Song Ren sat in his seat and quietly started a new run. This time, he finally collected a key and unlocked a spear.
Compared to the bow and sword, this spear was more well-rounded, as it could be used for both melee and ranged combat.
After using it for a bit, Song Ren found it quite effective.
Another interesting aspect he noticed was the in-game dialogue; everyone's dialogue was unique. Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hades, Poseidon—famous deities from Greek mythology kept appearing. Song Ren didn't quite understand what these deities were saying.
He just clicked randomly, choosing whatever skill panel had high numerical design. As for prerequisites and combo attacks, he still hadn't figured them out.
Phew, finally, I saw the BOSS!
So that's what the BOSS looks like!
After several consecutive runs, Song Ren felt his luck was pretty good this time. He randomly got a blue special attack boon from Aphrodite, and with the spear's ranged capabilities, he made it to the BOSS room with minor scares but no real danger. Unfortunately, even with Death Defiance, he couldn't survive the Furies.
One more run! Next run, I'll definitely beat this BOSS.
Watching the Prince of the Underworld respawn in the River Styx, Song Ren couldn't help but sigh.
At this moment, Zhang Yi, sitting opposite Song Ren, also let out a sigh.
"Damn it, the BOSS of the second level is actually a Hydra!"
??????
Song Ren, sitting in his seat, paused slightly. Wait, what did Old Zhang just say?
He quietly stood up from his seat and looked at Old Zhang's Switch screen. It was a lava-like scene, and Old Zhang's health in the game was now precarious. In front of him was a huge skeletal giant serpent, and as its health dropped to one-third, several more heads emerged from the surrounding lava.
But what caught Song Ren's attention was:
Why was Old Zhang's attack power so high?! Why was Old Zhang's total health so low, only 34 points? And why didn't Old Zhang's sword have a thrust for its third attack, and how could hitting enemies restore health?
A flood of questions filled Song Ren's mind at that instant.
"Ah! What a shame!" As the Hydra's heads spat out a blade-like attack, Old Zhang's Prince of the Underworld in the game had its last sliver of health depleted. Although hitting enemies could restore health, it wasn't enough to recover in time.
"Old Zhang, why is your health so low? And how can you recover health by hitting enemies? Your attack is also so high?" Song Ren couldn't contain his curiosity.
"Oh, that's... I encountered a hammer-iconed room that gave me a boon which reduced my max health but restored health when hitting monsters. Then in the shop, I found another hammer that gave me an attack speed recovery after canceling the attack interval, since I had 150 gold at the time. As for attack power, this run went pretty smoothly; I gave Ambrosia to Aphrodite earlier, and she gave me a boon as a starting gift, an Epic-tier attack skill." Zhang Yi said with a smile.
Hammer, Ambrosia, Epic-tier skill?
What are those things? Why had he never seen them after playing for so long? Were they playing the same game?
At this moment, Song Ren was full of questions.
"The hammer is also a type of boon that can change the attack form of weapons, Old Song, haven't you seen it?" Wang Han added, complementing the statement.
The strange sound pierced the heart of an unlucky player like a sharp knife. Regarding the hammer, Chen Xu had implemented a guaranteed pull mechanism in the game, just like in his previous life. The hammers appearing in the shop were randomized, but between the first and third levels, two hammers would cumulatively appear, and they wouldn't be in the same level. If one didn't see it in the first level, then it was probably best not to buy lottery tickets or open gashapon draws that day.
"Human joys and sorrows are not interconnected. It's almost our turn, let's get ready for dinner." Song Ren quietly turned off his Switch.
Compared to some unlucky players shedding tears, most average-luck and Lucky King players had an excellent experience with Hades.
Although, like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the Prince of the Underworld kept dying and returning home when trying to escape from the Underworld, the combat was genuinely exhilarating!
This was a common feeling among all Hades players. Especially the game's combat system, combined with the boons from the Greek deities, made the gameplay incredibly satisfying.
If there was anything 'wrong' with it, it was that the game was genuinely addictive. And it was incredibly grind-heavy!
This was because the game had collectible elements; players needed to collect Ambrosia to unlock favor with the Olympian gods, and also collect other elements to strengthen their character and weapons.
For example, Titan Blood, which was essential for weapon reinforcement, could be obtained by beating the Furies for the first time with each weapon. Since Titan Blood was a necessary item for upgrading weapons, players would start grinding endlessly.
Some players managed to clear the first major level with fists or guns, but struggled with the sword and bow. What to do in such a situation? Grind, of course!
They would grind to increase the level of their keepsakes, and farm more Black Crystals to strengthen the Prince of the Underworld's talents. Coupled with the varying Olympian gods encountered in each run, and the different boons they offered, and the fact that each run wasn't very long, the game was imbued with a magical appeal.
Many players thought they'd just do one more run for a few minutes and then sleep. Or, they'd grind for two more keys to unlock talents, or a few more crystals to add another skill point, not to mention room renovation and grinding Ambrosia to unlock NPC favor. Every time they achieved a self-imposed goal, they would soon realize that another new goal was almost within reach!
And so, time unconsciously slipped away.
'Just one more run,' they'd say. Before they knew it, two or three hours had passed.
With the launch of Hades, players online were also very surprised after experiencing it. After all, Resident Evil and Bloodborne had left too deep an impression on them. Even though Chen Xu had confidently stated on the official Weibo account that this was a very satisfying game, players initially didn't believe him.
But as they played, and as some streamers broadcasted the game, many players discovered that perhaps they had genuinely misunderstood Chen Xu this time!
Although players controlling the Prince of the Underworld to escape from hell died many times in the game, there was rarely a sense of frustration, because the process was just too exhilarating.
At the same time, some of the game's plot content and combined gameplay methods were highly discussed by many players online.
"Have you played Chen Xu's Hades? Chen Xu really didn't lie this time! It's incredibly satisfying to play!"
"+1, I didn't believe it at first, but after playing, it's really interesting. The various skill combinations are simply invincible!"
"The spear's special attack is super easy to use!"
"I think Ares' Doom Curse is particularly powerful; all my BOSS damage relies on it!"
"Nonsense, Poseidon's sea waves are invincible. Once you learn it, you can just mindlessly dash without even attacking!"
"Haha, after defeating the Furies and then giving them Ambrosia, it's just too tsundere!"
"Also, for those of you doing room renovation, after the rest area is done, there's a little maid named Dusa; she's super adorable!"
"Damn it! This is the story of the Prince of the Underworld escaping from hell, and you guys are playing a dating sim here?"
"But honestly, this game is truly addictive. You think you'll play for a while, and before you know it, two or three hours have passed!"
"That's right, it's super interesting, just a bit hard on controllers! I put in brute force and miracles happened, but I wore out the joystick badly, damn it! Now I have to buy a new controller!"
"Is this truly Mr. Chen's goal? A game made just to sell controllers!"
(End of Chapter)
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