Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The First Ripple
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As the official launch date approached, I became swamped with work.
There was so much to take care of just to release a single game.
From internal issues like the final in-house tests to external matters like ratings board submissions and establishing a corporation.
That was how much labor it took to launch a game as an individual developer.
The only silver lining was that I had been steadily preparing everything since the beginning of 2009.
Now, only one thing remained.
“So, you’re finally returning to school.”
“I have to.”
“Whoa, a fall graduation then.”
I was going back to school.
I was resting in the club room after just finishing my course registration.
Han Seo-rim giggled.
“Now you’ll be busy too, juggling classes and work.”
“You seem happy about that?”
“Until now, I was the only one who had to clear my schedule. I can’t be the only one to suffer.”
“...”
I was at a loss for words.
It was an undeniable fact that I had put Han Seo-rim through a lot last semester.
Unfortunately for her, Han Seo-rim’s wish wasn’t going to come true.
“There won’t be anything urgent for a while. At most, we’ll just be fixing minor bugs and any balance issues we missed.”
“...You mean there are still bugs?”
“It’s impossible for there to be none. But there won’t be any major ones. We cross-verified all the critical issues multiple times.”
The errors I anticipated were those that would come from unconventional gameplay.
When it comes to playing a game, players are always more ingenious than developers, so it's impossible to catch every single problem. There's a reason why game companies are so obsessed with QC, running internal tests and closed betas.
But those were problems to be dealt with as they arose.
For now, something else was more important.
“So, why did you post your profile like that in the promotional post?”
“...Don’t talk about it.”
Han Seo-rim blushed and bit her lower lip.
...To be honest, I couldn't say I was completely blameless, so I didn't press the issue. I just didn't realize she knew so little about online communities.
We took action belatedly, but the community was already in flames.
It was a shame her face was now out there.
But...
‘It’s not all bad.’
Setting aside Han Seo-rim’s personal embarrassment, it was an acceptable issue in the realm of noise marketing.
Looking at the results alone, it had a tangible promotional effect in a localized area.
A week after the promotional post went up, the community was still buzzing with talk about the upcoming game.
The “female college student developer” bait was that effective, and we also benefited a little from the timing.
‘It’s only been a few months since Dark Space came out.’
That wasn't all.
The FPS survival horror 'Dead 4 Alive', which had made huge waves in the genre, was released in November 2008, right after Dark Space.
The gaming world has its trends too.
Whenever a decent title comes out, a string of copycats in a similar genre follows. It’s so common that the term “XX-like” was coined.
This is especially prominent in niche genres like survival horror.
Since the pool of games is small to begin with, the fanbase that has devoured the major titles goes searching for copycats.
‘You could hardly call this genre mainstream.’
In this era, survival horror action wasn't exactly a mainstream genre IP.
Since the ecosystem was one where a few giants led the entire genre market, when a standout title appeared and increased demand, interest in indie games of the same genre would naturally skyrocket.
A bit of tension started to build.
I tried my best to suppress it.
‘I’ve done everything I can.’
This was the best I could do in my given circumstances.
All that was left was to humbly await the verdict.
The week remaining until launch.
It passed by quite quickly.
* * *
Gamers are always thirsty for an outstanding game.
This was true even when a so-called masterpiece was sweeping the market.
The few gamers whose tastes didn't align with that game couldn't ride the wave and enjoy it with everyone else.
Kang Seok-hoon, a 25-year-old who went by the nickname 'WaitingForZodiac3' on the forums, was one such person.
‘It’s all talk about All Out 3.’
Seok-hoon's expression was sullen as he scrolled down with his mouse.
The gaming community he frequented was plastered with talk about All Out 3, the masterpiece released late last year.
Game of the Year or whatever they called it, but it didn't really resonate with Seok-hoon.
‘The game is just too complicated.’
He understood the immersion of an open world, the excellent graphics, and the superb gameplay. But fundamentally, Seok-hoon wasn't the type to find 'fun' in those things. What Kang Seok-hoon valued in a game was action and the feedback that came from progression.
In that respect, Seok-hoon liked any game where he could fight enemies.
‘Ah, when is Zodiac 3 coming out...’
He wanted to play a dark fantasy.
He needed a game that could replicate the feeling of Zodiac, of fighting fiercely against terrifying demons.
‘Those bastards at Blizzid.’
It had been eight years since the second one came out, so why hadn't they released the third yet?
If they'd announced its development, they should hurry up and make the damn thing.
His lips jutted out in a pout.
『(Game) National Paladin Association: All Out 3 is insane!』
『(Game) S2PoppyS2: Never seen a new game like this?! February's hidden gem, Evil's Soul! Wanna give it a try...?』
『(Chat) Bloodlord of Bangbae-dong: Isn't today the day? The launch day for that game that was promoted here.』
A chat post in the community caught Seok-hoon's eye.
Only then did Seok-hoon recall a forgotten memory.
“Ah.”
That's right.
The promotional post that had heated up the community two weeks ago finally flashed through his mind.
It was a small spark of curiosity.
‘Survival horror, was it?’
A blue-skinned protagonist fighting bizarre-looking creatures, with a hint of the action genre.
Something about progression through weapon modifications and combinations...
‘...Should I give it a try?’
He didn't have anything to play at the moment anyway.
If he cleared the game first and posted a review, maybe he could get his post featured on the main page.
The idea was strangely tempting.
Seok-hoon found the promotional post and looked for the game's name and platform.
‘Steam? What's this? A place like this existed?’
It was an overseas platform that didn't even support Korean.
As a user who had only played famous packaged games or domestic online games, this distribution platform was unfamiliar to Seok-hoon.
A bit of bewilderment welled up, but his curiosity rose even higher.
He knew a decent amount of English.
And after looking it up, signing up wasn't that difficult either.
Looking over the page, Seok-hoon felt a belated sense of relief.
‘What the, there's a Korean version in-game.’
Of course, the developer is Korean, it wouldn't make sense if there was no Korean language support.
The game had two versions: Korean and English.
This meant as long as he could get to the download, he'd be okay.
‘Let's see...’
$4.99.
It wasn't an amount he couldn't afford.
‘If this gets me a featured post, then...’
Wouldn't that be worth it?
And if it was a review trashing the game, it would get featured even more easily.
Seok-hoon grinned.
He fumbled for a moment, unfamiliar with the international payment system.
Soon, having successfully purchased and downloaded the game, Seok-hoon immediately launched it.
[Hellic]
[by studio rewind]
The intro screen was red text on a black background.
Below it were a settings tab, an exit tab, and the start button.
‘The default is in English.’
He went into the settings and changed the language to Korean.
Only then did the interface become comfortably familiar.
Seok-hoon didn't hesitate.
He immediately clicked the 'Start Game' button.
The next moment.
[Aaaaaaaah!]
“Whoa, that scared me!”
The scream made Seok-hoon jump.
‘Why does it sound so real?’
They said it was a horror game, and the scream definitely sets the mood.
After calming his racing heart, Seok-hoon's interest deepened.
Immediately after, what appeared on the monitor was a character squirming through some kind of internal organ.
Soon, with a splat, the character fell into a desolate, dark brown, cube-shaped room.
Seok-hoon let out a sharp breath and placed his hands on the keyboard.
‘What's that in front of me? A hacksaw? Am I supposed to pick it up?’
The controls were displayed on the screen.
Arrow keys and a few hotkeys.
The simple layout was easy to understand.
『You have acquired Hacksaw (lv.1).
Attack Power: 3
Property: Sever』
『Tooltip: The 'Sever' property has an armor penetration function.』
He was in the middle of reading the description.
Grrrr—
Flesh-colored, skinny creatures appeared on the map.
‘Oh, a fight already?’
I like how straightforward it is.
Seok-hoon immediately jumped into battle.
That was the beginning.
Uaargh...!
Killing enemies.
Squirming~
Moving to the next map through a hole, following a path resembling an organ.
*Ting!*
Collecting weapons.
In between, he went through the process of enhancing, evolving, and synthesizing weapons.
About 30 minutes passed. Seok-hoon was so engrossed in the game he didn't even realize time was passing.
‘This is easy. Will I clear it soon?’
I guess an indie game is just an indie game.
Just as the thought that the tension was dropping crossed his mind.
Groooowl—!
“Whoa, f...!”
A hulking mass, four times the size of the player character, appeared.
Seok-hoon collected himself after the sudden appearance and quickly controlled his character.
‘A hidden boss? Or an elite mob? What is this? Should I try hitting it?’
It was obviously a tank.
It looked like it had high defense, so he should use the hacksaw with the Sever property.
The hacksaw was lv. 10.
He had steadily raised its attack power through enhancements, so it should do some decent dama—.
『damage ?1』
...It didn't.
The next moment, the hulking mass swung its arm.
『You have died instantly.』
The screen turned gray as his character died.
Seok-hoon felt a sense of futility.
Soon, what filled him was rage.
“What the fuck is this!”
*Thump!*
The moment he slammed the keyboard, what welled up inside Seok-hoon was pure defiance.
‘A mob I can't kill right now? Ah, so I'm supposed to avoid it? Fine, let's see who wins!’
He immediately clicked the 'Retry' tab.
The save point was right after clearing the previous map.
He met the hulking mass once again.
This time, Seok-hoon cleared the map by avoiding it instead of fighting.
‘Its attack range is wide, but it's slow. If I play carefully, I can definitely dodge it.’
A smile crept onto Seok-hoon's lips.
A moderate level of difficulty.
It had stimulated his competitive spirit.
Four hours passed like that.
“What, when did it get so late?”
Only then did Seok-hoon realize he had been so immersed in the game that he'd lost all track of time.
His gaze returned to the monitor.
‘...I want to play more.’
The meaning behind that thought was none other than:
‘This is fun.’
The game was fun.
Fun enough to give Seok-hoon a deep sense of satisfaction.
* * *
『(Game) WaitingForZodiac3: Reviewing that game that was promoted here.
Tbh, I played this game just to try and get a featured post.
The platform is called Steam, but it's an overseas platform so the process was a bit of a hassle.
I wrote up the details here (link), so check it out if you want.
To get straight to the review, it was fun.
Moderately difficult and moderately deep.
The game system itself seems super intuitive and has a lot of application potential.
I got the impression that it recreated the skill tree evolution system from Zodiac 2, but with weapons.
I thought it was a hack-and-slash, but it really is a 'survival horror'...
(Screenshot)
This bastard here only takes 1 damage no matter what weapon you use, and you die instantly if you get hit even once.
Seems like a surprise gimmick, but trying to clear the map while avoiding this thing made me concentrate so hard my hair was about to fall out lol
Overall rating, I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
I don't know who the developer who promoted it is, but they definitely seem to have a deep understanding of games.
The reason it's missing 0.5 points is because it's not Zodiac.
Not taking questions.
SpacewarLover: Zodiac,,, why are you talking about another game?
┕Kuksinanayo: This guy feels betrayed lol』
Seok-hoon's review was posted to the community.
And it quickly drew the attention of the members, rising to the featured posts tab.
It was from that moment on.
『(Game) Bloodlord of Bangbae-dong: Review of the promoted game 'Hellic'. Lost track of time playing it.』
Spearheaded by reviews from a few well-known users who were initially interested in the game, it began to spread by word-of-mouth, starting from a small online community.
It was the flap of a butterfly's wings that would call forth a typhoon.
Spread