Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 121: Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!

“I’ve got a pretty high G-spot when it cos to gas. Pardon the crude taphor.”

This was sothing Xu Xiaolin said all the ti.

And to be fair, it wasn’t wrong.

As a professional ga reviewer, Xu Xiaolin had climbed the ranks from editor to editor-in-chief over the years, and he always held himself to a high standard: every review had to be thorough, insightful, and well-argued. He prided himself on being like Captain Dragonfly—calm, objective, and never missing a single strength or flaw. His reviews were consistently sharp and fair.

But with experience ca a higher bar for excitent—just like he always said.

A few years ago, maybe the exosuit chanics and dual endings of Swarm 2100 would’ve impressed him.

But now?

It felt like no ga in the world could truly astonish him anymore.

Electronic boredom, so to speak.

Until—

[Burst Core Ready!]

Xu Xiaolin, piloting BT and wielding a heavy machine rifle, activated the Burst Core, maxing out his rate of fire to the limit. As enemy Titans erupted in sparks and their health bars vanished, a rush of pleasure shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

Ohhhh yesss—

He couldn’t help but let out a low groan inside the motion pod.

Like cracking open an ice-cold beer in the sweltering August heat… or slipping into a steaming bath in the dead of winter.

As BT’s mod-based ultimate skill fired up, Xu Xiaolin felt like all his worries and fatigue had been blasted away with every burst of that rapid-fire cannon.

Cleansing.

Xu Xiaolin never imagined that a shooter could feel cleansing.

To rendezvous with Major Anderson, he and BT embarked on a journey.

According to the signal, Major Anderson was still 60 kiloters away, and their first obstacle was a massive factory complex.

At the mont, they stood before the floodgates of its massive drainage system.

With the last enemy Titan collapsing in pieces, Xu Xiaolin glanced back and let out a long, satisfied breath.

Behind them, the 100-ter-long drainage canal was littered with IMC corpses, and broken Titans belched smoke and fla.

It had been a fierce and exhilarating skirmish—one that left an aftertaste.

Especially when the rebel troops crowded around him with admiration and gratitude—

“That was amazing, sir! We would've been wiped out without you!”

“Thank god you're here, sir!”

“You saved our asses, sir!”

“It was an honor to fight by your side!”

Whether riflen or officers, they all called him sir.

Xu Xiaolin—just a rifleman filling in as a Pilot—felt a bit undeserving.

But more than that, he felt proud. Excited.

Once, they had protected him. Now, it was his turn to protect them.

That role reversal? It felt amazing.

He gave them a nod and piloted BT deeper into the drainage tunnels.

There, he found BT’s first mod component—Power Shot.

Basically a cheat with auto-aim.

Land three shots on an enemy, and homing missiles would automatically zero in.

Completely busted.

This level also showcased Gu Sheng’s clever solution to an age-old cha design dilemma: “Titans are too strong, which makes players burn out quickly.”

His answer?

Just take the Titan away from you.

Here, Gu Sheng used a sneaky yet logical thod to kick players out of their cockpits—BT was simply too big to parkour like a Pilot. So you had to go in alone and unlock gates for BT.

But BT didn’t vanish.

He remained your guide, your advisor, your radar—always reminding you to stay alert and stay safe.

He was like a rock-solid partner.

Even when he wasn’t by your side, you felt like he was always there.

So much so that even the stoic Xu Xiaolin couldn’t help saying from the heart: “I’m really glad to see you again, BT.”

To which BT, ever loyal, replied:

[I am also glad to see you again.]

Combat breeds camaraderie.

Of course, even though BT was always looking out for his Pilot, he wasn’t always entirely cooperative—especially when his programming conflicted.

Like when Xu Xiaolin was being chased around by exploding spiders while waiting for a gate to fully open, and he begged BT for cover fire.

BT refused.

[Firing near Pilot location would violate Protocol Three.]

A little stiff. A little dumb.

But it proved one thing—BT prioritized Protocol Three above all else.

The key highlight of this level, though, was Gu Sheng’s near-terrifying grasp of player psychology.

He knew that once players were separated from their heavy-hitting BT, they’d start to miss him.

So what did he do?

Had the cloaked brute—Kane, who previously fought Lastimosa—show up piloting his own Titan for a boss fight.

Players couldn’t wait to jump back into BT, and what followed was another heart-pounding cha showdown.

That new Power Shot mod finally got its mont.

Target marked, rocket core fired—screen-shaking chaos and absolute adrenaline overload.

In short—

By this point in the ga?

Xu Xiaolin rated it a 99 out of 100.

Yes, almost perfect.

And Xu Xiaolin knew—giving a score like that, especially as the editor-in-chief of a T1-level ga dia outlet, was crazy.

But facts were facts.

Story-wise, Gu Sheng built a fully fleshed-out Captain Lastimosa in just thirty minutes.

The tombstone epitaph scene was uniquely touching—it made his eyes sting.

Tech-wise, the ga’s crisp visuals and the YiYou x2 full-sensory system pulled players into the action.

Every ch, every effect—it was all finely tuned.

Gaplay-wise, the Pilot-Titan combo was a perfect example of complentary teamwork.

And the witty banter with BT? It added flavor to every battle.

Now?

Only one thing was missing: level design.

Up to now—

Counting the tutorial, there had been three levels.

And while the experience had been top-notch, he hadn’t encountered any innovative level design language.

“Sigh, oh well…”

Xu Xiaolin chuckled to himself.

“Maybe I’m asking for too much.”

“I an, co on—up to this point, this ga has been phenonal.”

“Story, quality, gaplay—all stellar. And I still want more in level design?”

“Guess I’m just greedy.”

Shaking his head, he piloted BT toward the massive cave opening where the factory lood.

“Where are we, BT?”

[BT: Scanning… Unknown.]

[BT: But the marker indicates we must pass through this facility to reach Major Anderson. It’s our only path forward.]

Just then, Xu Xiaolin picked up another mod—Fla Core.

He was just about to test it when Sam’s voice crackled over the comms:

“Ash, this is Sam. Do you copy? Over.”

Having defeated Apex rc Kane, Xu Xiaolin could now eavesdrop on the rcenary comms.

Ash, a woman, responded imdiately:

“Copy. Go ahead.”

“I’ve been hailing Kane. No response,” Sam said. “Looks like this rebel Pilot is trying to play the hero. He’s headed your way. Kill him.”

“Understood,” Ash replied. “Over.”

Hssss—

Xu Xiaolin inhaled sharply.

Man, Gu Sheng designed his in-ga persona way too smart.

Just one unanswered call, and he figured out Kane was dead.

Probably already realized the comms were compromised, too.

No point talking anymore.

Ti to fight.

BT thought so, too.

[BT: SamGu—he’s the war criminal the Resistance has been hunting. Now employed by the IMC. He bears primary responsibility for Captain Lastimosa’s death.]

“Of course,” Xu Xiaolin nodded. “We’ll find him and—whoa, what the f—”

He was cut off.

Because down the narrow corridor—

A massive assembly factory unfolded before his eyes.

Ash had hollowed out an entire mountain to build this place!

Xu Xiaolin was stunned by Gu Sheng’s imagination.

“Whoa…”

He and BT pushed through enemy waves and Titans, reaching a freight platform.

[BT: Pilot, this cargo lift is a shortcut. Check your HUD for the control panel.]

Sure enough, the UI lit up—the control room was across the platform, requiring so wall-running.

“Alright. Let’s hope it’s really a shortcut…”

FSSHH—FSSHH—

Jump pads activated. Xu Xiaolin leapt into the control room.

He activated the panel—

WEEOOO-WEEOOO—

Suddenly, alarms blared across the factory!

[Warning! Unauthorized Titan detected at Dock 13!]

[Transfer Titan to asset reset facility!]

Xu Xiaolin was startled!

Then BT’s voice piped through his helt—

[Pilot, I require assistance.]

“Holy—!!”

Running out of the control room, Xu Xiaolin saw—

BT was being lifted by a giant chanical arm!

Though his voice was calm, BT’s flailing limbs and wild gunfire said otherwise.

A ridiculous and slightly codic sight that left Xu Xiaolin speechless.

BT being clawed away like a giant prize doll—

“HEY! HEY WHAT THE F— THAT’S MY TITAN! PUT HIM BACK RIGHT NOW!!!”

Even BT, though monotone, sounded panicked:

[Pilot, I am unable to break free. Cooper…]

Xu Xiaolin was beyond speechless.

Not just because his Titan got snatched in the most ridiculous way—

But because the level ahead, called “Into the Abyss,” was…

Utterly mind-blowing.

Following BT’s guidance, Xu Xiaolin entered the factory’s depths.

Inside—

A massive, reality-bending assembly line.

Giant robotic arms two stories high swung across an endless conveyor belt.

Concrete slabs, each tens of square ters wide, rolled forward.

Standing there, Xu Xiaolin felt like a tiny bug in a land of giants.

The level's objective?

Find a way upward—within this complex, dynamic conveyor system.

Jetpack on!

Xu Xiaolin leapt onto a slab.

Ahead, massive presses thumped, steam hissing!

Dodging enemies and machinery, he jumped just in ti to avoid being crushed, wall-ran around, and looped back.

And then—

The once-bare slab now had grass on it.

The line kept moving.

Steel bars rose around him. Then ca cover pieces, combat dummies, plated walls—

As he fought through each wave, he watched as the slab beneath him turned into a room—piece by piece.

His mind was blown.

Gu Sheng had crafted a level with passive motion-based design!

The player didn’t explore the world—the world moved around the player.

Enemies, obstacles, puzzles—all on the slab.

And as he advanced, he witnessed the room form around him.

That was the magic—

The player stayed still. The level moved.

Absolutely ingenious!

Xu Xiaolin couldn’t stop marveling.

How many years had it been?

Five? Ten?

In all his years in this industry—

He had never seen such a brilliant level design concept.

And when the slab—now a full room with grass and structure—was finally elevated to the top of the factory—

The shock reached a whole new level.

SSHH—CLACK!

As the slab rose into place, a massive training ground the size of a stadium ford before his eyes.

He was the final piece of the puzzle.

Not only did his slab complete the arena—it filled in the last missing point.

With the stage set, Ash’s voice echoed:

[The stage is ready. Let’s see what you’re made of, Pilot.]

The ga paused.

Half a minute of silence inside the pod.

Then—

Xu Xiaolin’s voice, trembling with excitent:

“Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!”

First Brilliant! For the level’s logical design.

BT’s “shortcut” led to a chaotic detour into a hidden assembly factory—unexpected and hilarious.

Second Brilliant! For the level’s motion system.

Gu Sheng’s genius flipped the design paradigm—fixed the player, moved the world. When the mountain won’t co to you…

Third Brilliant! For the level’s ending.

Only at the end did players realize they were just a piece of the puzzle—a literal puzzle—building the final arena.

Finishing the slab didn’t end the danger.

It began a new threat.

Xu Xiaolin had just eight words to say—

Clever setup. Brilliant payoff.

One hundred out of one hundred.

Perfect.