Chapter 513: Geralt of Rivia (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Though a small-scale game, Hades, launched after Bloodborne, with its exhilarating gameplay and action experience, has become a favorite among many players.

Especially the diverse playstyles and game content combinations have left many players astonished.

It could be said that Hades allowed players from all walks of life to experience its fun.

Similar to Bloodborne, if one is a novice, it's actually quite difficult to find enjoyment in the game.

But Hades is different.

As long as luck is good enough, and a player manages to assemble a powerful build, they don't need much skill to effortlessly achieve a Musou style of clearing.

And if luck isn't so good, it doesn't matter. For example, with the two guaranteed tool hammers and the choice of one out of three Gods' Blessings, players still have certain strategic combinations.

Even without luck or strategy, players can compensate with skill, constantly dodging the bullet-hell attacks unleashed by monsters in the game. Truly skilled masters can complete a run without taking any damage.

Of course, if you have neither skill, luck, nor strategy, the game also offers a God Mode.

Initially, many players thought Hades was a grind-heavy, randomized game.

But as players delved into the game's story, they quickly discovered something different.

Namely, the game's plot and character relationships were incredibly rich.

The simplest and most direct example is that, within the same save file, as the player progresses, almost every dialogue trigger with various NPCs is different.

Moreover, by gifting the appropriate nectar in the game and unlocking favorability with each character, players can trigger some special events.

Many players online were also discussing the plot and NPC content.

“By the way, does anyone know why Nyx fired Dusa? I just maxed out Dusa’s favorability and got her doll!”

“Don’t worry, bro above, Dusa will be back in a couple of days, and she even got a promotion and a raise!”

“2333333, doesn’t anyone like Megaera? After maxing out her favorability, the whip play after confessing is simply irresistible!”

“There’s no whip play! That’s just your imagination!”

“So this game is great in every way, but my liver is almost gone! And the plot of this damn game, you can’t just clear it once, you have to clear it N times! Every time Prince of the Underworld meets his old mom, he can only get a tiny bit of information!”

“+1, I think Mr. Chen not only wants our money, but also our lives with this game! It’s too grindy!”

With the launch of Hades, it wasn't just players who were discussing it; many industry designers were also paying attention to this game.

Because this game was very different from Chen Xu’s previous developments.

Top-tier games like Bloodborne were difficult for many industry designers to learn from, even if they tried.

After all, it wasn't just about pure design; it was more about high-end IT Technology in games.

But Hades was different; it focused more on Gameplay, and it was inherently a small-scale, low-cost game.

Chen Xu’s previous works often combined gameplay direction with industrial production, but this time, many felt it was a return to the Don't Starve and It Takes Two model.

Many game designers online were also researching the content of this randomized gameplay.

However, for Chen Xu, he wasn’t overly concerned with this aspect, as the production of Hades was just a minor interlude.

On one hand, it was to fill a game gap on Switch; on the other hand, it was to look after the players’ well-being.

After all, having experienced the double blow of Bloodborne and Resident Evil, Chen Xu was quite concerned about players’ mental health.

That’s why he developed such a game to help players de-stress.

Yes, that was indeed his original intention.

As for any negative impact, that was another matter entirely.

…………

In the Nebula Games lounge, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and a group of other old employees were all lounging in chairs, holding their Switch consoles.

But their expressions showed a myriad of emotions.

Ruan Ningxue repeatedly entered rooms, mainly to collect nectar to unlock NPC plot.

Qin Yi and Meng Zuo were researching various routines and combinations.

As for Yang Xin, she was looking despairingly at her deleted weapon effects.

Before the Cerberus on the fourth floor, the shop would randomly offer a special hammer.

This hammer’s effect was to delete one skill and randomly gain two special skills.

Originally, her skill set was a cruel strike and rapid slash healing playstyle. She wanted to be greedy because she felt that even with one less of cruel strike or rapid slash, clearing the levels wouldn't be a big problem.

If she could randomly get super armor penetration, her damage would explode!

As a result, cruel strike remained, but rapid slash turned into super critical and double critical.

These two were special attack playstyles, but she had been playing a basic attack playstyle all along.

At this point, her head felt a little dizzy; she had spent money, but her combat prowess had not increased, but actually decreased!

Two minutes later, amidst Hades’ taunts, Yang Xin silently turned off her Switch.

“Haha, Sister Xin, did you lose your gamble again?” Ruan Ningxue noticed Yang Xin’s actions and burst into laughter.

At the same time, Qin Yi and others also glanced over.

“No, I’m just a little tired of playing. And isn’t it better to use this time to read a book and supplement my knowledge?” Yang Xin said, quietly picking up a novel.

Ruan Ningxue said nothing, just smirked at Yang Xin.

Holding the book and seeing Ruan Ningxue staring at her, Yang Xin finally couldn't sit still. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly stood up as if she had seen a savior: “Mr. Chen, what do you have in your hand?”

Looking at Chen Xu walking over with a paper bag, Yang Xin was a little curious.

Not just Yang Xin, everyone else also put down what they were holding and gathered around.

“To supplement your knowledge. Call the people from the screenwriting team and Art Team too,” Chen Xu said with a smile.

Of course, not all employees were called, but some core design employees.

When everyone had arrived, Chen Xu took out the contents of the paper bag, which were all exquisitely packaged books.

“Mr. Chen, what are these? Slavic Mythology? Vampires? A Compendium of Medieval Peasant Life? Ancient Norse Village Style?” Everyone was a bit stunned looking at the books in Chen Xu’s hands.

But soon, everyone suddenly realized something.

This posture, could it be that he was going to develop a new work?

Seeing everyone’s expressions, Chen Xu didn’t keep them in suspense and nodded with a smile.

“A vast fantasy world, filled with countless strange creatures: immortal High Vampires, ferocious Griffins, xenophobic Humans, sorcerers with unique powers, as well as elves and dwarves, and so on.”

“The reason this world has so many different creatures is a peculiar natural phenomenon called the Conjunction of the Spheres. Different worlds would collide at specific times, causing many creatures from various worlds to cross over into one.

Humans, with their powerful reproductive capabilities and adaptability to the environment, quickly became the most dominant race on the continent. However, because there were too many monsters in the world, Witchers, who hunt these monsters, were born. Unlike sorcerers who possess innate magical talent, Witchers are humans transformed by magic potions. They possess extraordinary lifespan and perceptive abilities, and can use Signs to briefly employ magical powers. Witchers carry two weapons: a steel sword and a silver sword, to deal with different monsters and enemies.

Witchers belong to no country or faction, traveling the world and earning a living by bounty hunting monsters. Of course, just as humans are divided into different regions and countries, Witchers are also divided into different schools based on their areas of expertise. But one thing is common: Witchers are also ostracized and given cold shoulders due to their non-human characteristics. As for the story we will develop next, it will revolve around a Wolf School Witcher named Geralt of Rivia.”

(End of Chapter) <>