Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Soul Hunters
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“Isn't Savior hiding the true power of their engine?”
“What?”
TIGSource.
This indie game community, created by young developers, had Derek and Millan—its operators—currently deep in analysis of one particular game.
“We're using the Savior Engine too, but no matter what we try, we can't achieve graphics or action animations like this.”
For game creators these days, there were two massive points of interest.
The Savior Engine and Soul Hunters.
Coincidentally, both came from Savior.
Among them, the Savior Engine was now seen as an essential tool for any game developer.
From indie devs still at the club level to top-tier game companies, everyone was building games with it.
Some studios on the verge of release had even announced they'd scrap everything and remake from scratch using the Savior Engine, disappointing fans who were eagerly waiting.
“What's the use of having the best brushes and paints? It all depends on the artist's skill in wielding them.”
Derek and Millan were game developers too, so naturally, they were studying the Savior Engine.
But the deeper they dove, the more self-loathing they felt.
“Soul Hunters feels like it's on another level of optimization. It's hard to believe they used the same engine.”
From lighting setups to animation blending, shader implementation—every tiny detail screamed obsessive care.
And the result of all those details coming together was astonishing.
Is Savior hiding some super-powered engine just for themselves?
Some devs raised that question due to the unbelievable gap, but anyone who analyzed the game even a little knew it was nonsense.
“That's why people say there's an alien locked in Savior's basement.”
“Way more plausible than them hiding engine performance.”
If the Savior Engine was a ray of hope for developers, Soul Hunters was pitch-black despair.
Derek still vividly remembered his first time playing Soul Hunters.
82 hours.
That's how long it took to reach the ending.
Hunting action... I never even imagined it.
Savior was famous for releasing entirely new genres no one had seen before.
So people expected Soul Hunters to be something completely different too—and they were spot on.
Soulborne.
In the Asian version, translated as “Yokai”—monsters that looked half-human, half-beast, like lycanthropes from Western legends.
And Soul Hunters was an action game about hunting those yokai.
Of course, being a brand-new genre, Derek found it awkward at first, but the more he played, the more hooked he got.
And the more he played, the clearer it became how masterfully designed Soul Hunters was.
The first toad you encounter. Beat that guy, and you can eventually see the ending.
The Daldu Toad—its official name—was the first yokai players faced in Soul Hunters.
Someday I'll wipe out every last one of those toad bastards!
Most games made new enemies easy to ease players forward, but Soul Hunters' toad chopped them up instead.
Attack from afar, and its tongue lashed out to harass your character. Get close, and hits to its back did zero damage—first-timers were toad food, guaranteed.
But that process teaches you to dodge with rolls and spot enemy weak points.
3D games weren't mainstream yet, so players weren't used to “evade instead of block.”
But by starting with an unavoidable foe, Soul Hunters forced natural adoption of evasion, then encouraged studying yokai traits.
For the first yokai, the Daldu Toad, its rocky, bumpy back repelled blades and panicked players.
But attacking the belly produced a satisfying hit sound, revealing the weak spot.
Hunting.
In typical games like RPGs, you just worried about weapon damage or enemy skills.
But Soul Hunters didn't let raw strength fell yokai.
Like real hunters, scout the foe, find weak points and patterns—it got easy. Skip that? Felt like facing the final boss at level 1.
That's why players called it a hunting action game.
Not mere combat, but hunting—like action.
Anyone who'd played agreed.
But this structure wasn't all upsides.
Soul Hunters lets you reach the end with careful analysis, but it's never easy.
Derek loved games and thrived on challenges, so he had a blast.
But as an amateur dev, he knew casual players might find it stressful.
Even kid-friendly Super Daniel had late stages that made folks drop the pad.
Yet Savior seemed to anticipate this.
“We've heard many players find Soul Hunters tough. In that case, use ‘Savior Mode.’”
A week after launch, game mags ran an interview with Savior's rep and Soul Hunters' creator, Seon Woo-hyuk, sparking buzz.
Not just any interview—it hid intriguing info.
Savior Mode.
Start the game, input a specific button pattern—boom, hidden mode unlocked.
Applying fighting game character unlocks... to a mode? Wild.
Hidden characters via button combos were old hat.
Even trendy Far East of Eden let you snag OP hidden chars that way.
Usually for arcades or versus fighters—not modes in games like this.
Activate Savior Mode, and it shifts from hunting to pure action.
Soul Hunters transformed completely upon activation.
Biggest change: yokai swarmed by the dozens, not one or three.
If that was it, refunds and rage would flood in.
But player attacks changed too.
Normal attacks felt realistic yet monotonous.
Savior Mode? Dynamic, flashy combos.
Over-the-top cartoon sweeps mowing down hordes—peak exhilarating action.
This has its own fun too.
One swing clearing dozens gave godlike omnipotence.
Not too easy, though.
Waste the Savior gauge recklessly, and you're isolated and dead.
Go invincible berserk? Gauge empties, you die.
“Relax and enjoy, but stay tense”—Derek saw the design instantly.
Savior Mode boosted Soul Hunters' reception.
Even Derek, who'd cleared normal mode, NG+ed for its action.
Casuals stress-relieved with yokai-smashing rampages.
Hardcores hunted for real in normal.
No wonder the saying: don't touch Savior's genres.
Derek had to admit it now.
“Soul Hunters' first four-week sales figures are in.”
Preston Building's 50th floor—now Savior's HQ.
Scarlett had insisted this “executive suite” was essential, and now it brimmed with Savior's early crew, about ten strong.
“Hurry up... stop teasing and spill it, Scarlett!”
Jason—now leading dozens directly—whined at her.
She'd been building suspense for a full minute on “sales announcement.”
“Alright! Our new title, Soul Hunters' first-month sales!”
“Sales?!”
“Over 5 million copies!”
Cheers erupted in the office.
5 million copies.
We really did it...
5 million was huge on its own, but it held extra meaning.
First-month sales typically hit 50% of a game's lifetime total.
Soul Hunters had surpassed Super Daniel 2's four-week sales—the one that first announced 10 million.
Meaning Uni owed us $100 million in running royalties.
And Savior had leaped past PC gaming to claim the world's top game studio spot.