting up. Breathing was a bit difficult just now."
Ivy nodded slightly, not thinking much of it. "Oh, I see... allergies can indeed be uncomfortable."
[Shop Game Randomization Complete]
[Game Production License: Delta Force — Original Price: System Points × 114,514]
[Limited-Time Discount Price: System Points × 1,000]
[This discount will last for 72 hours.]
PLZ THROW POWERSTONES.