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[Game] Chapter 188: Overwhelmingly Positive Reception
🕑 Added 2025-04-03 16:21:37 +0000 UTCIn Akihabara, there was a partnered store offering exclusive first-purchase bonuses for Hollow Knight.
The group arrived before 8 AM, when the area was still relatively quiet. Outside the still-closed store, about twenty people were already in line.
Checking the time, Ichin said,
"The store opens at 8. Not long now—let’s line up too."
With that, everyone moved to the end of the queue.
Standing on tiptoes to peek at the front, Aoba whispered,
"It should be opening soon. The staff is already organizing the line."
The others also checked their watches—five minutes left until opening.
Sayuri Sawamura stood beside Ichin and Utaha, along with her daughter Eriri.
"Ichin-kun, last night when the digital version launched, I checked some streaming sites. A lot of people were playing Hollow Knight—the initial hype is great!"
Ichin nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, I saw it too. The number of online players was really high. After this launch event, I’ll check again—I bet the sales will have jumped even more."
Just as they were talking, a commotion stirred at the front—the store had opened.
With the doors unlocked, the customers eagerly entered, no longer needing to wait in the cold.
Inside the Store
Near the entrance, a promo screen was playing Hollow Knight’s launch PV, and posters decorated the surrounding walls—impossible to miss.
Moving deeper inside, they headed straight to the new release section, where stacks of Nintendo Switch copies of Hollow Knight were neatly arranged.
Ichin picked up a box, inspecting it—it was identical to the factory-pressed version he had received earlier.
"As expected, the only difference is the store’s exclusive bonus."
Glancing around, he turned to the group.
"If you guys aren’t in a rush, we can browse the store a bit. I haven’t been here in a while—maybe there’s something interesting to buy."
Hajime, however, excitedly grabbed a copy and shook her head.
"Not me! After this, I have to rush to another store—their exclusive bonus is waiting for me!"
Aoba chimed in,
"Same here! There are other store exclusives I need to get!"
"Me too, me too!"
Even Nene eagerly raised her hand.
It seemed everyone had a serious attachment to exclusive bonuses.
Ichin chuckled and said,
"Alright, after you’re done, just head straight over. Be sure to come back before noon—we’re cooking at the studio."
"No problem!"
"What’s on the menu today?"
Ichin thought for a moment.
"It’s pretty cold today, so how about chicken soup? And maybe some other dishes."
"Ohhh, chicken soup!"
Aoba’s eyes lit up instantly.
"I love chicken soup! I’ll definitely be back by noon! Let’s go, Nene—early in, early out!"
As Aoba dragged Nene away, the latter sighed.
"Eh~~? Since when did you become such a foodie? If you keep eating like this, you’ll get fat!"
"No way! I have the ‘never-gain-weight’ trait!"
Laughing and chatting, Aoba, Nene, and Hajime headed for the cashier to pay for their purchases.
Ichin held a copy of Hollow Knight while browsing the store with Utaha. He also ended up buying the remastered version of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. It had been a long time since he last played it, but the concept of using a camera to exorcise ghosts with beautiful girls was still intriguing—definitely worth revisiting.
Other than that, there weren’t many games worth buying—either he already owned them or simply had no interest in playing them.
Turning around, Ichin saw Sayuri Sawamura and Eriri approaching. Eriri was also holding a copy of the remastered Fatal Frame.
"I’ve been so focused on Hollow Knight these past few days that I forgot to buy this game. Today’s the perfect chance to fix that." Holding up her purchase, Eriri asked, "Are you guys done? The others have already paid."
Ichin nodded.
"Yeah, this was the only one I wanted. Let’s go."
At the Checkout Counter
The four of them joined the line at the cashier, noticing that many customers were holding copies of Hollow Knight. Groups of friends chatted excitedly about their plans for the game, some even confidently declaring that they would beat it over the weekend.
Ichin and Utaha exchanged a knowing glance.
Clearing the game in just two days? Do they think I made it that easy?
While the demo version was designed to be accessible to most players, the full game was a completely different beast. Ichin wasn’t some rookie game developer who watered down difficulty just to cater to casual players. He had carefully designed the game to challenge players at every step.
After waiting for about seven to eight minutes, it was finally their turn.
Ichin completed his purchase, and the cashier placed the game into a store-branded shopping bag. Then, they retrieved a launch-exclusive keychain and placed it inside before handing it over.
"Thank you for your purchase!"
Taking the bag, Ichin and Utaha left the counter. Behind them, Eriri and Sayuri completed their purchases and rejoined the group outside.
Opening the bag, Ichin took out the bonus keychain—it featured the game’s protagonist in a high-quality print. Though just a small trinket, it was a decent store-exclusive item.
After placing it back in the bag, Ichin turned to the others.
"So, do we want to keep exploring Akihabara? A lot of shops haven’t even opened yet."
Most game stores opened early, but Ichin was also interested in checking out second-hand shops or figure stores.
However, Eriri, wearing her work glasses instead of contact lenses today, let out a yawn.
"Nah, I need to go home and get some sleep. I was too hyped last night and barely got any rest."
"Not coming with us to the studio? We’re having a group lunch."
"Can’t."
At the mention of this, Eriri’s face darkened slightly, looking frustrated.
"After I get some sleep, I have to go to class."
"Huh?" Ichin turned to Sayuri, surprised.
The older woman chuckled, covering her mouth.
"Unlike you and Utaha, Eriri isn’t exactly a top student. Letting her skip for a bit this morning was already pushing it—she has to go to school soon. Anyway, best wishes for Hollow Knight's sales! We’ll be heading off now~"
With that, she dragged the reluctant Eriri away.
Since there was nothing else to do, Ichin and the others headed straight back to the studio.
Checking the Launch Reception
As soon as they arrived, Kō Yagami and the others immediately logged into Japan’s gaming forums to check discussions about Hollow Knight’s release.
Meanwhile, Ichin opened the Steam store page for the Chinese region.
Overnight, the number of reviews had skyrocketed past 1,500, and the game’s overall rating had firmly held at "Overwhelmingly Positive."
Out of these 1,500+ reviews, a whopping 95% were positive!
...
Comments
Hrea_
Let me guess, the negatives are something like "the game is too hard!!!" Or something like that
