Chapter 57: Weren't You the 'Warrior of Love'?

At first, only streamers familiar with Nebula Games were live-streaming Outlast on Shark TV's gaming section.

But as more streamers began broadcasting it, they discovered the results were surprisingly good—viewer counts and popularity steadily climbed. During gameplay, the bullet comments in their live stream rooms became incredibly dense.

This attracted even more streamers. After all, this was their job, and Outlast was clearly an excellent show for live streaming.

No matter which streamer's live stream room you opened, you could almost certainly hear their blood-curdling screams.

'Nope, I'm done! I'm not playing anymore! My locker just moved!'

'No! Dad, I was wrong, please let me go!'

'Why is this fat guy chasing me again? How do I even get out of these sewers!'

'Find the fuse in the women's ward? Pitch black the whole time? My battery's dead! Who knows the way? Help me!'

'Where's the gun? Why isn't there a gun? Give me a gun!'

'I'm seriously fed up! That wheelchair dude scared the hell out of me! You didn't move when I arrived, but the moment I turn around, you pull this on me!'

The live streams of major streamers were filled with agonizing screams while playing Outlast.

Every single frame could be used as standalone content.

This also sparked curiosity among viewers who watched the streams but were unfamiliar with Outlast.

Just like the players on the forums before them, they all shared the same thought: Is this game really that scary?

But once they entered the game and tried it for themselves, they instantly froze in shock.

Because it was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

If jump scares like the 'door jump scare' were just sudden shocks that became manageable with habituation, that would've been somewhat tolerable.

But Outlast went far beyond that.

Visual horror, jump scares, and psychological horror were perfectly combined.

Jump scares were a shared feature in both Eastern and Western horror, also known as 'jump scares'—like the 'door jump scare' or 'turn-around jump scare'.

Visual horror typically leaned toward Western-style horror themes, using disturbing imagery such as scenes of blood and gore.

The soldier impaled by a steel pipe at the beginning of Outlast, and the scene where fingers are cut off, were classic examples of visual horror.

Psychological horror, on the other hand, was more common in Eastern-style horror themes—fear of the unknown, making players doubt themselves.

For instance, levels set in the catacomb, women's ward, and sewers—where enemies hunted you down and the entire environment was pitch black, forcing you to rely solely on a camera for light—were classic examples of psychological horror design.

Outlast skillfully combined these three elements of horror.

On top of that, the player took on the role of a reporter who could only run and couldn't fight back.

This further weakened the player's sense of security.

Who knows the sheer despair of being chased by monsters in-game when your camera battery runs out!

In an instant, countless players were plunged into the shadow of the facility known as Mount Massive Asylum.

…………………

As streamers and an increasing number of players continued their 'helpful' recommendations,

the game's popularity and comment counts quickly soared.

At first, it spread only through horror game forums.

But soon, Outlast began trending on major gaming communities and Tieba, its popularity skyrocketing.

Player discussions flooded in.

'Damn it! I'm cutting ties with my friend! He said it was 'a little scary'? It nearly scared me to death!'

'Embarrassing confession: I let the team down. I bought the game but didn't even dare to enter the main gate of Mount Massive Asylum!'

'23333, Bro ahead, stop—there are more than just you who didn't enter the gate!'

'LOL, same here. I wandered around the entrance for a bit, then immediately quit and went to watch videos instead.'

'Is it really as mystical as you guys say? I thought this game was pretty simple!'

'Of course it's scary! I've already cleared the game!'

'Brothers upstairs, please unlink your official platform crossover verification before speaking. One of you has only 7 minutes of playtime, the other only 5. What the hell did you clear!'

'Heh, I bought the game and didn't request a refund. Plus, I watched videos and live streams, so I know the entire story. Doesn't that count as clearing it?'

'Damn it, I have nothing to say to that!'

'Be honest, the game's playtime is way too short. Let me briefly explain the gameplay for new players: First, you launch the game, enter the courtyard, go to the small door on the left, crawl through the dog hole, climb over the scaffold to enter the asylum through the window, then close the game and open a video website to search for 'Outlast' walkthroughs.'

Amidst the players' enthusiastic discussions, Outlast's popularity steadily climbed.

At the same time, sales entered an explosive growth phase.

An increasing number of players who had never heard of it before became curious about Outlast.

Of course, most of these players were utterly terrified.

And there were also many who requested refunds.

But while the number was high, a significant portion of players bought the game and chose not to refund.

These players, in turn, supported the game company.

With such a massive player base,

Outlast's sales remained quite impressive.

But just at this moment, someone started a trend, and quickly, a wave of discussion swept through various gaming community forums.

It was about the statement Chen Xu made during a media interview after winning first prize in the 'Sci-Fi Game Contest'.

['After all, I've always felt that I am a Warrior of Love.']

This sentence suddenly went viral among Outlast players.

'How the hell did Chen Xu even say that with a straight face?'

'Never thought that after making a game like To the Moon, Chen Xu would then serve up Outlast.'

'Warrior of Love! Can you really call yourself that?'

'Hey Chen Xu, you made such a terrifying game—do you even dare to play it yourself?'

'Exactly! Outlast shows absolutely zero love!'

Countless players began trolling under Chen Xu's official Weibo account.

The contrast was just too perfect.

One moment he claims to be a Warrior of Love, the next he releases Outlast, a game capable of making players soil their pants.

Not a trace of love to be found!

Though they said these things, most players were just stirring the pot and joining the fun.

But to everyone's surprise, Chen Xu actually replied on his official Weibo.

And the reply was this...

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