Started as a comics editor

Chapter 284 Is this really a game?
Eijiyama, controlling the pixelated figure, navigates through the ruins under the gentle guidance of Toriel, the goat mother.

The game's combat system is indeed novel—the player's soul is represented by a small red heart, and the combat involves the player moving within the heart's box and skillfully dodging various pixelated bullets with different trajectories fired by monsters.

But the core logic seems to be the same as RPGs: encounter monsters, enter battle, defeat monsters, gain EXP (experience points), and then level up.

but……

After two battles, we arrived at the tutorial point.

Rong Cishan suddenly felt something was wrong. Mainly because he had been prejudiced and had a lot of complaints to complain about, so he hadn't looked at the battle interface carefully.

It was only after the in-game tutorial mentioned this that I realized the last option on the battle screen wasn't "run away," but rather the very distinctive "mercy."

"If the monsters don't want to fight... should we be merciful to them?"

Rong Cishan looked at the tutorial text on the screen thoughtfully and continued to advance the game.

And then they encountered the frog monster again.

Eijiyama carefully examined the battle options and then discovered that there was an action option at the end.

What, then, is action?
Curious, he clicked on it and found three sub-menus under the action: View, Praise, Threaten.

Um? ?

The "View" option displays the monster's attack and defense attributes, but what do the latter two options mean?
Is this right?
Rongcishan tried selecting the praise option.

Opponent's turn.

Froggit doesn't understand what you're saying, but it seems to be getting a little cocky.

Froggit: (Face turning bright red) Quack quack.

"...?"

While controlling the red heart representing the player to dodge the bullets, Eijiyama typed a question mark and suddenly thought the monster was actually quite cute.

then.

A new notification popped up.

Froggit doesn't seem to want to fight you.

Upon seeing this prompt, Rong Cishan realized something and selected the forgiveness option under the mercy menu.

really.

The battle ended abruptly.

But the character did not gain any XP.

"Does this mean you're encouraging players to avoid combat? Or am I misunderstanding something?"

Rong Cishan seemed to be deep in thought, feeling that something about this was not quite right.

However, he did become a little more careful after that, and would take a quick look before taking any action against any monster he encountered.

Although the overall operation is indeed more complicated than direct combat.

But he found that the monsters in the game were all quite cute.

There was a melancholy guy with a sour face who approached meekly, constantly apologizing while pretending to fight.

There are little monsters that wriggle like seaweed, responding by twisting their hips and shouting "sexy wriggling."

There are also ghosts who are psychologically fragile, extremely depressed, and use tears as a form of attack. They might even say they've lost interest and stop attacking altogether while the fight is going on...

Rongcishan didn't attack at all! He encouraged the opponent three whole times!

The first time was to give the ghost a forgiving smile, and the second time was to tell the ghost a little joke.

After the third encouragement, the ghost made himself a hat.

Meanwhile, the text box displays the message: "Ghost Napster eagerly awaits your response."

Rong Cishan: "..."

No, is that right?

It's quite cute.

But this... doesn't really feel like a battle; it feels more like interacting with, well, a bit clumsy and a bit sensitive friend?

No, it can't be said to resemble a battle.

In fact, the process of encouragement.

This monster's attack frequency and methods will increase, making it very difficult to dodge the barrage.

This world isn't a bullet hell game like Touhou Raiden, but there are similar ones. It's just that Eijiro hadn't played any of them before, so controlling the little red heart that represents the player's soul and dodging the increasingly fast and treacherous bullet patterns within a narrow box was quite a challenge.

It's nowhere near as satisfying or quick as direct combat.

But how to say it.

He always felt that he had grasped some of the game's characteristics.

Rong Cishan said softly, "Does this game encourage players to use this kind of clever method to complete the game?"

This... takes into account the child setting in the game.

Emmm...

It's really possible.

And these monsters are actually quite cute.

Think of this.

Eijiyama paid closer attention to the battle that followed, and then he discovered that the monsters did indeed possess methods of outsmarting them.

This made him feel like he had grasped the essence of the game.

only.

soon.

He then encountered a challenge.

Sheep Mom.

The woman who rescued the protagonist from the little flower, wearing a robe and with ram horns, who calls herself Toriel, doesn't seem to want the player to leave the initial map. Instead, she acts like a kind mother and begins to arrange the protagonist's study and life plans.

But the initial map is only so big, and staying here makes it impossible to progress in the game.

So in every conversation, Eijiyama said he wanted to go home.

After his repeated insistence, the sheep mother finally spoke up and explained everything, and led the player to the door.

just.

Players must defeat the Goat Mother to escape this initial map.

The issue is.

This seems like there's no way to outsmart them...

If you stop, she will send the player back, and everything will return to square one.

Rong Cishan tried many times, but to no avail.

He's forgiven them seven or eight times already! But it still doesn't end the fight!

"Is a fight inevitable? Or will they give way when their health is low?"

Another attempt at forgiveness failed.

Rong Cishan realized he was on the wrong track, changed his approach, and began to fight.

This battle was difficult, extremely difficult, more difficult than any of the monsters we had encountered before.

The barrage of comments was too dense.

Rong Cishan couldn't dodge at all, and soon he only had three points of health left.

Just then, when the barrage of comments touched the red hearts again, the battle suddenly stopped.

A line of text suddenly popped up in the text box: "Toriel deliberately avoided you."

When Eiji was accidentally touched by a comment again, the text box displayed: "[Toriel took a deep breath.]"

obviously.

The enemy is letting us through.

And the sequel.

When Rongcishan had only a sliver of health left, a truly spectacular scene unfolded... Even when he controlled the little red heart to actively meet the attacking magic projectiles, those magic projectiles would disperse like a tide.

Actively avoid him.

It was as if this tall, robed woman with ram's horns had no intention of harming the player.

"……Wow."

Rong Cishan tried several times and found that it wasn't an illusion; the opponent's attacks really did avoid him. He was truly astonished.

He wanted to try forgiveness again.

And this attempt... was repeated fourteen times!
After discovering that the mother goat didn't want to hurt the protagonist.

Rongcishan forgave her a total of fourteen times.

develop to the end.

Even the sheep mother isn't going to act anymore.

And Rongcishan forgave her time and time again.

at last.

The mother goat hugged the protagonist in the game and let her go.

The music became softer.

Rong Cishan scratched his head, suppressing his doubts, and guided his character toward the gate of the ruins.

The little flower reappeared, mocked the player, and told him that in this world, it's either kill or be killed.

Looking at Xiaohua's mockery, Rongcishan suddenly felt that perhaps his constant forgiveness was the right thing to do.

Perhaps it was because the mother goat deliberately avoided the player's attacks afterward, never intending to harm the player in the slightest.

Anyway, this made Rong Cishan feel like he had done a good thing.

But what on earth is this little flower?
Rong Cishan couldn't understand it.

Let's try clearing the game first...

As he thought about it, he guided his character toward the exit.

……

Next.

New environment, new monsters.

Rongcishan continued to advance the game, and the map grew larger.

And interesting monsters began to appear one by one.

A Citroën who loves telling corny jokes; an Ice Cap who thinks his hat is really cool; a dog that only gets excited by moving targets; a puppy that loves being petted and whose neck grows longer the more it's stroked; a snowman who gives the player a snow block and hopes the player will take it to the ends of the earth; a guy selling delicious popsicles everywhere...

And the characters began to appear one by one.

Skull Brothers, Captain of the Kingdom's Guard, Chief Scientist of the Kingdom, Robot...

Every time Rongcishan encountered a battle, he would try to outsmart his opponent.

He discovered that outsmarting the enemy was much more fun and exciting than fighting!

It can be said that although the graphics are simple, once you get into the game, you'll find yourself playing it.

Rongcishan, however, had more and more fun as he played.

During his long journey, the monsters' actions also overturned his understanding.

This is definitely not a traditional RPG.

The monsters are not inherently evil; they, like humans, yearn for truth, goodness, and beauty.

They attack humans out of fear, and if you win their favor, they'll even foolishly risk their lives for you.

The game's story background is also not complicated.

Simply put, these sealed monsters need to collect the souls of seven humans to break the seal and return to the surface. The souls of six humans have already been collected, and the protagonist's arrival brings the final batch of human souls.

If the monsters kill the protagonist, they will be able to see the sun again and lie on the ground to see the real stars.

But they couldn't bring themselves to attack players who never picked up weapons.

So sometimes they will provoke players, throwing stones at them or poking them with branches, but their only goal is to get players to stay with them a little longer.

Pat them on the head, or even just say a few words of praise, and they'll be so happy they feel like they could fly to the sky.

These monsters are so cute!

"How interesting..."

This is my review after spending four hours at Rongcishan.

What technologies and techniques did the game use? What did it express? Was it good or bad?

In fact, it was not important to Rongcishan at all.

After all, he's just an ordinary player.

As long as the game is fun, he can keep playing it.

And this game...

He found it hilarious! It was so funny!
This game kept bringing him fun from beginning to end.

Rong Cishan once went on a date with a skeleton in a game, lay on the floor with a ghost imagining the vast universe, played a quiz game with a robot, and even had an awkward dance...

This game has a truly unique feel to it. How should I put it... it has a kind of cynical vibe, a disdain for traditional RPGs, and a subversive ambition.

This disdain and yearning are vividly displayed through the game's various satirical interpretations of traditional RPGs. The enemy's meticulously designed traps, which should be an essential puzzle in RPGs, are simply bypassed by the player.

While rummaging through boxes and cabinets in the scene in an attempt to find rare props, all they end up finding are a few lame jokes.

What's even funnier is that the hot dog bought from the prop shop was actually placed directly on the protagonist's head...

It can be said.

These ingenious ideas are found in every corner of the game, making Rong Cishan constantly look forward to when the next creative idea will appear.

That's really interesting.

At the same time, he also felt that the game world was very vibrant, warm, and healing.

Eijiyama didn't know why either, but after thinking about it again and again, he figured it was probably because of the characters who appeared in the show...

They are all so distinctive and unique.

However, the game is indeed not very long.

soon.

The happy time has come to an end.

Rongcishan has arrived at the final checkpoint.

The courtroom in front of the throne.

Sans, the elder brother of the Skull Brothers, stood at the end of the corridor, a character that Eijiyama found hard to understand.

He thought it was a battle.

But quite the opposite...

A dialog box popped up above Sans's head.

The end of the journey is within reach.

You will soon meet the King.

You will decide the future of this world, but that's a matter for later.

Now, you will stand trial.

You will be judged for every action you take.

You will be judged for every point of EXP you gain.

"?"

Rong Cishan slowly typed a question mark: What trial?

The game seemed to know that the player in front of the screen was confused.

Soon, the dialog box popped up again.

What is EXP? It's an abbreviation.

It means "execution points".

[A way to quantify the pain you cause others. Every time you kill someone, your EXP increases, and when you have enough EXP, your LV increases.]

LV...LOVE, also an abbreviation, stands for "Level of Violence," used to measure a person's capacity to harm others. The more you kill, the further you stray from your true self; the further you stray from your true self, the harder you are to be harmed, and the easier it is for you to allow yourself to harm others.

"?"

Upon seeing this conversation, Rong Cishan slowly typed a question mark again.

Ah? ? ?
What an abbreviation genius?!
Does EXP mean this?
Doesn't LV mean Level?
Just quickly.

Rongcishan remembered what Xiaohua had said at the beginning of the game, and the unconventional yet healing monsters in the game.

I was suddenly stunned.

Then, as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind, all the inconsistencies he had vaguely sensed before, and all the doubts that seemed a little off, were completely illuminated, connected, and given a completely new and awe-inspiring meaning!

I see... I see... I see!
forgive……

The charm of this game... lies in the fact that players can forgive every monster!

This means that the player adheres to their inner principles, striving to do the right thing no matter what difficulties and struggles they face, refusing to hurt anyone, and even when choosing to run away, they do so with a smile on their face.

That player may not be able to get any LOVE (Violence Index).

But you will receive love...

Eijiyama thought about the heart-healing monsters he had encountered on his journey and finally understood.

"Wow……"

Rong Cishan stared at the screen, truly stunned, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Those numbers, those familiar symbols from RPGs that represent the player character's growing strength, are completely deconstructed and subverted in this game, becoming a measure of sin and the degree of soul corruption.

He thought of Xiaohua's initial words, of every monster he encountered on his journey, and of all the messy ways he outsmarted them: praise, threats, flirting, encouragement, comfort... options that were far more troublesome than mindless hacking and slashing.

Suddenly everything became clear!
I see……

It truly runs throughout!

At this moment, Rongcishan was even somewhat relieved, relieved that he had insisted on forgiveness with the goat mother, and that he had mostly outsmarted the monsters he encountered afterward! Although it was troublesome, it was also very interesting!
This game... is awesome!

This RPG can be done like this?!
……and many more.

Rong Cishan sighed for a while... then suddenly realized something and frowned.

If that's the case, then it seems I've killed monsters before.

I killed a few frogs at the beginning.

There was nothing he could do; the game didn't give any hints back then, so he just instinctively started fighting.

And I killed some of them afterward... Some of the enemies definitely looked like they were meant for a fight.

Does that mean...

Rong Cishan did not continue thinking about it.

Because after SANS finished explaining, there was no follow-up; he simply asked the player to ask themselves if they had done the right thing.

then.

That's the final boss battle.

With doubts in mind, Rongcishan controlled his character to travel deep into the royal city, where he met the person that the Goat Mother had warned him to be careful of. She was her husband, the King of the Underground Kingdom—a tall man with ram horns, wearing armor, but looking extremely tired and sad, King Asgore.

this battle.

Equally impressive.

A strange light illuminated the room; the dawn's rays pierced through the barrier. It seems your journey has finally come to an end, and you are now filled with determination.

This was accompanied by such a prompt.

This boss pulled out a trident and shattered the merciful companion that had accompanied the player all the way.

Yes.

The BOSS destroyed the Mercy option.

This means that Rongcishan can only clear the game by defeating this boss!

"Wow……"

Rongcishan exclaimed "Wow!" again.

But soon, he realized something.

The king must kill the character he controls, collect the last human souls, break the seal, and break free from the ground.

The character must kill the king and return home.

The two are indeed locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Therefore, there is no mercy.

That makes sense.

can.

Rong Cishan always felt a little regretful...

Along the way, after playing for so long and encountering so many healing and memorable monsters and NPCs, it all proves that this underground world is not as bad as it seems.

Is it really that bad?

Do we really have to do that?

Something doesn't feel right...

Is there a completely peaceful path? Is it possible to truly not kill a single monster?
Although Rong Cishan was lost in thought, he did not stop moving.

She constantly manipulated the little red heart to dodge the king's attacks.

Finally, after four or five attempts, Asgore's health was depleted.

His tall frame swayed, the battle music stopped abruptly, and a suffocating silence followed.

Rongcishan did not experience much joy in his victory.

Because right at that moment!

A sharp, piercing laugh that clashed abruptly with the rest of the atmosphere rang out!
That persistent little flower has returned.

Then comes the psychological attack!
An indescribable, terrifying aggregate of plants and twisted machinery.

It took up the entire screen, with countless vines and mechanical arms reaching out, and a barrage of bullets so dense it was almost despairing, surging towards the red heart that represented the player's soul.

There's a second boss...

Eijiyama was stunned by this sudden and overwhelming development and visual impact... Although the previous battles were difficult, they were still within the framework of dodging bullet hell.

At this moment, this thing's attack has completely gone beyond the norm! The bullet trajectory is not only bizarre, but also ridiculously dense! It even causes game crashes!

It looks like it's attacking players outside the game!
After defeating this boss... Eijiro was exhausted.

The final boss's twisted and blasphemous form disappeared.

The battle is over.

Little Flower reappeared.

But Rongcishan was not happy at all.

Especially after recalling Sans's words in the courtroom.

He suddenly became curious whether a true peace line existed in this game.

So after thinking about it, he decided to forgive Xiaohua directly.

...I'm thinking of just starting a new save file!
……

at the same time.

Avalon Game Assistant has been available for some time now since the game was unlocked.

However, there are still not many related posts.

After all, they're still playing.

However, around 3 a.m., the situation changed slightly.

A post suddenly appeared.

Have you guys played Undertale? What's it like?

[As the title suggests, I recently saw this mentioned in the indie game scene and came here out of curiosity. Pixel-style RPG? The name sounds pretty ordinary. For those who have played it, what do you think? Is it worth the time? How long is the game? Is it fun?]

This is just a very ordinary post.

It's simply that Avalon has become very famous, and then suddenly released such a special game. Some players came here because of its reputation, and when they saw that there was a forum, they didn't rush to buy it, but instead came to ask other players first.

But this ordinary post, less than a minute after it was published, received over a hundred replies.

It's 3 a.m....

I just finished my first playthrough, and I have mixed feelings. All I can say about this game is... it's really fun. It completely overturned my understanding of RPG experience points, levels, and combat. The game isn't long, but it has a huge impact!

It doesn't attract players with its graphics or fast-paced combat, but rather... I don't know how to put it, but the monster design is truly amazing! Each one is distinct and has a personality, which is very heartwarming. However, I always felt like I wasn't playing the true ending, so I won't comment further. But if you're planning to buy the game, I'd advise you not to kill any monsters! Don't get any EXP! Treat the monsters kindly; everyone underground is really nice!

[Highly recommended! This game has such a unique feel! It's full of playful deconstruction and parody of traditional RPGs! The author, Sanliu, is truly a genius at abbreviations! They can even abbreviate like that! However, I also killed the monsters and finally defeated the Mental Pollution Flower, so I won't comment on it yet. I'll wait and see the other ending, but even without it, I still think this game is worth playing.]

【I also recommend it! Ah... the way this game tells a story is absolutely amazing. In this tiny pixel world, it uses all sorts of narrative techniques: narrative tricks, environmental narratives, interconnected beginnings and endings, character-driven narratives, and countless foreshadowing and setups... the ending really moved me to tears.】

Hey you two upstairs! Don't kill the monster! There's another ending! Trust me! That ending is truly amazing!

[Successfully completed the game! I realized from the beginning that something was off about the choices! And I was right! But seeing from the comments above that there seem to be multiple endings, I won't spoil it! But I can tell you all! Without killing any monsters! The ending is really great! I love the final ending so much!]
It filled me with determination!!!

[I also achieved the no-kill ending! Seriously! This is a heartwarming fairy tale written through a game! With simple pixel graphics, innovative gameplay, and a profound storyline, it tells players about the power of choice, the preciousness of kindness, and the meaning of life! I think players who enjoy story-driven games will definitely love this one!]

[I've finished the game! Highly recommended! AAA titles are like skyscrapers, beautiful in their grandeur, magnificence, and order. This game, on the other hand, is like a magical little house built of seashells next to those skyscrapers—beautiful in its simple exterior but full of wonder inside! It's truly amazing! After finishing it, I'm filled with renewed determination!]

【…】

obviously.

Each player's progression path is different.

Some reached a peace line, while others fought along a normal line.

just.

Regardless of which lane they played, almost all players gave positive reviews, and also... offered advice.

That is.

This is a bit hard to understand for the person who posted it.

capital.

Yi Lichao, a player who came specifically for the game, sat in front of his computer, looked at the comments below, and slowly typed a question mark: "No... no killing monsters? What kind of RPG is that? Is this even a game??? And the reviews are so good???"

(End of this chapter)