CHAPTER 93: SUBNAUTICA REVIEW

After finally sending off the group of enthusiastic fans, Tony drove Natalie home.

"Cortana, take us home," Tony said as he slipped into the driver’s seat of the Ferrari.

"The route has been planned," the car’s AI responded. "Which driving mode would you like to use?"

"I’ll drive. You just assist."

"Understood."

"Wow, you actually put Cortana’s system in the car?" Natalie blinked in surprise.

"Mm, just a little experiment of mine," Tony replied with a smile. "Seems to be working out pretty well so far."

"Can it drive on its own?"

"Of course. But I don’t like going fully driverless. Whether it’s a clunker or a luxury car, part of the fun is driving it yourself."

"I really don’t get men sometimes." Natalie pouted. "How does it compare to Tesla?"

"Just a little stronger than Tesla," Tony said modestly, though his proud expression completely gave him away.

The system was his own creation, of course it had to be top quality.

It was already late, the streets were empty, so Tony stepped on the accelerator and let the car fly down the road.

But for Natalie, who had dived through oceans and scaled cliffs inside the game, riding in a sports car wasn’t that thrilling anymore. She switched to teasing Tony instead.

"By the way, Tony, you’re looking pretty smug. Are you proud because that nurse asked to add you?"

"Exactly," Tony chuckled. "Now that I’ve got money, I’ve got to act a little bolder, right? What’s the big deal about one little nurse? I could add a few others too with ease. Besides, don’t you have a crowd of fans already? If I hadn’t reacted quickly, they might’ve exposed me as the... uh... producer."

"I didn’t expect I’d become so famous that I’d bump into fans even in the middle of the night," Natalie sighed. "The troubles of being a star... Tony, you wouldn’t understand."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"But really, this Sekiro you made is too amazing. Once it’s released, players are going to be completely hooked. But... won’t your game’s success attract jealousy from your peers? Or worse, government pushback?"

"Jealousy? Definitely. As for the state... I’m not sure." Tony shook his head. "I’ve already seen how dirty some peers can play. But the there hasn’t shown any resistance so far."

In fact, not long ago, his work had even been praised by the News. Plus, the New World Studio he founded had already become a major taxpayer. Logically, that should be enough reason for the authorities to leave him alone.

After all, one of the main criticisms of games was that they wasted people’s time and made them physically weak. But with his games, it was the opposite.

Playing Subnautica taught swimming. Playing Sekiro was like practicing martial arts.

After a few hours, players wouldn’t come out frail, they’d come out stronger.

He could even push the them to improve their fitness, just by letting them play.

Before long, the Ferrari pulled up in front of their villa. The two got out, and Tony gave a final instruction.

"Cortana, lock the doors and park the car in the garage."

"No problem," the AI replied.

Under Natalie’s stunned gaze, the garage door opened automatically. The Ferrari drove itself inside, adjusted its angle, then neatly backed into position. Finally, the garage door shut again with a smooth hum.

"This, this..." Natalie pointed at the garage, eyes wide, words catching in her throat.

"What’s wrong?" Tony asked, half-smiling.

"This car... it backed into the garage by itself? And the garage door opened in sync?" Natalie finally managed to speak.

"It’s simple. Both the garage and the car are controlled by Cortana," Tony shrugged. "You can leave everything to her. If you buy a car later, I’ll set you up with the Cortana system too. Let you enjoy the same convenience."

"This is way too powerful..." Natalie muttered.

Earlier, when Tony claimed that his system was stronger than Tesla, she thought he was exaggerating. But now? It really was leagues ahead of Tesla, by not just a little, but by a lot.

"If this ever gets announced, it’ll set the whole world on fire again!" Natalie clicked her tongue.

"Ahem, no need for that just yet. Keep it low key and enjoy it quietly." Tony waved it off.

"Oh, right, right." Natalie nodded quickly. She always ended up listening to Tony in the end.

After entering the house, the two washed up and got ready for bed. But just before turning in, Natalie couldn’t resist pulling out her phone and posting on social media.

"Reminder to everyone before playing Sekiro, make sure to eat first! Just finished a stream, and I fainted from hunger... ended up in the hospital..."

It was late, but plenty of night owls were still online. Within minutes, the comments blew up.

"Wait, is this for real?!

""No way, how can an adult like Natalie faint just from hunger?!"

"It’s true! I was at that hospital just now. Even got a picture with her!"

Sure enough, someone soon posted a group photo. People realized the outrageous story was 100% true.

"You guys don’t even know! When they rushed her in, Natalie was panicking and shouting, drawing the whole lobby’s attention. Then the doctor checked and said it was just hunger fainting. Everyone nearly died laughing."

"Hahaha, you embarrassed your poor little brother to death!"

"Your brother has it rough. But you’re such a great sister!"

"I’m crying, this is too funny!"

"These fans..." Natalie muttered, scrolling through the roasting comments. "Always digging up the most embarrassing things."

"What are you mumbling about?" Tony asked, noticing her frown.

"N-nothing, nothing!" Natalie shook her head quickly. No way could Tony see that post, he’d go crazy on the spot!

"Then just go to sleep!" Tony huffed, not pressing further.

---BREAK---

At seven the next morning, IGN’s official review of Subnautica went live.

The result was no surprise, it had once again earned a perfect score.

Rating: 10/10 – Masterpiece.

Overall Review:

"Subnautica is the gold standard for open world survival games, standing at the very peak of the genre. Powered by New World’s incredible game engine, its environment and atmosphere feel lifelike, while still brimming with fantasy and freshness. From the surface to the ocean depths, the tension is unrelenting, with a bestiary of underwater monsters that haunt players even in their dreams. The storytelling delivers unprecedented emotional impact... A flawless experience."

In short,10 points, completely deserved.

IGN admitted they had tried to find flaws but couldn’t. If they forced a nitpick, fans would riot instantly.

Normally, publishers went out of their way to send IGN early copies, sometimes even sweetening the deal to secure good reviews. But New World? They hadn’t sent anything. No contact, no press kits, not even a single email.

And still, IGN had no choice but to give full marks. As angry as some reviewers were at the studio’s arrogance, the game’s quality left them powerless.

But the IGN review was just a side note. What truly had the world’s eyes was the release of Sekiro that very night.

1253 Words.