Chapter 156: Is This Game Even Playable? (Sixth update—subscribe and vote for Monthly Pass)

Chapter 156: Is This Game Even Playable? (Sixth update—subscribe and vote for Monthly Pass)

For Dark Souls players, it was as if they were celebrating a festival all over again.

In fact, hearing news about the prequel excited many hardcore Dark Souls fans even more than a holiday.

Yet inside Nebula Games’ office, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, Qin Yi, and others sitting in the meeting room wore utterly bewildering expressions.

While players worldwide were ecstatic and gaming media outlets reported widely about the arrival of the Dark Souls sequel, fellow designers and game developers in the industry watched silently from the sidelines.

But insiders knew the truth—this so-called prequel hadn’t even had a folder created for it yet!

Even the image Mr. Chen had posted on the official Weibo account was hastily pulled from last year’s promotional material.

Today’s meeting had one clear focus: the upcoming game, the Dark Souls prequel.

"Mr. Chen, the gameplay Expo is just over a month away. Releasing a trial version by then seems unrealistic!" Before the meeting officially began, Qin Yi, seated just below Chen Xu, whispered cautiously.

"Yeah, even though the overall framework exists, one month is just too tight," Ruan Ningxue added.

Everyone shared the same sentiment—launching a playable demo at the gameplay Expo would be extremely difficult.

Even with daily overtime, they doubted they could finish in time.

"Why are you all panicking? Whether it's interviews or the official Weibo, didn’t I already say we’d bring players new content during the gameplay Expo? Isn’t a trailer considered content?" Chen Xu sighed, observing their anxious faces.

In terms of professional capability, Ruan Ningxue, Yang Xin, and Qin Yi had steadily improved over the past two years, now fully capable of handling their responsibilities independently.

They could reliably complete the tasks assigned to them, but when it came to grasping the bigger picture, they still fell short.

As gaming industry professionals, they hadn’t mastered one of the most fundamental skills.

Can a game developer who can’t spin grand visions really be considered competent?

Look at the renowned game developers and producers from his previous life—weren’t they all masters of the art of promising grand things?

Some would post photos with celebrities on their official accounts, making fans suspect they were using company funds to stalk idols. Occasionally, they’d share travel or cooking pictures, and when players asked about game progress, the answer was always the same: "it's being made."

One company starting with the letter 'B' took it even further—displaying only a game title at an exhibition, followed by an epic series theme song paired with sweeping shots of scene textures, and that was it.

At least he was preparing an actual promotional CGI!

After hearing Chen Xu’s explanation, the team fell silent, yet visibly relaxed.

Because now that they thought about it, the schedule actually seemed quite manageable.

After all, this time last year, they had simultaneously developed promotional CGI while creating two games: Sanguosha and Fall Guys.

This year, although the timeframe was about a month shorter, they only needed to focus on a single project.

Moreover, the existing Dark Souls framework was already in place, which would save considerable time in subsequent development.

Glancing at the clock, Chen Xu saw that all department staff had arrived, so he stood up to begin the meeting.

"Alright, I assume everyone knows the topic of today’s meeting," Chen Xu said, opening his laptop on the conference table.

A document appeared on the projector screen behind him, displaying a title: Dark Souls Prequel.

Beneath it was a subtitle: Age of First Fire.

The attendees showed no particular surprise.

Earlier, Chen Xu had already hinted on his official Weibo that this prequel would be set in ancient times—the era of the First Flame’s ignition.

Thus, the subtitle aligned perfectly with the game’s story.

The only thing that piqued their curiosity was how this prequel would differ from its predecessors.

"The prequel to Dark Souls won’t make major changes to the Combat System, except for some numerical adjustments," Chen Xu began, establishing the game’s foundation.

Chen Xu had no intention of altering the core Combat System.

In his previous life, the combat styles of Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 3 were essentially identical, both shaped by Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Differences arose mainly due to technical limitations, leading to subtle variations in 'difficulty.'

The most direct example was drinking from the Estus Flask.

In Dark Souls 3, players could take small steps while healing, greatly enhancing combat fluidity.

In Dark Souls 1, healing required standing still—a limitation born of technical constraints. After all, when Miyazaki first developed Dark Souls 1, funding was nearly nonexistent. The artistic map design wasn’t originally planned; it was a compromise due to budget constraints, yet it accidentally became the most iconic aspect of the game.

Still, drinking the Estus Flask in Dark Souls 1 wasn’t the most frustrating part. That honor went to Dark Souls 2, which many Dark Souls players disowned as not being a 'true' Souls game. The addition of the swiftness attribute made early-game healing unbearably awkward—especially for players starting with the 'Deprived' class. Countless players grumbled inwardly, joking that they must be drinking urea bottles, given how hard it was to swallow.

Of course, Dark Souls 2 wasn’t without merits. Beyond its map design, its Combat System leaned toward a greater 'sense of realism.' But this clashed with the original style of Dark Souls 1, creating a divide: some fans saw it as an evolution, while others found it utterly disappointing. As a sequel, it had fundamentally changed the series’ tone.

Therefore, Chen Xu decided against major changes to the Combat System, limiting himself to minor refinements.

As for boss and monster designs, he temporarily skipped them—no need to address those yet.

Currently, his main focus was explaining the game’s map design and accompanying game mechanisms to highlight what made this game unique.

"The biggest difference from the previous entries lies in the map—we’ll be overhauling a large portion of it. The interconnected design, a hallmark of the series, will be showcased even more intensely in the prequel and will become one of the core player experiences. To help players fully appreciate its attraction, we’ll introduce some small changes to the game mechanism," Chen Xu said with a smile.

Small changes to the game mechanism?

Hearing Chen Xu’s words, Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin looked curious. But seeing his faint smile, they sensed these 'small changes' might not be so small after all.

Sure enough, Chen Xu’s next explanation left them stunned.

"For example, bonfires in the game won’t allow direct teleportation," Chen Xu said, clearly amused by their eager expressions.

"B-bonfires… won’t allow teleportation!?" Qin Yi’s eyes widened.

Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and the other employees in the meeting room all wore shocked expressions.

Had they heard correctly?

Bonfires—the one place in Dark Souls where players felt safest—would no longer allow teleportation?

If there was one thing that gave players peace of mind in Dark Souls, it was the bonfires.

Reaching a bonfire meant returning to Firelink Shrine to interact with the Fire Keeper young lady—essentially saving progress.

But now bonfires couldn’t teleport?

Is this game even playable!?

Just to see the Fire Keeper young lady again, players might have to trek across mountains and fight through countless monsters.

And if someone carried tens of thousands of souls and wanted to return to level up, dying twice on the way back would leave them completely stunned/overwhelmed?

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