At the same time, either due to the power of money or attracted by the popularity, a small portion of game streamers began their journey of suffering in hollow knight.
The game was indeed difficult. In almost every live stream, one could hear the streamers' voices, somewhat broken down by the torment of the bosses. But despite being seemingly a torturous game, it made them somewhat addicted, unable to stop.
Higher difficulty quickly focuses players' energy. When a person's energy is concentrated on something, there will be a state of not wanting to be disturbed, with a highly excited brain, even losing track of time. This state allows players to discover more details and fun in the game.
Moreover, this state is quite comfortable for players. Many players often feel like they haven't played much, and several hours pass unconsciously.
And the most important point is about the rhythm; this game controls it too well.
The game's requirements for personal operation are not actually high: simple basic attacks, jumps, dashes, and at most a few small spells. More importantly, it requires players to familiarize themselves with the boss's attack patterns and rhythm.
Upon first encountering a boss, players might be quickly sent back to their chairs by their fast attack frequency and unpredictable movements. But as players challenge the boss repeatedly and become more skilled with the boss's attacks, they will find that every move is full of a unique sense of rhythm.
They won't deceive like girls; except for Zote, whatever the startup animation looks like, that's what the boss's attack will be like, quite straightforward.
Each challenge will bring a noticeable improvement compared to the last time. This accumulated positive feedback, little by little, will be fully released the moment players defeat the boss, bringing unparalleled sense of achievement and exhilaration.
Even those rough players who don't like 'memorizing patterns' will suddenly find, after repeated failures, that they inexplicably seem to have had an epiphany, dodging all of the boss's attacks and easily defeating the boss that had tormented them for half a day.
Coupled with the masterful creation of the boss battle scenes, the catchy background music, and the outstanding visual presentation, it has almost reached the pinnacle of such games on the market. Just watching it feels like an enjoyment.
This also, in some respects, reduced players' frustration and enhanced the sense of accomplishment brought by victory in battle, as if they had truly created an epic.
Moreover, in hollow knight, high difficulty equals high reward.
There are never any intentionally frustrating areas. If players find a certain path difficult to pass, or a certain boss hard to defeat, once they overcome it, they will receive rewards corresponding to the difficulty, such as important skills or charms.
As we overcome one difficulty after another and experience one trial after another.
Every inch of scenery in this world will gradually unfold before us.
The majestic beauty of Blue Lake, the desolate decline of City of Tears, the perilous and thorny Queen's Gardens, the Abyss filled with wreckage and unwillingness.
Little Knight's footsteps traversed this underground world, writing an epic unique to him.
The journey is not just about combat. In the Holy Nest, every insect has its own story.
For example, Quirrel, who accompanies players throughout the game. Whenever his figure is seen, he always brings a sense of security to players. His words allow everyone to appreciate the Holy Nest, watch the rain, listen to the wind, and comfortably soak in hot springs amidst all the fighting.
Then, watching him sit by the Blue Lake and tell us.
'I forgot all the tragedies, and all I saw were miracles.'
At this moment, the shock brought to everyone was unparalleled, and it was for this reason that after his eternal rest, the nail remaining by the Blue Lake ultimately became a source of lingering regret for players.
In the Holy Nest, almost everyone had a chance to be saved, but only Quirrel made players feel so helpless.
"IGN Score 9.6: hollow knight is a Metroidvania game with rich explorable content and dungeons. The world depicted in the game is rich and captivating, full of stories waiting to be unearthed."
"Bonfire Score 9.4: Exploration full of secrets and fun, and exhilarating combat. The tens of hours spent on this game feel completely worth it."
"Anti-Entropy Titan Game Nation Score 9.9: ..."
"Destiny National Geographic Center Score 9.1: ..."
"Divine City Starry Sky Score 9.5: ..."
The high scores consecutively given by major review websites also added to the popularity of hollow knight.
Soon, the first-week sales figures were released.
"Congratulations to hollow knight for breaking 3 million units in first-week sales!"
With an announcement from the Fantasy Township official blog, all players who loved the game cheered, and those manufacturers who had previously wanted to step on it shut their mouths tightly.
What a weird thing, can't play it at all, let's go, let's go.
"Hehe, 3 million, hehe..."
In the living room, Nangong Yu and Seele huddled together, both frowning as they looked at Bronya, who kept giggling foolishly on the other side.
Nangong Yu, who had just returned home, leaned close to Seele's soft body and whispered to her, "How long has Bronya been like this?"
"Sister Bronya has been like this ever since the specific sales data came out at ten in the morning. Seele can't wake her up no matter how much I call."
Seele looked at Sister Bronya worriedly, then said to her brother with some helplessness.
"..."
It's almost twelve o'clock now. This child, Bronya, hasn't gone silly, has she?
Out of concern for his future wife, Nangong Yu let go of Seele and went to Bronya's side, gently pushing her shoulder.
"Hey, hey, wake up, wake up, Bronya."
"Hehe, hehe..."
Seeing that she was still giggling foolishly and unresponsive, Nangong Yu prepared to use some heavy material.
"I'm getting married to Seele soon, and I'm planning to ask you to be the bridesmaid."
"Hehe... Huh?"
"Huh?"
Not to mention the blushing Seele, this sentence finally touched Bronya's heartstrings, making her vision, which was shrouded in mist, gradually clear. She looked at Nangong Yu somewhat blankly: "What did you say?"
"No, I didn't say anything. But you, what have you been giggling about all morning?"
Hearing this, Bronya's originally blank expression instantly filled with surprise. In Seele's suddenly widened eyes, she directly hugged Nangong Yu.
"Yu, Yu, our game sold over 3 million copies in one week, it's amazing!!!!"
"Mhm, mhm, mhm, I know, I know."
Although he couldn't experience it firsthand, Nangong Yu could somewhat imagine Bronya's current state of mind.
Her childhood dream, after enduring difficulties, had now come true. Bronya certainly had reason to be excited.
"I'm so happy, I'm really so happy."
She smiled brightly, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Looking at Yu's gentle gaze, watching her with a smile, Bronya could no longer hold back. Right in front of Seele, she directly kissed him.