"Has anyone cleared the game yet?"
"Not yet! Still stuck on the final battle between Shirou Emiya and Gilgamesh. I just can't beat Gilgamesh."
"The earlier stages were fine, but this Gilgamesh design is really overpowered!"
"Say no more, I'm on my twelfth try against Gilgamesh."
"It's probably because we didn't do enough side quests to level up. Just followed the main story, didn't buy any skins, didn't do any side content to grow stronger—at around level 20, it really is hard."
"But the story is truly amazing!"
"I still think 'Fate/Zero' was better."
"How so? 'Fate/Zero' really fleshed out the supporting cast, whereas in 'Fate/stay night', it didn't feel like the side characters got as much development."
"Nonsense. I think Artoria's character is even better in 'Fate/stay night' than in 'Fate/Zero'!"
"You're not getting my point—I'm talking about the supporting cast! Like Lancer Diarmuid in 'Fate/Zero'. He had only a few episodes, but he left a lasting impression. He had flashbacks, internal struggles, and tangled relationships with his Master. But the Lancer in 'Fate/stay night'? Sure, he's strong, but next to Diarmuid, his characterization falls flat."
"True. And the Berserker class—Illyasviel's servant—is decently portrayed, but honestly, his backstory and depth can't compare to Lancelot's."
"Exactly. 'Fate/Zero' gave full arcs to all seven Masters and Servants within just over ten episodes. But in 'Fate/stay night'? I've nearly finished the Artoria route and still feel like many characters' backstories are vague."
"But one thing's undeniable—Artoria and Shirou Emiya really leave a strong impression in this game."
"No doubt. Artoria's story is beautifully complete. Every time Shirou dreams of her past, I get genuinely emotional."
"To me, the story in 'Fate/stay night' is phenomenal, especially the romantic progression between Artoria and Shirou. It had me hyped."
"Guys, I think I'm almost at the end—wish me luck."
By the night of November 3rd, the fastest group of players finally reached the final chapter.
At the climax in Ryuudou Temple, players simultaneously control both Artoria and Shirou Emiya in split-battlefield sequences, fighting against final bosses Gilgamesh and Kotomine Kirei.
The once-locked Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, clashes with Gilgamesh's Ea in an explosion of visual effects.
On the other battlefield, Shirou duels Kirei one-on-one.
The strongest Noble Phantasm foreshadowed since 'Fate/Zero'—Avalon—proves its worth in this final fight.
The ultimate defense, impenetrable even by the Five True Magics... Artoria's real Noble Phantasm, the sheath Avalon.
Artoria defeats Gilgamesh head-on, and Shirou also defeats Kirei in direct combat.
Honestly, from a story logic perspective, Artoria and Kiritsugu Emiya defeating those two characters definitely reeks of protagonist plot armor.
Artoria makes sense, but Shirou? With his half-baked Projection Magecraft? Going toe-to-toe with the guy who almost killed Kiritsugu? Even Jing Yu thought it was a bit of a stretch.
Hands lifted off the keyboard and mouse.
It's time for the game's CG ending.
For the sake of Fuyuki City, Shirou uses his final Command Seal to order Artoria to destroy the Holy Grail.
With the last seal gone... Artoria must return to her own time.
As dawn breaks, golden hair fluttering in the morning breeze, Artoria and Shirou share a final farewell—
—And a confession.
Artoria, just before she disappears, finally answers Shirou's feelings.
In that moment, she becomes light, dissolving into the wind.
Many players let out a sigh at this scene.
Was it sadness?
Was it moving?
Or something else?
It felt like something clung to their hearts—yet slowly, a fullness flowed in to replace it.
Is this truly the end of Artoria?
Then comes the final narration: Artoria, having come to terms with her pursuit, no longer bound by the Grail, can finally rest.
At the brink of her death, having fought in two Holy Grail Wars, knowing she had no regrets as King, she calmly accepted her fate.
This... is Artoria.
As she returns the sword, memories of the Grail War with that boy, Shirou Emiya, flash in her mind.
She slowly closes her eyes.
Of course, this scene takes place at the spot where she asked Bedivere to return Excalibur to the lake. Had he not returned it, this scene would have become a singularity—like the plot of Chapter 6 from one of Jing Yu's past-life games.
But that would be just one possibility in the multiverse. In the canon 'Fate/stay night' route, Bedivere did return the sword. Otherwise, Artoria could not truly rest, nor enter Avalon, nor meet Shirou's soul after death.
It's now late at night.
The fastest Artoria-route player in Great Zhou lights a cigarette in his room, the smoke swirling as his thoughts remain tangled in the story.
At the end, the game offers a prompt—clear the game again in New Game+ to unlock different routes. But the player's not ready. He needs time to process Artoria's arc.
Then he opens his browser and posts on Yindou Net's comment section for 'Fate/stay night':
[A Masterpiece is Born!]
[Artoria's route is perfect. 10 out of 10? No—100 out of 10!]
[All that waiting was worth it. I'm all in on 'Fate/stay night'.]
[Combat system: 8/10. Story: 99/10—because 100 belongs to 'Fate/Zero'.]
[They perfected Artoria's character. 'Fate/stay night' did not let us fans down!]
From November 4th onward, online discussions on drama and gaming forums flipped dramatically.
It's not that 'Adventurer' was a bad game—it's just that the 'Fate/stay night' game far exceeded fans' expectations.
The media kept accusing Jing Yu of milking fans for money with this game. As if the fans didn't suspect it too.
But after three days of gameplay? It was genuinely great.
Before launch, both games were selling about the same.
Rainbow Star Games had loyal game fans. Jing Yu had massive TV drama followers. Some overlap, but mostly separate demographics—each buying their own.
But Jing Yu's tens of millions of drama fans? Now that was a scary base. Even non-gamers got curious after all the online hype.
These fans didn't care if a game was fun—they cared about story.
And players weren't just praising gameplay.
They were praising the plot.
Giving 'Fate/Zero' 100 points and 'Fate/stay night' 99?
Artoria in love?
Gilgamesh defeated?
Artoria's tragic, beautiful ending?
All of it lit a fire under TV drama fans.
They weren't here to play. They were here to watch the story.
And so, the sales turning point came on day five.
By the end of that day:
'Adventurer': 1.2 million copies sold.
'Fate/stay night': Surged by 400,000 in one day, reaching 1.5 million.
The industry was stunned.
"What's happening? 1.5 million on day five?"
"Are these numbers real?"
"Apparently, it's drama fans buying just for the story."
"You're kidding. Buying games for a sequel to a TV show?"
"Can't wrap my head around it."
"Sure, novels have boosted game sales before—but a drama fueling game sales like this?"
"Anyone buying for the story must be brain-dead. Games are for playing, not watching."
"Heard the game is 70% story, 30% combat."
"People really play this?"
"I don't get it. Maybe tomorrow sales will drop?"
"Maybe."
"I'm checking tonight's reviews. All praise for the story. Is it really that good? Anyone tried it?"
"I don't even watch Jingyu's dramas. Why would I play his game?"
"I'll give it a shot. Buying a copy to test—what makes this game so hot?"
By day five, the industry was no longer laughing.
1.5 million units? No way to mock that.
If momentum held, the game might hit 5 million.
Artoria is undoubtedly the face of the Fate series. Mention Fate, and fans picture her first.
But the original 'Fate/stay night' had more than just her.
Sakura Matou's route was dark and twisted—too much for many.
But Rin Tohsaka? Totally different. Maybe not quite as popular as the "Ahoge King", but not far behind.
After players finished Artoria's route, many assumed the story was done.
Then they started a New Game+ and unlocked Rin's route.
At first, they were shocked. But soon, they understood:
This was a multi-route game.
But of course, some players thought: wait, didn't Shirou just fall in love with Artoria? Now he's getting flirty with Rin?
Kind of a scumbag, huh?
Still, in multi-route visual novels, you must treat each route as a parallel world.
Same protagonist, different emotional journey.
In Artoria's route, Shirou loves the "Ahoge King" at first sight.
In Rin's route, he's always had a crush on her, with no feelings for Artoria or Sakura.
In Sakura's route, Shirou loves his childhood friend's younger sister, Rin, and Artoria is just a side character.
These distinctions aren't based on your choices—they're baked into the route from the start.
As players, we're just observers—our choices determine what version of Shirou we follow.
Understand this, and it all makes sense.
If you treat them as the same person, you'll think: "Wow, he falls in love with three different girls in a few days? What a player."
But treat them as different people in different worlds, and it clicks.
So, once players naturally accepted this design and let go of the Shirou-Artoria romance, immersing themselves fully into Rin's story—
A new world was born.
And suddenly they realized—
"Whoa. Rin Tohsaka is adorable, too."