Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: E3 - Hellic 4 (5)
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The booth’s operation was smooth.
Of course, aside from the parts that required technical measures, everything was handled with Sona's support, so there wasn't much for us to do.
The feeling that kept coming to mind was one of unfamiliarity.
It felt surreal, realizing how much Rewind's booth had grown from being a mere supporting act when we first participated.
Of course,
‘I need to keep my ego in check.’
I couldn't let my guard down, nor could I become arrogant.
I've seen far too many cases of media meant for public enjoyment crumble commercially after being steeped in the creator's ego.
And that very thing is happening right here, right now.
I looked at another one of Sona's booths in the distance.
It was the booth for *End of Earth 2*, the game that had swept the GOTY awards last season.
It just so happened that our E3 attendance schedules always overlapped, so we met again this time.
‘Honestly…’
It was unsettling.
Watching a ship sailing toward its destined doom.
The biggest emotion I felt was pity.
After all, if you set aside the narrative controversies, *End of Earth 2* was a very well-made game system-wise.
It was a game with a lot to learn from as a creator.
That's what was fueling this sense of pity.
…I steadied my breath.
I tried not to think about it too deeply.
‘I need to focus on my own work first.’
Why was I worrying about others?
I returned to the booth management area and checked on the situation.
The line waiting to demo *Hellic 4* was long, and the users' faces looked as if they were mesmerized.
It was a huge success.
The community reactions posted right after playing were also very heated.
It was one of the most enjoyable moments for a developer.
A pleasant warmth spread through my chest, making me feel a little giddy.
"Wow, Yeon-ho. Look over there."
Myeong-gyu came over and whispered, pointing somewhere in the booth.
My gaze followed the tip of Myeong-gyu's finger.
A moment later, I let out a dry laugh.
‘What on earth is that guy doing?’
The back of the head playing the game looked familiar.
Not just because he was famous, but because he was someone I actually knew well.
Myeong-gyu confirmed it.
"It's James Han. It's only been 20 minutes, and he's already on his third playthrough."
“…”
James Han, the top streamer in the online gaming broadcast industry, with whom I'd built a connection since *Hellic 1*.
His specialty was breaking games down to their core with his innate physical skill.
I never thought this guy wouldn't show up at E3.
Also, I didn't think *Hellic 4*, which aims for a more casual experience, would be difficult for James Han.
Starting a third playthrough in just 20 minutes was surprising, but not entirely unbelievable.
That abnormal monster was a developer's nightmare, observing and making judgments by breaking down the game screen frame by frame.
Suddenly, a past thought came to mind, and I felt a pang of regret.
‘He really is prime talent for QA optimization.’
I had considered that option at first, but gave up on it when I remembered his attention-seeking personality.
Anyway, it was nice to see him after so long.
Besides, there was something I wanted to ask a hardcore user, so I waited for a bit.
So, five minutes later, just as James Han finished his demo and stood up, I approached and greeted him.
"Long time no see."
"Oh, sh— Cheon Yeon-ho?"
"Sh?"
"Nothing. The game was fun."
James grinned.
But something was strange.
Considering his usual unrestrained facial muscles, his current reaction seemed too bland.
Could it be that he'd noticed some flaw or point of improvement that I had missed?
My curiosity got the better of me, and I opened my mouth.
"Was there anything you felt was lacking?"
"Huh?"
"Since it's a demo version, I wanted to get some feedback."
It was a tense moment.
James Han hummed thoughtfully and then spoke.
It was something I couldn't quite understand.
"Why are all the monster names question marks?"
"?"
"I mean, I thought the monster names were only question marks on the first playthrough, but they were all question marks no matter how many times I played."
"???"
"Aside from that being a bit frustrating... oh, and wasn't the combat a little too simple? There was nothing to do but dodge and punch. Well, the animations were cool, so it was fun to watch. If I had to pick one more thing, it's that the boss difficulty is pretty high? I don't think anyone but me could beat it. Isn't that an early-game boss?"
I stared intently at James Han.
James Han stared intently back at me.
I could immediately tell that something was off.
Amidst our crossing gazes and mismatched conversation, I asked, just in case.
"...Did you watch the tutorial?"
"I skipped it."
"What about the combat training?"
"Do I have to?"
"...Did you pick up items along the way?"
"If I'd spent time picking them up, I wouldn't have been able to do three playthroughs."
…Good heavens.
‘Did he instinctively find the hardcore mode?’
He skipped the entire game system.
He hadn't even used the core systems, Profiling and Execution skills, which was why he was on his third playthrough.
A sense of absurdity regarding this man slowly reared its head.
‘Of course no one but you could beat it.’
The difficulty was set with the premise of using Profiling and Executions. Who would give up both and do three playthroughs like this?
And in just 25 minutes, at that.
I was lost in thought.
"Well, it was still fun. It'll be worth buying when it comes out."
I said to James Han, who was shrugging.
"...There is a way to find out the monster names."
At that, James Han shook his head.
"Forget it."
As he turned to leave, James Han left me with these words.
"I don't memorize the names of weaklings."
He walked away, waving his hand dismissively.
A rather impressive sight.
At that moment, a thought suddenly popped into my head.
‘An achievement for clearing the game without Profiling.’
How about naming it ‘I Don't Memorize the Names of the Weak’?
…Whatever the case, it seems I got an idea out of it.
* * *
On the third day of E3, the online world was in more of an uproar than the venue itself.
This was because information about *Hellic 4* had started to trickle out, thanks to the reviews written by those who had attended on the first and second days.
To put it simply, the reception was very positive.
Given the genre, these reviews caused an even bigger stir.
After all, the gaming scene was dominated by the opinion that 'only the original creators can capture the essence of a Souls game,' especially since there was already a main series, and countless other games that had attempted the genre had received poor reviews.
And amidst all that, a game had emerged that perfectly digested the 'Soulslike' seasoning with a flavor different from the original.
Mentions of the game grew over time, leading to a certain question.
『LordofBlood_Bangbae: So is it fun?』
Users don't ask about a game's artistic value.
A tear-jerking story is nice to have but not essential, and they couldn't care less about the director's philosophy.
They care about one thing only: fun.
They ask whether this complex form of play called a 'game' holds value as entertainment.
To this question, those who attended E3 responded.
『LetsGoForAWalkPoppy: I think you can't deny the fun factor^^!
We'll have to see when the full game is released, but the gameplay was definitely fun!
The Execution system, in particular, dominated the overall gameplay, providing a wonderful sense of anticipation and catharsis!
Also, one more thing, if you want to enjoy *Hellic 4* to the fullest, I'd personally recommend playing it on a console!
The techniques that made full use of the controller's functions were so impressive^^!』
It's a fun game.
A game that possesses value as entertainment, with a magic that can captivate users for tens, even hundreds, of hours.
Of course, no one could guarantee the game's success based on the demo reviews alone.
It could have felt more fun because it was a 25-minute demo that condensed only the best parts.
There were definitely people who pointed this out.
And users generally agreed.
But, despite that, they couldn't help but have high hopes.
『WaitingLikeHellForHellic4: But it's Cheon Yeon-ho, isn't it...?』
Because it's Cheon Yeon-ho.
The director who, in Korea, a barren land for consoles, managed a development team the size of a university club and spread the *Hellic* IP worldwide through word of mouth alone.
Because of the overwhelming trust the name Studio Rewind had built with users until now.
The game industry is certainly a cold place.
It's an industry where countless mediocre games are coldly burned as firewood for the flames of masterpieces.
However, Yeon-ho was someone who had climbed up and proven himself in such an industry through sheer skill.
It was only natural to hope that the games he made would be different.
The online communities were a tangle of voices mixed with anticipation and concern.
And Yeon-ho, at the center of this current…
"What is divorce?"
"What kind of nonsense is this? Are you sick?"
"Seo-rim, what is it about divorce that gets people so excited?"
"How would I know? I don't even know what marriage is, how would I know about divorce?"
…was deep in contemplation about divorce.
"Marriage…"
"...Wh-what about it?"
And as a bonus, Yeon-ho's contemplation was making poor Seo-rim's heart scream.
* * *
The console divorce saga had become far too popular.
I felt a deep sense of responsibility for this bizarre trend.
I had no choice.
‘It wasn't supposed to be this kind of game.’
President Park Yeong-jun of Neosoft had originally intended for his console debut to be a hack-and-slash action fantasy.
In other words, my existence had freakishly twisted Neosoft's entry into the console market.
I couldn't treat it as someone else's problem, because five years into his console venture, President Park Yeong-jun was the one who would invest an astronomical amount of capital to build up the domestic console market pool.
I was worried that his obsession with divorce might prevent him from creating that domestic console pool in the future.
For starters, it would be a significant blow to the profits of Rewind, which is classified as a domestic game company.
So I had asked President Park Yeong-jun, "Are you perhaps going to continue making divorce games?" to which he replied.
"The trend is emotion. You have to present a theme that everyone can relate to, transcending nations and languages."
He said this with his shoulders puffed out, clearing his throat with a self-important 'ahem'.
Well, aren't universal themes that transcend nations, races, and languages things like life and death, existence, and space-time?
I really have no idea if divorce is a theme that can form a global consensus.
I just hoped there wouldn't be any major changes to the future and casually offered a word.
"I hope your work and your life… both stabilize."
"Everyone says that. They ask what I'd do if I fought with my wife after releasing a divorce game."
President Park Yeong-jun's answer, offered with a shrug, was a sight to behold.
"It's fine. I'll just tell my wife an employee made it."
I offer my condolences to that unknown employee.
Anyway, President Park Yeong-jun returned to Korea, having given me the enlightenment that I must break stereotypes when making games.
We were the same.
After finishing our three-day schedule, we headed back home.
After about four days of adjusting to the time difference and resting, we returned to work.
I was in the middle of handling the things that had happened in the office during the week that Yang Gil-sang and I were away.
I had to face an incident I didn't want to believe.
"...What?"
"Nishimura has been hospitalized."
"So, he was hospitalized while sparring? From an injury?"
"...Yes."
"What about Copson?"
"Saying he felt the weight of his 'unrighteous' actions, he bent his own arm back. He ended up with the same sprained ligament and is now in a cast."
“…”
"It was an accident. Nishimura's feet got tangled while cornering..."
“…”
"It seems he sprained his ankle as he fell."
…The back of my neck ached terribly.