Chapter 240: Players' Various Speculations (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

Chapter 240: Players' Various Speculations (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

The message Chen Xu posted on Nebula Games' official Weibo account was extremely simple.

It was just a character concept art illustration.

However, the character depicted in this concept art wasn't an ordinary human, but a dragon.

Four legs, a pair of wings, with massive white horns extending sideways from its head, an enormous body densely covered with thorns that radiated intimidation and lethality, sending chills down one's spine. Its massive wings folded over its shoulders, while dark black and deep purple scales gave this fearsome dragon an aura of utter ferocity.

The entire design was incredibly imposing, filled with a sense of oppression.

Below this image, Chen Xu also published a short description of this creature:

'Nergigante: A large Elder Dragon species monster. Characterized by countless sharp black spikes growing across its body, extremely thick and sturdy horns, overwhelming aggressive intent, and a savage, violent temperament. It possesses overwhelming strength as an Elder Dragon.'

'Additionally, Nergigante possesses exceptional regenerative abilities. To sustain this regeneration, it requires vast amounts of energy. Thus, Nergigante actively hunts monsters containing high-purity energy. In reality, however, all living creatures become potential prey. Because of this behavior, legends arose calling it the "Elder Dragon that Destroys Everything," hence its name: Nergigante.'

Under the official post, many players were stunned.

Generally speaking, shouldn't promotional materials for a game center around the protagonist?

Why was this a dragon?

Could it be that in this new work, players would take on the role of this creature called Nergigante?

If this description of Nergigante was accurate, would this game involve controlling this monster named Nergigante to hunt various other creatures?

Big fish eats small fish?

What's going on?

Seeing this official post from Chen Xu, many players were completely taken aback.

"What's going on? What exactly is Chen Xu's new game? He released a concept art piece, but we can't figure anything out!"

"See? I told you! Mr. Chen is getting better and better at misleading us! Back when he attended the gameplay Expo, at least there was a trailer we could watch. Now he's just sending us a single concept art image and calling it a day!"

"Time to bring out that meme again!"

"Bro upstairs, Mr. Chen has way too many memes. Do you mean this one (Warm and Heartfelt, Warrior of Love.jpg), or this one? (Pass the Fire, Bro.jpg) Or perhaps this one? (It's being made, almost released.jpg)."

"23333333, Mr. Chen has way too many memes!"

"Seriously suspecting Mr. Chen is tricking us again, just like before—probably hasn't even created a folder yet!"

"Wait, I have a bold but not necessarily correct theory: Could the new work possibly be part of the Souls series? Telling the story before the Age of Fire? After all, Gwyn, the Witch, and others defeated the Elder Dragons, but we never knew how. This Nergigante could very well be one of those Elder Dragons. In the new game, we might control an Elder Dragon to fight against Gwyn, Nito, and the Witch in their prime."

"Bro, your theory is way too bold and definitely wrong! Didn't you notice? This dragon's art style is completely different from the Dark Souls series! Dark Souls leans toward a Western fantasy realism art style, but this Nergigante clearly has an Eastern-inspired fantasy realism style. So it definitely can't be part of the Dark Souls series!"

Following Chen Xu's post, many players began speculating wildly.

However, soon after, Chen Xu released a second concept art illustration.

The content was simple: it featured the same Nergigante as before, but now, within the same scene, a human figure appeared.

A Hunter, clad in armor, wielding a Long Sword longer than his own body, stood facing off against Nergigante.

With this second concept art illustration, players finally learned the name of the new game: Monster Hunter: World.

The release of this second concept art naturally brought more information, drawing even more players into the discussion.

"Monster Hunter? Damn it, this is a hunting game!?"

"Wait! A hunting game? So this thing called Nergigante is what we'll be hunting in the game!?"

"Could it actually be a Souls-like game?"

"My feelings right now are complicated!"

"So it's shifting from 'Pass the Fire' to 'Hunt'?"

"The first concept art showed the dragon, and only in the second did the Hunter appear. Don't you think that might be a hint? A hint that the dragon is actually the protagonist, and we, the Hunters, are the prey?"

"I think it's not impossible. Look at the game's title. Could it possibly be interpreted like this? 'Monster (noun) Hunt (verb) Man (noun)'?"

"Damn it, who'd have thought 'Monster Hunter' could be interpreted that way—but honestly, it's weirdly fitting!"

Seeing this second concept art, many players immediately recalled their suffering experiences.

Especially memories of past bosses like Seath the Scaleless, the Nameless King riding a dragon, and Black Dragon Kalameet.

Many players wondered: Could this actually be a Souls-like game?

After all, Nebula Games had only released two major titles before—both were Dark Souls!

As a result, many players online were simultaneously excited and apprehensive.

Dark Souls had left such a deep impression on them.

Even the phrase "Bro, pass the fire?" had become a meme.

Of course, many masochistic players were now cheering with delight. Even if it wasn't the story of kindling the fire anymore,

wasn't hunting just as brutal?

"It's here! It's finally here! Souls-like game is back!"

"Finally! Do you know how I've survived this past year? I feel uncomfortable if I'm not being tormented!"

"I can't wait anymore! I heard they're using Nebula Games' latest AI technology too!"

"But last time, the 'Death Mode' felt like it had minor improvements but ultimately no real difference?"

Many players were extremely excited.

However, to everyone's surprise, Chen Xu posted another update on the official Weibo.

"I'm aware of the players' enthusiasm online. But here I want to clarify: Monster Hunter: World is not a Souls-like game. It is a pure Hunting Co-op Game."

"The core gameplay involves using various weapons, exploring lush jungles alongside your fellow Hunter companions, hunting dragon-like creatures, and collecting materials from them to forge superior weapons and armor, ultimately uncovering the truth behind the Elder Dragons."

"So let me emphasize again: Monster Hunter: World is not a so-called Souls-like game. Players expecting a Souls-like experience may be disappointed."

From within Nebula Games, Chen Xu, observing the online discussions, sent this post to clarify.

It was necessary to address the widespread speculation.

After all, as a designer filled with passion and care for players, he naturally had to clear up misunderstandings!

Imagine players thinking Monster Hunter: World was a Souls-like game, only to discover it was completely different—that would be deeply disappointing!

As Usual~

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