Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Release - Hellic 3 (1)
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I tapped the controller, a rhythmic clatter.
On the screen, Harsin cut down his enemies with a scimitar.
A cinematic played.
[This is why I like the desert. No need to deal with the bodies.]
*Swoosh—*
A gust of sand blew in, swallowing the enemies’ corpses.
Harsin adjusted his turban and walked forward once more.
The screen faded to black.
[You have reached a save point.]
The moment I saw the notification, I turned off the game.
It was 7 AM. Time to get ready for work.
* * *
“Yeon-ho, why do you look so pale again today?”
Han Seo-rim asked.
Was it that obvious?
“I stayed up all night playing a game.”
“...What?”
“Next thing I knew, it was morning. So I didn't get any sleep.”
“Are you A-yun now?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Why ask when you already know?”
“...”
Han Seo-rim’s glare sharpened.
I had my own excuses, though.
‘How was I supposed to know it would be like this?’
April 2014.
*Road to Harsin*, the new game from Lusso that gamers worldwide had been waiting for, had been delayed but was finally out.
I started playing it right away, and the result was an all-nighter.
It was fun.
As always, a game by Lusso erased all calculations from my mind, leaving only one result: ‘fun’.
The analysis always came after I finished playing.
Only then could I truly appreciate the astonishing level of the game’s polish.
Perfect calculations, and a clean presentation that masked them.
The ultimate goal I had once aspired to was right there.
So, staying up all night gaming was just an extension of my work.
And there was one undeniable fact: wasn't Lusso's *Road to Harsin* the game that would compete with *Hellic 3* for Game of the Year?
My eyes were dry, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't work.
Besides, there wasn't much that required my direct involvement these days, so it wasn't a huge problem.
I asked Han Seo-rim.
“So, what’s up?”
“The models for the final chapter are done. I came to get them checked.”
“Already?”
“What do you mean, ‘already’? We’ve been carving away at these models forever. It’s about time they were finished, don’t you think?”
I suppose so.
Focusing on work must have blurred my sense of time.
I nodded and checked the results.
The temple, the throne, War History, and the golden door.
As expected, the rendered models were flawless.
“Yeah, let’s go with this.”
A little over half a year until the scheduled release.
The schedule flashed through my mind.
It’s about time…
“Take your supplements.”
“...”
“Now.”
…Right, time to take my supplements.
*Creeak—*
I opened a drawer and took them out.
Only after I’d taken them all in front of Han Seo-rim was I finally set free.
It was spring.
* * *
In the afternoon, I received a phone call.
It was from Ayado Goro.
[Then let’s proceed with that…]
“Yes.”
We finished our discussion.
Immediately after, I started a meeting with Yang Gil-sang.
The game was nearing completion.
With the implementation finished, all that remained was to assemble the pieces, refine them, and shape them into a polished final product.
It was obvious what needed to be done at this stage.
“Let’s start the marketing. It’s about time.”
It was time to promote the product.
Yang Gil-sang nodded and displayed a screen on the monitor.
It was the roadmap.
“The first round of promotions will likely start sometime in May. After that, the *Hellic 1* remaster will be released in the summer. Then, after the final promotion, in late October…”
“The release of *Hellic 3*.”
“Yes.”
Thinking of *Hellic 1* reminded me of Development Team 2.
I still didn’t understand how they did it, but those two, who spent more time sparring than developing, were incredibly fast workers, their methods notwithstanding.
The fact that they were already in the debugging phase after less than half a year said it all.
Even with more manpower than when I first made it, their speed was still quite remarkable.
I let out a deep sigh.
“About Team 2. I heard they went to spar again today.”
“...What was the issue?”
“The menu for the company dinner.”
“At this point, don’t they just want to spar for the sake of it?”
Yang Gil-sang shrugged.
“Want to go watch? Their skills have been on another level lately…”
“...I’ll pass.”
A strange company culture had formed.
Were those guys planning to become professional boxers?
Why was I hearing about a director’s fighting skills in a status update?
I was even starting to worry they might ask me to build a ring in the office building.
Shaking off the unsettling thought, I said.
“Let’s just prepare the promotions.”
Whatever it was, it was time to work.
* * *
In May 2014, a post appeared on Studio Rewind’s official social media account.
It was the news that all *Hellic* fans had been waiting for.
『This is Director Cheon Yeon-ho. It’s been a while.』
A simple opening, as always.
The content, however, was anything but.
There were three pieces of news.
First, the release of the *Hellic 1* remaster.
『The remaster of *Hellic 1*, the first game that made us who we are today, will be released this summer on July 31st.
It will be available on Steam and mobile, and the changes include improved graphics quality and the insertion of scripts…』
Second, the release window for *Hellic 3*.
『We have confirmed the release date for October 29th.
For more details…』
And finally, a video to amplify the anticipation.
『Here is a pre-play video.
(30-minute introduction and gameplay video)
Thank you. We look forward to your support this year.』
The announcement was immediately translated and spread across communities worldwide.
The reaction was explosive.
『(Chat) WaitingForHellic3: It’s here it’s here it’s here!!!
(Chat) zZoneAce: Whoa, a *Hellic 1* remaster too?
(Chat) BabyNewbie: Is *Hellic 1* fun? I’ve only played 2.
(Chat) BloodLordOfBangbae: What’s with that pre-play video lol? Why’d they make the character look like that?
(Chat) CrystalClearT: Ooh… what’s that monster…?
(Chat) VetSwordsman: Why isn’t the game out yet even though I’ve finished my military service?』
For gamers, this news came at the perfect time.
After all, the buzz from *End of Us*, released after last June’s E3, followed by *GTV5* and the recently released *Road to Harsin*, along with various other games in between, was starting to die down. This was new fuel to banish their boredom.
Most importantly, it was news about *Hellic 3*, which had been receiving rave reviews since E3.
*Hellic* was no longer a niche game known only to a few.
With the success of *Hellic 2*, the IP itself had become quite powerful, firmly placing it in the major leagues.
The response couldn't be anything but massive.
Digging into the details, it was clear what players were focusing on.
For those who had already played the previous games, the main point of interest was naturally the ‘new systems’.
Of course, the most crucial aspects of the *Hellic* series were its world-building and narrative, but with nothing revealed so far, there was little to discuss.
Naturally, attention turned to the Parts System and the customization system.
『(Analysis) BloodLordOfBangbae: The Parts System looks fun.
I felt it at E3, but after watching the pre-play video, I’m really sold.
It seems like the body part determines the build’s direction, and the other parts provide stat boosts… Personally, I want to try the ghost horse summoning build.
Can you get that early on?
S2PoppyS2: It didn't show up in the E3 demo, so there's a high chance it appears after Chapter 3 ㅠㅅㅠ
CrystalClearT: They said James Malone has a parry-focused build. I’m gonna do that.
WaitingForHellic3: There was a berserker build for axes, that one looked good.』
First was the discussion about the main Parts System.
Next was customization.
『(Analysis) zZoneAce: The appearance overlay for parts was a great idea.
I have this disease where I can’t play a game unless I’m a female character...
CherryLipsJaehee: It looks like you get most of the female character parts from monsters.
└ zZoneAce: True love is about becoming one.
└ CherryLipsJaehee: ?
WaitingForHellic3: Degenerate.
└ zZoneAce: Gay.』
The discussions continued, but ultimately, the game was still half a year away from release.
The information that had been released only fueled their thirst instead of quenching it.
Fortunately for them, there was one thing that would tide them over before *Hellic 3*’s release.
At least one thing existed to soothe their anticipation.
『(Info) S2PoppyS2: I found some info on the *Hellic 1* remaster ^^
First, as the announcement said, upscaling and script insertion are the main features.
It seems like it’s to flesh out the Jailer’s narrative in *Hellic 1*!
Regarding purchases, users who bought *Hellic 1* on Steam before will get the update for free!
That means the smartphone version will probably follow the original price of *Hellic 1*!
Next, I found out that the remaster has a different director!
It seems like a new development team has been established within Studio Rewind!
As a fan, I think this is great news!
It means we might see games from Rewind more often, or it could mean a new game title from Rewind is on the way!
WaitingForHellic3: Ooh… they hired another director…
VetSwordsman: I hope they make a new title too.
CrystalClearT: One of the new directors used to make visual novels.
└ zZoneAce: Oh?
└ BloodLordOfBangbae: Ooh…
└ SweetBelfGuy42: This,,,is,,,great,,,news,,,^^』
The *Hellic 1* remaster was scheduled for summer.
And with it, the information that a new development team might have been formed at Studio Rewind.
The reactions were split into two.
One side hoped the new team would do well.
The other took an interest in *Hellic 1* itself.
Those in the first group felt this way:
Normally, users have no reason to be interested in a developer’s internal affairs, but this was a slightly different case.
In an industry where it takes years to release a single game, the news that a company they liked was expanding its team to shorten the release gap was quite encouraging.
Those in the second group felt this way:
『(Question) BabyNewbie: Is *Hellic 1* fun or not—
Someone answer me—
CrystalClearT: Buy it and find out lol』
The new user base that had yet to experience *Hellic 1*.
For them, at least, *Hellic 1* was a very interesting topic.
…And so, on July 31st.
Two months had flown by since the news in late spring.
The remastered version of *Hellic 1* was released on Steam and mobile.
* * *
It’s an obvious thing to say, but a mobile version of an existing game rarely makes a huge splash.
This was even more true if it was a premium, paid-for package game.
There was no miraculous sales boom for the *Hellic 1* remaster.
Paying to buy and play a game on a smartphone, regardless of the price, comes with a psychological barrier.
So, did the mobile version of *Hellic 1* fail?
If you asked that question, there was a clear answer.
“Jun-su, what are you doing by yourself during lunch?”
“Oh, just playing a game. It’s pretty fun.”
During lunch break at some company, in the rooftop smoking area.
The man called Jun-su showed his smartphone to a colleague.
The game being played on it was the mobile version of *Hellic 1*.
“Never seen that game before. What’s it called?”
Portability itself provided an immense advantage in accessibility.
Even people with no interest in gaming would glance over if they saw someone nearby playing *Hellic*.
That’s why the clean, polished pixel art and simple controls were so important.
In other words, the first impression.
The aspects that the mobile version of *Hellic 1* had particularly focused on were now showing their effect.
“Never heard of it. Is a game like that any fun?”
“It’s great for turning your brain off. Just the right amount of tension and just the right amount of ease.”
Jun-su grinned and recommended it.
“You should try it. For five thousand won, you can get at least twenty hours of gameplay on your first clear.”
“You pay for games?”
“Well, you know cigarette prices are going up next year, right? By next year’s standards, it’s about the price of one pack.”
At Jun-su’s logic, his colleague, who had been pulling out a cigarette, looked at it with sad eyes.
Put that way, the price certainly didn’t seem like a burden.
After all, you only had to buy the game once.
‘It’s like they want all the smokers to just die.’
The saddened colleague watched Jun-su tapping away at his smartphone, his curiosity growing.
Right there, the purpose of *Hellic 1* mobile was achieved.
‘…Maybe I should give it a try?’
The influx of external users into the *Hellic* IP, led by accessibility.
It was a success.
The colleague asked casually.
“Where do you download that?”
“If you go to the app store, it’s right there in the rankings. I think it was around 9th or 10th right now.”
“Oh, seems pretty popular.”
That day, the colleague went home, played the mobile version, and, thinking he had found a game that suited his tastes, started gathering information about it.
That’s when he found out.
‘Huh? This has a sequel.’
That this wasn’t just a standalone game.
Only three months until the release of *Hellic 3*.
The name *Hellic* was spreading, little by little, by word of mouth.