Chapter 595: Close Your Eyes, Go Bravely A-Move! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 595: Close Your Eyes, Go Bravely A-Move! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

It wasn't a very long video, but the players who watched it were utterly bewildered.

Because it was completely different from what they had imagined. At first, many players thought it would be a sequel to Resident Evil.

But the answer told them it wasn't.

Then they thought it would be a horror game, as zombies and the apocalypse are quite common pairings. Yet, based on the current video, no conclusion could be drawn either, as this apocalypse in the video was too different from what they imagined.

Moreover, it was clearly visible that the game's map was a recreation of a real-world map. They noticed iconic landmarks like the Parliament House and Boston in the video.

But what else besides these?

So far, all they knew about the game was that the protagonist seemed to be named Joel, accompanied by an unnamed little girl and a woman named Tess.

Everything else was completely unknown. The entire promotional video fully demonstrated the qualities a Riddler-like character should possess.

Plot? Unknown.

Gameplay? Unknown.

Open-world game, thread-based game, action-adventure, or Shooting Game – still completely unknown.

Many players, who started with excitement and then watched the entire promotional video, were bewildered in that instant.

'Damn it? Previously, in Resident Evil Village, from Chris down to the Four Heavenly Kings and Miranda, everyone was a Riddler-like character. Now this promotional video is also Riddler-like?'

'It seems like they dropped something big, but besides the game and some character names, we know nothing else!'

'But the game's graphics are still absolutely top-notch!'

'There's a lot of dialogue in the game, but it's all fragmented with editing, making it impossible to understand!'

Players were all confused. Despite many players having unconditional trust in Nebula Games' reputation, facing The Last of Us's promotional video still made quite a few feel a bit pained.

Of course, it wasn't just players who felt pained; Alex and Grayson from FOW also felt a bit conflicted. They had a feeling that Nebula Games was doing this on purpose, and the timing was very uncomfortable. Their respective game promotions were already underway. If they stopped now, wouldn't all the previous marketing efforts be wasted? Although they hadn't officially announced the game's launch and release dates yet, they could certainly extend the cycle, but that would significantly increase costs.

Another point was that this promotional video felt like it was deliberately being mysterious and outwardly unremarkable. If it were an open-world game like Red Dead Redemption or The Witcher 3, Alex would definitely choose to avoid its edge.

But now, it made them feel a little conflicted. From the promotional content, ordinary players might not have noticed much about this game called The Last of Us. However, as a game designer, Alex still saw some insights. That is, this game would most likely be a linear game.

As for why he said that, it was clearly evident from the promotional shots. The game's cutscenes, whether CG or actual gameplay demonstrations, were more focused on showing points rather than broad aspects. For example, Red Dead Redemption and The Witcher 3, even as story-driven games, being open-world games, had to showcase the world's panorama to players even when presenting the plot.

The Last of Us was different; at least in the promotional video, the entire story was presented through Joel's perspective. So Alex thought this game was highly likely to be a linear game. And in terms of gameplay, it looked like a traditional zombie-themed game.

Even the protagonist, Joel, seemed more ordinary compared to handsome characters like Ezio from Assassin's Creed. If anything, he was a weathered middle-aged man with no overly distinct appearance. So, according to his hypothetical direction, the main selling point of The Last of Us would be its interactive story experience. But could relying solely on the interactive story experience truly make this seemingly ordinary zombie-apocalypse game a big success?

From a game designer's perspective, Alex found it very difficult, because, at present, it seemed simply too mediocre. A fixed linear gameplay, a zombie apocalypse setting without major outstanding points, and a protagonist who was a middle-aged man. Yet, despite this, Alex was still somewhat worried, after all, it was Nebula Games.

But Grayson next to him was much more confident.

“Alex, don't worry so much. You're just experiencing some fear because of The Witcher 3 last year. Last year's incident was just an accident, and we all saw the quality of Wasteland 1978.”

“Nebula Games might have presented The Witcher 3 last year, but that was just an anomaly. This year is different! This time, we have the foundation from our previous title, plus the game's comprehensive innovation. We will surely win over the players,” Grayson said with a smile. He felt he understood Alex's mindset quite well. Last year, just when he thought he had the Game of the Year in the bag, The Witcher 3 suddenly emerged, creating a 'Zhou Yu vs. Zhuge Liang' scenario. So now, facing Nebula Games, Alex was a bit paranoid.

In his opinion, The Last of Us might be a good game, but it would be difficult for it to become a classic, given how mediocre the current promotional video made it seem. If it truly lacked brilliance in gameplay and other areas, then to achieve great success, it would absolutely need a sufficiently captivating story and a meticulously detailed player experience, but that was incredibly difficult. So Grayson felt he had to convince Alex; he needed to give his colleague the courage to face his past shadows. This was a great opportunity to confront the past and break free from a dark history.

Listening to Grayson's lengthy discourse and rational analysis, Alex couldn't help but nod along. Yes, he had indeed been overthinking it. Alex looked at Grayson, a smile spreading across his face as a line from his favorite game, also developed by Chen Xu and his debut work, Undertale, popped into his mind:

'This fills you with determination.'

Now, he was filled with determination. The next step was to close his eyes and bravely A-move forward!

………………

With renewed confidence, Alex and FOW ignored Nebula Games. They continued their propaganda campaign step-by-step, with minor content updates every three days and major news every five days. Occasionally, there were even so-called 'insider' rumors circulating. These rumors gradually fueled players' enthusiasm, as FOW's reveals were clearly more appealing than The Last of Us's Riddler-like approach. Moreover, as a sequel to a well-known IP and featuring open-world gameplay, it still managed to keep players excited.

As for Chen Xu's side, after releasing a promotional video for The Last of Us, there wasn't much big news. Instead, they posted some specialized Scene Concept Art and Character Concept Art. For example, Joel, Tess, and players finally learned the name of the little girl in the promotional video: Ellie. But besides these, there was nothing else.

This led many players to complain.

Nebula Games is going back to its old ways, isn't it?

The game isn't actually ready; they just made a promotional video to make grand promises!

After all, it wasn't the first time!

(End of Chapter) <>