Chapter 167 It's Just a Bit Tough on the Heart (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 167 It's Just a Bit Tough on the Heart (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

On May 7th, with four days remaining until the exhibition, while all players were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Gameplay Expo,

some attentive players who closely followed Chen Xu were constantly refreshing his official Weibo account, hoping to catch a glimpse of any news about upcoming games. They actually discovered a new post:

'Test DEMO Silent Hill PT is now available on the Nebula Games Platform. Interested players can download and experience it for free.'

Many players were stunned when they saw this message.

What’s going on?

Didn’t Chen Xu just finish It Takes Two? And during this period, wasn’t he supposed to be actively developing the Dark Souls prequel?

Why did he suddenly release a DEMO?

Could it be a new game?

But that didn’t make sense either—wouldn’t a new game be called an Experience DEMO instead?

What the hell was a Test DEMO?

Many players were extremely curious.

Driven by this curiosity, they opened the Nebula Games Platform and read the description. After a brief moment of silence, numerous players immediately clasped their hands together and declared: Farewell!

Because this thing was actually a horror-themed DEMO.

To this day, many players still vividly remembered Outlast, the horror game Chen Xu had previously created.

Even now, some streamers who hadn’t played it and couldn’t find good content would choose to stream Outlast. Videos of streamers getting scared out of their wits on major video platforms consistently maintained extremely high view counts.

Now this Silent Hill PT was another horror game!?

However, after carefully reading the description, many players became curious again.

Because the description clearly stated that this wasn’t a complete game, nor was it a game teaser.

Simply put, it was a test DEMO, designed for the Game Department to evaluate their latest VR equipment.

Besides the domestic Gameplay Expo, the other major hot topic in recent news was the new generation of VR devices.

Overseas, various companies had started hyping up their products early, attempting to establish the impression that they were far ahead and incredibly advanced.

Originally, the domestic side had been quietly developing, but given the overseas hype, they couldn’t remain passive.

They had recently released some of their technical specifications to the public.

For ordinary players, it was just exciting news with no real idea of when a product might launch. And even when it did, it would clearly be a luxury for most, only accessible via VR experience stores for a quick taste.

But for designers in the gaming industry, this wasn’t surprising. In fact, it was already known and reported by media that the Game Department had invited some of China’s top designers to participate in the DEMO testing program.

Now it seemed Chen Xu was also involved!

This immediately sparked heated discussions among both game players and designers.

“Did Chen Xu finish developing a test DEMO that quickly? Is he just slacking off his tasks?”

“Why would he? The Game Department didn’t force anyone. Besides, doesn’t Chen Xu still have the Dark Souls prequel to develop? If he wasn’t interested, he could’ve just declined. I bet it’s just a small-scale test DEMO.”

“No way! I heard the content in this DEMO is actually quite rich, and it’s genuinely terrifying!”

“Terrifying? How scary can it be? It might be intense with the immersive experience of the new VR, but how scary could the PC version possibly be?”

“To be fair, all those who doubted Outlast are already lying in a coffin.”

“You’re exaggerating! Outlast was a full game, but this is just a DEMO. The significance is completely different!”

“Hey, stop focusing so much on Silent Hill PT! It’s just a DEMO. Shouldn’t we be more concerned about the Dark Souls prequel? If Chen Xu managed to make Silent Hill PT during this time, doesn’t that mean the development progress of the Dark Souls prequel has likely been temporarily shelved?”

“Damn it, now that you mention it, that actually makes sense! Will we still get a playable demo at the Gameplay Expo?”

“You’re asking me? Who should I ask? Besides, didn’t Chen Xu say anything about having playable content at the Gameplay Expo? He only said they’d bring new information.”

“I was overwhelmed! Without Dark Souls to play, I’m going to die!”

“Bro, without Dark Souls, Mr. Chen has at least given us a test DEMO. Maybe we can catch a glimpse of the new VR from it!”

“You’re overthinking it. The PC version and VR version will definitely feel different. Maybe the VR version is terrifying, but the PC version might feel underwhelming.”

………………

At Nebula Games, Ruan Ningxue, Yang Xin, Qin Yi, and others were also watching the online discussions, their expressions complex as they read the players’ comments.

“Mr. Chen, it seems your title as ‘Warrior of Love’ is probably impossible to shake off now,” Yang Xin sighed with emotion.

“Exactly!” Ruan Ningxue nodded.

Everyone had been curious about the DEMO, Silent Hill PT, which had been sent to the Game Department for testing the new VR equipment.

But since they couldn’t experience the VR version, and now that they were developing the PC version using previous data, they finally understood the oppressive, fear-inducing sensation it created.

Although it certainly couldn’t match the VR version, that very fact made it even creepier.

“There’s no way around it. This is done for the players’ sake. Tell me, even though Silent Hill PT is just a DEMO, is the content good? With such outstanding Level Design and puzzle elements, wouldn’t it be a billion-yuan loss if players couldn’t experience it?” Chen Xu smiled and added, “Besides, look—players have already come up with their own reason for why the Dark Souls prequel won’t have a playable demo at the Gameplay Expo.”

Listening to Chen Xu, everyone present was left speechless.

“And if the player response is positive, I think we might consider releasing a more complete Silent Hill on the VR platform in the future, rather than just a DEMO with minimal content,” Chen Xu said, stretching lazily.

A more complete version!? On the VR platform!?

Was this tearing off the friendly mask and fully indulging himself?

Wouldn’t that mean they’d be sending players to their graves one after another?

Their Nebula Games Company could just switch careers and become an assassination firm!

As everyone fell into silence,

in the days leading up to the Gameplay Expo, the dominant theme in the gaming industry became: blood-curdling screams!

In countless homes, players experiencing Silent Hill PT unleashed heart-wrenching, pig-like shrieks.

Although the PC version did indeed differ greatly from the highly immersive VR version,

compared to the original Kojima-produced PT from the previous life, due to the advanced technology of this Parallel World, Chen Xu was able to make the game graphics far more realistic. Since graphics were a core aspect of horror games, the PC version’s performance and sense of immersion were slightly stronger.

As a result, most players who tried it were immediately scared off by Lisa’s First turn-around jump scare.

A small number managed to push forward, only to be driven back by the soul-chilling glimpse of Lisa through the bathroom door crack.

There was nothing they could do—it was simply too terrifying. They just couldn’t persevere.

Compared to Outlast, although this was only a DEMO, many players felt it was even scarier.

It was supposed to be just a game, yet playing it felt like risking one’s life.

If the PC version was already this terrifying,

how horrifying must the original VR version—designed for testing—be?

Although most players had never met the testers, after experiencing the PC version of Silent Hill PT, they couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them.

On forum communities, players huddled together for warmth, discussing their experiences.

“Damn it! Who said this DEMO wouldn’t be too scary? I’m giving you a BUFF!”

“Right! Unlike Outlast, where high-tension moments were everywhere, I only encountered one intense moment in this DEMO. The whole thing was just an oppressive atmosphere, but when that intense moment came, it completely shattered my fragile little heart!”

“The baby crying in the bathroom, the female ghost knocking on the door—I literally pissed myself!”

“What’s scariest is how good the game graphics are. Why did Chen Xu invest so heavily in a mere DEMO? It scared the hell out of me!”

“When the female ghost turned around and wanted a kiss from me, I literally flung my mouse across the room!”

On live streaming platforms, many streamers completely broke down.

Previously, when streaming Outlast, as long as they weren’t scared off, progressing through the story was relatively straightforward.

And encountering new scenes at least gave them some comfort, knowing they were one step closer to clearing the game and escaping.

But this DEMO, Silent Hill, had a playtime of about half an hour according to the description. The key point was, it was primarily a puzzle-solving game!

If you couldn’t solve the puzzles, you’d be stuck looping in the house forever, playing house with Lisa.

But honestly, if you stayed with Lisa, you’d instantly have a wife, kids, and a house. Isn’t that kinda tempting?

The only downside?

It’s just a bit tough on the heart.

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