Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The Feast Lived Up to the Hype (1)
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April 9th. To most people, it was just another day.
But for those who loved games, especially Korean gamers, it was a rather special one.
[POOLGamer: Please be a success, please. If this one fails too, the Korean game industry is truly hopeless.]
[VaccineMan10: Let's use this chance to show them that Korean gamers aren't just dogs and pigs. I've already pre-ordered it.]
The Korean gaming world, where the loot box monetization model had come to dominate the entire industry.
There had been games before that had tried to break away from this structure.
But.
[*Duals*, the game that declared itself 'fair,' announces service termination this December due to chronic deficits. States they will prepare for a 'beautiful farewell' with their users.]
[Made a 'fair' game, became a 'sucker.' Is the Korean game industry okay like this?]
These attempts repeatedly ended in failure, and the already conservative Korean game companies became even more reluctant to try anything new.
Cookie-cutter games churned out with the same monetization structure, the same systems, and only slightly different graphics.
Gamers grew weary of this, and while sales might have increased with the appearance of 'whale' users who would casually spend hundreds of millions of won, the number of players, their loyalty, and even their faith in Korean game companies dwindled.
And it wasn't just gamers who felt this way; game streamers, who played games for a living, were no different.
“Ah, POD is launching soon, and I'm so hyped. NB Soft sent me a game code, which means I get to play it six hours before all of you.”
Pung Horang, a streamer who consistently ranked first or second in the Korean streaming scene.
He held a special affection for PD Jo Hyunsoo's solo-developed game, *Forgotten Andersen's Story*.
Just as he was growing tired of games that were all the same, it was a game that, with its unique direction and storytelling, had immersed him in its world for the first time in a while. Plus, the game itself had gone viral after being featured on his stream.
He also felt a sense of pride knowing he was, in a small way, connected to the journey of the most talked-about PD in Korea right now.
Moreover.
[‘ImSoJealous’ has donated ₩1,000.]
-Oh, so damn jealous. I wanna play POD ASAP too! (Thank you.)
[‘NoseyGamer’ has donated ₩10,000.]
-Ah, I have to play POD later because I’m not a streamer! Aigoo!
[‘BackToUnemployed’ has donated ₩1,000.]
-Rang-hyung really likes PD Jo Hyunsoo, LOL. Hey, hey, just confess already~?
His viewers knew this background well, so they were all waiting for POD's release date.
His live broadcast, which usually hovered around 20,000 viewers, had already surpassed 40,000.
This was a testament to how many gamers were anticipating POD.
‘Will it be the graveyard for Korean games, or will it be a ship carrying real hope? It's time to find out. Please, please be good.’
As a gamer himself, Pung Horang rooted for POD as he installed the game.
[What do you... think a dream is?]
As soon as the game started, a cinematic began to play, accompanied by the deep voice of a middle-aged man.
It was a unique style of animation, where oil painting-like textures were redrawn frame by frame to create movement.
The video showed scenes related to the dreams of the characters appearing in POD.
After about a minute, the title PASS ON DREAM appeared, and the cinematic ended.
“Oh, this cinematic has a great feel to it. It’s not some super high-quality 3D video, but it seems to fit this work perfectly. It has this unique vibe that stimulates your emotions, you know?”
It was a truly honest impression.
The feeling that it was showing him something he had never seen before in a game.
The specialness that came from it was enough to gift even Pung Horang, who had grown accustomed to countless games, a new sense of excitement.
“Alright then, let’s officially start the game.”
After that, the game began in earnest.
The early chapters had been improved with an overall quality boost and changes to details in the dialogue and direction.
It had been great the first time, but since this was essentially his second playthrough of this part, it felt decent, but not amazing.
However, as he played the subsequent chapters, Pung Horang found himself repeating the same words over and over.
“Wow. They’re directing it like *this* here?”
POD was a game that surveyed and reinterpreted the life of Van Gogh and the people around him.
In the process, it explored what dreams Van Gogh had, how he tried to express them through his paintings, and what meaning they held in his life.
It felt like it was unraveling the different ways one could view the concept of a 'dream' through the life of one person.
The theme of 'dreams' was something everyone contemplates or has regrets about throughout their lives, so many parts of it were relatable.
Even the streamer Pung Horang himself had once dreamed of becoming an illustrator before he started streaming.
Notably, each chapter featured a 'painting' as its final boss. Through combat, you would create the painting, allowing you to keenly feel why Van Gogh had been compelled to paint such a work during that period of his life.
“It's like... this game makes you feel like you've actually become Van Gogh, and you can really understand what he was thinking and how he came to paint this picture, you know, guys? No? Am I overreacting?”
[silemane: fr lol. They made a really good game. I like seeing Rang-hyung so excited to play it]
[2PPOLI: This game is the first time I've learned that a person named Van Gogh painted such pictures and was that kind of person lol. It's really good. I think this is the first time I've seen a game delve so deeply into the theme of dreams.]
[BasementDweller: The graphics and direction are insane, and the cinematics in between use a lot of different techniques. It all feels like a perfect fit for the character of Van Gogh. You can tell the PD put a lot of thought into this.]
Pung Horang, who had started at 6 PM, didn't stop playing POD.
The broadcast, which would normally have ended by 1 or 2 AM, was now stretching past 3 AM, then 4 AM, and he still had over 35,000 viewers.
By now, Pung Horang and his viewers were completely immersed in Van Gogh's pursuit of his dreams.
The life of an unfortunate man who agonized fiercely over his dreams and struggled to express them through his paintings.
Before long, the clock was ticking towards 9 AM, and Pung Horang had finally reached Chapter 12, the last chapter he was allowed to show on stream.
According to NB Soft's policy, this was the last chapter he was allowed to broadcast.
“Ah, everyone, thank you for joining the stream today. I'm really enjoying this game, POD. I'll probably go and see the ending right after the stream ends. For those of you who are curious, I highly recommend you play it.”
[‘KBMan’ has donated ‘₩1,000’!]
-You worked hard, Rang-hyung. POD is seriously amazing lol. Looks like I’ll have to play it myself.
-Ah, I almost cried so many times. I hope other Korean games learn a thing or two from this.
[‘PD_King’ has donated ‘₩100,000’!]
-You really worked hard today, hyung. I discovered a great game thanks to you. I’m gonna play it right now!
9 AM. When he ended the broadcast, 30,000 viewers remained. Even for a Saturday, it was an unbelievable retention rate.
It meant that every single one of those viewers had been completely captivated by the game called POD.
“See you all again tonight~ Bye, everyone!”
With those words, Pung Horang's stream ended.
As the slight tension from broadcasting dissipated, the fatigue from staying up all night washed over him.
But he had no intention of going to bed just yet.
‘I have to play it now. The final chapter!’
His fingers were itching to play the final chapter of POD right away.
****
The weekend passed. On every streaming platform, everyone was playing POD.
It was easy to find broadcasts not only in Korea but overseas as well.
Less than 50 hours after the game's official release.
Social media and game forums were already buzzing with talk about POD.
[Holy crap, this is insane. A truly legendary Korean story game has just been released. Anyone who plays the final chapter will be bawling their eyes out.]
[LOLOLOL I can't believe a Korean developer could make something like this. The reaction on Reddit is insane right now too LOL.]
[Wow, the direction in the final chapter is a masterpiece that will go down in gaming history. How did they even make this?]
[I saw Pung Horang talking on Saturday night, and he said he cried his eyes out after playing Chapter 13. But you know what? I cried too, lol. What can I do when the tears just flow!]
[This game’s immersion is no joke, and it tugs at your heartstrings so well. PD Jo Hyunsoo has proven he was right. I hope other game companies see this and change their ways.]
Han Sanghyeok, Korea's greatest comic artist; Coby Fox, the famous overseas solo developer; even renowned game directors you'd recognize just by name and various international webzines were all talking nonstop about POD.
[POD is a great work that has shattered the prejudices against video game storytelling.]
[While playing the game, I felt like I was truly living the life of Vincent van Gogh. It's been a long time since a masterpiece has emerged that utilizes the potential of the gaming medium to more than 100%.]
[I was amazed that a team of 10 developers created this game in less than a year. In terms of storytelling alone, it is a masterpiece that ranks within the top three of my life.]
An avalanche of incredible praise, the kind that Jo Hyunsoo himself would likely find over-the-top, poured in by the minute.
And the next day, Monday, when the Christian team members arrived at work.
“PD-nim! Did you see? Kodeo Hajima praised our game! He said the artwork was amazing! Awesome! Awe-soooome!”
“Whoa. Does this mean Pateujang Yuri is going to be a world-class art director now?”
“It was on Metacritic yesterday, too. It has a score of 96!”
“Holy crap. Metacritic? Our game is on there?”
The office was in a full-blown festive mood.
The flood of user reactions, the mentions from famous people, and more.
It was a fulfilling experience that none of them had ever felt while working at a game company.
At that moment, most of the members were thinking something similar.
“I’ve never thought this once since I started working, but... I’m so glad I decided to make games. I've really never felt this way before.”
“Me too. It makes me realize this is what I always wanted to do.”
Watching his ecstatic staff, Jo Hyunsoo raised the corners of his mouth into a slight smile.
‘I guess I wasn't heading in the wrong direction after all.’
During a time when he felt oppressed by a rigid education system, Jo Hyunsoo dreamed of other worlds through games.
At some point, he realized he wanted to create such games himself.
But at the game companies, he couldn't make the kinds of games he wanted to, and he had despaired at that reality.
What if the dream he had chased his whole life was actually wrong?
A deep sense of frustration stemmed from the thought that perhaps such a thing didn't even exist in the real world.
That must have been true for him, and for every member of this team.
But with this game, we had taken a step toward our dream.
It was the moment that proved the dream we had been chasing was not an illusion, that such a path truly existed.
“You’ve all worked hard. From today, our work will be focused on responding to bug reports from users. Also, if we finish everything within work hours today, those who are free, let's go for a team dinner. I’m treating again, and I’ll get something expensive.”
“Team dinner! Team dinner!”
“Let's bleed the PD dry todayyy! Kill all the bugs!”
Everyone was so excited that they were chattering with several times their usual energy, but no one said a word to quiet them down.
Today was a day for it, a day that called for it.
Just then, his phone rang. It was from Bonbujang Shin Chihwan.
“Hello?”
*“Hey, Jo Hyunsoo! The initial weekend sales figures for POD are out!”*
It was time to hear some very important news.