Chapter 507: Unlucky Players Are People Too! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Online, discussions about Mirror (Game) were still very lively.

Of course, the content of player discussions gradually shifted from the game's story to its gameplay. For example, various weapons and playstyles were popular, and many players found the labyrinth gameplay of Mirror (Game) particularly interesting.

Compared to the previous Dark Souls, which introduced a random mode for players to suffer better in the game, Mirror (Game) hasn't yet incorporated a random mode. However, even without a random mode in the main game, the Chalice Dungeons setting had many players feeling obsessed.

Every day, they would just think about farming gems and farming stats. If there was one thing players were dissatisfied with, it was that the difficulty was a bit too high. Many Hunters struggled to farm, and the environment of the Chalice Dungeons was no different from a horror game.

There were all sorts of malicious traps, tricky and terrifying monsters, and also the half-health labyrinths that made many players feel utterly broken. Entering them would instantly cut your health in half, and a BOSS could kill you by merely stepping on your toe. This made many Hunters realize the importance of leveling up their HP.

At this time, Chen Xu called everyone to a meeting in the conference room.

Those present, such as Qin Yi, Meng Zuo, Ruan Ningxue, and Yang Xin, who had already received inside information, all had eager expressions. They already knew the objective of Chen Xu's meeting this time, and Yang Xin, in particular, was very interested in the project Chen Xu was about to announce.

A game that was incredibly satisfying to play, yet also very relaxing and good for health, and an action game at that—it couldn't get any better!

“A 45° top-down perspective, randomized gameplay?”

Seeing some of the game's tags, everyone looked surprised. Previously, when they heard from Chen Xu that the new work would be an action game, everyone had actually envisioned something based on Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or Assassin's Creed. But now, it seemed it wasn't what they thought, but rather a game that wasn't of a massive scale.

“Hades, this is the new work we're going to present to players next. Also, listen while I explain the basic concepts.”

Chen Xu smiled, looking at the astonished crowd, and began to explain some fundamental game settings and core elements: the core fun of the game, the map's interactive mechanisms, the game's art style, character actions and combat system, and NPC-related story content.

………………

Hades's game mode isn't complex; it's a standard Roguelike game. The term 'Roguelike' is commonly understood as a randomized gameplay style, which, though not entirely accurate, perfectly captures its biggest feature.

Secondly, there's no turning back. Just like Bloodborne and Dark Souls, the game uses an instant save mode. What's done is done, and there's no turning back. As for saving game data to a USB drive, that constitutes cheating.

Hades is a standard Roguelike game, but it differs slightly from ordinary Roguelikes. In typical Roguelike games, death usually means starting everything over. However, Hades is different; it allows players to develop their characters through 'financial management' (investing in progression).

Roguelike and progression might seem contradictory.

But in Hades, they are perfectly combined.

In the game, besides BOSS rooms, there are a variety of reward rooms: 'Divine Blessings and Boons,' 'Skill Enhancements,' 'Weapon Upgrades,' 'Shop,' 'Gold Coins,' 'Centaur's Heart,' and 'Encounter Rooms.' These are traditional Roguelike rewards; simply put, everything is lost upon death.

But there are also collectible reward rooms. For instance, 'Ambrosia' can be given to NPCs in the game to unlock their favor and learn more about the story and items; 'Black Crystal' can strengthen your attributes through the Night's Holy Mirror; 'Keys' can unlock more talents and weapons; and 'Gems' can be used for decoration.

These collectible items don't disappear when the player dies in a game. Instead, they can be collected to enhance personal abilities or add more interactions to the game's scenarios, such as a room that can restore the player's health.

With each death, players themselves will become stronger, effectively lowering the game's difficulty curve over time. This transforms the gaming experience from 'Dad, kill me again' to 'Kill Dad again.'

Listening to Chen Xu explain Hades, everyone showed very surprised expressions. Randomized gameplay wasn't an entirely new concept in the Parallel World; it had already become a mainstream genre. But Hades clearly had something unique. While it was randomized, it wasn't completely so, offering more strategic choices. For example, divine blessings would appear randomly each time, but players could always choose one of three options to better build their desired path.

Secondly, the game allowed for character progression, making one's character stronger. Randomized gameplay was like a lottery, while the progression elements related to weapons, characters, and even the story motivated players to keep grinding.

Hades wasn't just a simple randomized game; it was also a grind-heavy game.

Soon, employees like Meng Zuo and Qin Yi, who were more sensitive to numerical design and gameplay modes, understood the unique nature of this game from Chen Xu's introduction.

However, there was one thing that puzzled them slightly.

“But Mr. Chen, why doesn't the game adopt a completely randomized mode? From a gameplay perspective, wouldn't that be more distinctive?” Qin Yi asked curiously.

According to Chen Xu, the game would have a guaranteed drop mechanism. For instance, the hammers that change weapon attack forms would appear in a fixed pattern, with players encountering two of them. The remaining ones would depend on the player's luck and might appear in the shop.

“Mainly, we also need to consider those unlucky players. After all, unlucky players are people too, and they also need a good gaming experience! If it were a completely randomized mode, I highly doubt whether players who are not very skilled and are incredibly unlucky could even defeat The Furies in the first level,” Chen Xu said with a slight cough.

Yang Xin next to him was speechless. “Mr. Chen, say what you want, but could you stop looking at her?” (End of Chapter) <>