Chapter 112: One Life Each, I'll Have You Sitting Here All Day!
Chapter 112: One Life Each, I'll Have You Sitting Here All Day!
As the release date drew nearer,
Nebula Games' advertising efforts began to show their effects.
On gaming media websites, special reports and features on Dark Souls were everywhere.
Meanwhile, live streaming platforms and video platforms were also running various Dark Souls-related events.
The most direct incentive, however, was Nebula Games Platform's exclusive promotional offer for Dark Souls.
A 69 Yuan discount coupon, available only to users on the Nebula Games Platform.
There was no denying itâgiving players real monetary benefits was incredibly effective at attracting new users.
Shortly after the promotion launched, Nebula Games gained approximately 150,000 new users,
and that number continued to climb steadily.
For most players, though, the biggest impact was much simpler:
They could finally experience the game Dark Souls.
Across various gaming forum communities, players discussing Dark Souls radiated joy in every word they wrote.
After such a long wait, it was finally time to link the fire!
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ
In a residential complex in the Imperial Capital, Zhang Yi and Wang Han were discussing their National Day holiday plans.
"How about going to Jiuhua Mountain?" Zhang Yi suggested.
"Jiuhua Mountain? Everyone goes there to burn incense. Besides, can you even climb mountains? Last year at Huangshan, you took the cable car the entire way, and even then, you were exhausted after just a few steps," Wang Han rolled her eyes.
They went back and forth, suggesting several destinations, each time finding a new flaw.
Too tiring, too crowded, or simply rumored to be boring.
Finally, they reached a mutual, unspoken agreement: "Maybe we should just play games instead. I heard Nebula Games' Dark Souls has launched."
"Great idea!" Wang Han agreed immediately. As someone who loved gaming, she was all in.
After all, there really wasnât anywhere appealing to travel to.
Just imagining the crowds at every tourist spot during National Day made her shudderâwas that really vacation? Or just asking for trouble?
Now this was better:
Staying home, enjoying the air conditioner and ice cream, while immersing themselves in pure gaming fun.
This was the life.
"Hey, it's tagged as 'Hardened'âthis game seems pretty difficult!" As the more budget-conscious one, Wang Han naturally chose the Nebula Games Platform. Upon entering the store interface, she noticed a key detail.
Dark Souls on the Nebula Games Platform carried four official tags: ARPG, Dark Fantasy, Search & Destroy, and Hardened.
Hearing this, Zhang Yi, who was scanning the QR code to pay, casually replied, "What serious gamer pays attention to tags? Ignore themâthey're just for show. Besides, how hard could it be? We watched the online press conference, remember? It probably isn't that bad."
"OK, purchased! Ready to link the fire!" Zhang Yi stretched lazily.
"But this game seems kinda complicated for two players," Wang Han mentioned. During the online press conference, Chen Xu had briefly explained the multiplayer mechanics.
"We can just share one save file and use one computer. Whoever dies switches with the other," Zhang Yi suggested after a moment.
"Sounds good!" Wang Han agreed.
Life needed variety, and playing games together was a great way to bond.
The game file size was fairly large. While waiting for the download and installation, they chatted idly about irrelevant things.
Once the game finished installing, they launched it.
As the game started, a black screen appeared, followed by the voice of an old woman echoing through the speakers.
ăYes, this is Lothric...ă
Familiar lines. Familiar visuals.
Seeing this, Zhang Yi and Wang Han, sitting in front of the computer, blinked and grumbled inwardly.
"Isn't this just the promotional trailer from the exhibition?"
"Yeah, Nebula Games is really cutting corners."
Still, despite their complaints, neither skipped it. They watched it through.
Because the CG cutscene was genuinely well-made.
It had clearly cost a fortuneâotherwise Chen Xu wouldnât have reused it by inserting it directly into the game.
After the cutscene ended, the screen transitioned to character creation. Zhang Yi and Wang Han werenât surprised.
Many ARPGs used this model, allowing players to create their own characters.
The default name was simple and easy to remember: 123.
Next came the character customization options.
Zhang Yi took charge of the character creation without hesitation.
"Hmm, let's go with Elder age. After all, experience mattersâ'A Mouth Without Hair Cannot Do Things Reliably'âso add a bit of beard. For hair, let's go with twin pigtails and silver. Old body, young heart."
"Eyesâmake them narrow, since narrow eyes always mean monsters. Lipsâadd a touch of crimson red to show a thirst for slaughter."
After a series of operations on the customization screen, a bizarrely styled character appeared.
Wang Han stared silently for a moment. "I think you deserve a good punch."
"Ahem, ahemânever mind that. Looks like we can also pick a Class and starting equipment. You decide," Zhang Yi coughed twice and changed the subject.
"Let's go with Deprived. The stats seem balancedâwell-rounded (stats) should be strong. For burial gifts, let's pick this Twig. The last one's probably the best, right? And according to the description, it's a time-limited transformation card that makes the character extremely powerful," Wang Han analyzed based on her gaming experience, then selected Deprived and young white twig.
After finalizing everything, the screen briefly went black.
Then, the gameçťé˘ appeared.
The camera slowly zoomed in from a distance, finally focusing on a desolate graveyard.
Among the tombstones, a coffin creaked with a rhythmic click-click sound.
A hand emerged from inside.
Then, the character they had just createdâthe Deprived '123'âslowly crawled out of the coffin.
At the same time, the gameâs UI interface appeared on screen.
The center displayed the map name of the current areaâ'Cemetery of Ash'.
Zhang Yi glanced at the UI layout.
The bottom-left corner showed a broken wooden shield, a broken wooden stick, and an item called Estus Flaskâclearly the gameâs inventory.
The top-left corner displayed the status bar. As an experienced game player, Zhang Yi could easily interpret it.
The red bar was clearly the health bar, the blue bar the FP bar, and the green one must be the stamina bar.
Most ARPGs and action games used this layoutâit wasnât anything surprising.
In fact, it was common knowledge among players.
Few developers would be so deliberately eccentric as to swap the colors of the health and FP bars just for the sake of being different.
In third-person view, Zhang Yi slowly moved the mouse, surveying the surroundings.
A desolate, ruined graveyard stretched out, shrouded in white mist resembling ash.
Thick clouds blanketed the sky, blocking out the sun. The gray, dim color tone, with faint glimmers of light, created an oppressive atmosphere.
"Stop sighing with emotionâcheck the controls already. That red thing on the ground should be the in-game messages Chen Xu mentioned during the press conference. I'm waiting for you to die your first life so I can take over," Wang Han urged.
"Pfft! You underestimate me. You might end up sitting beside me all day," Zhang Yi retorted, but obediently walked his character over to the in-game message and interacted with it.
(Daily request for recommendation votes, Monthly Pass...)
(End of Chapter) <