Chapter 730: Kratos? Isn't the God of War named Ares? (Please subscribe for monthly passes)

Mid-May, the popularity of DOTA remained red-hot.

However, FOW was also making frequent moves; its new work, Olympus, launched various promotions.

And it must be said, it really attracted quite a few players.

On one hand, it leveraged the popularity of DOTA, and its promotion also used the VR version of DOTA as its entry point.

Secondly, the game's theme primarily centered on the Olympian gods of Greek mythology, but it would also incorporate mythological systems from various countries, such as Norse mythology, in the future.

Furthermore, its gameplay also felt novel to many players.

The game's perspective, instead, became a first-person perspective. As for heroes, similar to DOTA, it adopted two different modes: melee and ranged.

But it combined the game with FPS elements; some skills and ranged hero attacks required prediction, while melee heroes also incorporated some ACT (action game) elements.

FOW heavily promoted this aspect, declaring to the public that Olympus was an action-oriented DOTA game, a game that balanced tactical and action controls. It could be said that the hype was overflowing.

And from a technical standpoint, the Olympus developed by FOW could be considered top-tier.

Furthermore, regarding maps, FOW also adopted an entirely new setting, which was that the game would no longer have only one map.

The game would feature multiple maps, and in addition to the tower defense mechanism similar to DOTA, FOW also introduced a mechanism called 'environmental interaction.'

Of course, it sounded very mysterious, but in reality, it replaced the Roshan mechanic in DOTA. Both players could gain advantages by completing tasks on the map or by contesting strongholds on the map, thus allowing their side to gain an advantage.

For example, attribute buffs, applying DEBUFFs to enemies, or having a siege behemoth unit appear for their side to assist with pushing.

Whether it was fun or not was unclear, but judging from the promotional materials released by FOW, it still attracted a considerable number of players.

Inevitably, some DOTA players were also attracted; after all, unlike DOTA, this was a VR game.

The promotions for Olympus came in overwhelming waves, and many were discussing this unique DOTA-like game.

“Olympus is about to start testing, is anyone going to play?”

“I'm going to check it out. It's a free test, and given FOW's integrity, Olympus probably won't be too bad, right?”

“I feel like the action content in this game is very rich. DOTA's gameplay combined with VR mode's action combat, just thinking about it sounds exciting.”

“It's not unplayable. Trying something new might be quite fun.”

With the promotion of Olympus, some DOTA players were also drawn to it.

This was also a normal phenomenon, as players couldn't possibly only play one game.

However, just as FOW announced the launch date for its trial version,

Another piece of news appeared in players' vision, which was that Chen Xu's official Weibo also published an announcement the next day.

“New VR Action Game “God of War” Trial Version, Coming Soon to Nebula Games Platform”

Many players hadn't yet processed this news. What the heck?

A new game!?

Many players were also somewhat stunned after seeing the promotional materials and content, filled with bewilderment and curiosity.

This time, Chen Xu didn't create any CG content or anything like that.

Because the characteristics of God of War weren't something that could be fully showcased by CG; it mainly consisted of game concept art.

Nevertheless, this excited many players.

The magnificent Mount Olympus, the colossal Titan Giants, and the terrifying Hydra...

Definitely a blockbuster!

And this time, Chen Xu didn't keep them in suspense!?

He directly announced a trial version!

Simply unexpected!

Many players were excited yet also a bit worried.

That was the game's introduction on Chen Xu's official Weibo.

Action game?

I hope it's not a torturous game!

Thinking back to Chen Xu's past achievements, countless players collectively complained online.

………………

Sitting in front of his computer, Song Ren watched the base explosion and let out a sound of powerless rage.

“Damn, five losses in a row! Can't you let me win just one game!”

Exiting the game screen and looking at the glaring 'Legend' rank icon, Song Ren felt a pang of frustration.

His DOTA ladder score had been revealed, just as Zhang Yi had told him earlier.

He was a Legend!

And after playing for more than half a month, he had only stumbled his way from Legend 2 to Legend 4. He had no idea how long it would take to reach Ancient.

Furthermore, as a player who loved picking Shadow Fiend in mid-lane, he found himself a bit overwhelmed at this rank tier.

What was even harder for him to accept was that Zhang Yi's rank was actually one tier higher than his—Legend 5!

“Stop yelling, stop yelling, no matter how much you yell, you're still a Legend.” Zhang Yi, who was duo-queuing with him in voice chat, pouted.

“Don't look down on people, I can definitely reach Ancient!” Song Ren retorted indignantly.

“I'll look forward to it.” Zhang Yi chuckled, then asked, “Playing more?”

“Not for now, my luck's a bit bad today. It's better to have good matchmaking than to play well. My teammates today were a bit underperforming. I'm going to play FOW's Olympus to blow off some steam.” Song Ren shook his head, refusing.

“Olympus? You're not playing God of War?” Zhang Yi asked, a little surprised.

As avid fans of Nebula Games, Zhang Yi and Song Ren typically played every new Nebula Games title immediately upon release.

This time, God of War was set to unlock tonight. They had already pre-downloaded it and were just waiting to see the content of the trial version.

“Forget it, I'm afraid my blood pressure will explode.” Song Ren shook his head.

FOW's Olympus had already begun its open beta. Song Ren had secretly tried it out earlier and found it somewhat interesting to play, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

The in-game camera perspective was simply too complex, and the blend of FPS and ACT gameplay was a bit hard for him to adapt to, having been used to DOTA.

However, trying it out for novelty's sake was fine, and with his DOTA foundation, it was no problem for him to bully some noobs.

As for God of War, although he wanted to play it, he was a bit worried that after five consecutive losses, his emotions were already on the verge of breaking. If God of War turned out to be a Souls-like game, he feared his blood pressure would explode on the spot.

“Alright then, go bully some noobs. I'll test the waters for you first. If it's fun, I'll call you.” Zhang Yi said.

“If it's fun, remember to call me. Of course, if it's a high-difficulty hardcore Souls game, give me a heads-up so I can mentally prepare.” Song Ren said.

“No problem.” Zhang Yi replied.

The two chatted briefly through their microphones. Then Zhang Yi stretched, walked over to the nearby VR gaming pod, tidied up a bit, and lay inside, feeling both curious and somewhat excited.

Entering the pre-downloaded God of War through the Nebula Games World, Zhang Yi immediately grew excited.

What did he see!?

Difficulty options!

‘Story (You can easily experience the story's progression)’

‘Normal (Not too difficult, but not too easy either)’

‘Hard (I assume you are someone who enjoys challenges)’

‘God of War (Only a true God of War can complete this journey)’

As everyone knew, if Mr. Chen's game had difficulty options, it couldn't be a Souls game!

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhang Yi decisively chose the Story difficulty.

Just because the game was called God of War didn't mean he had to play on God of War difficulty!

As the difficulty was confirmed, the game entered a brief black screen, and the howling of the wind continuously echoed in Zhang Yi's ears.

The screen reappeared.

He was playing as a bald, muscular man, shirtless, with red tattoos on his body.

But the next moment, Zhang Yi cursed loudly.

“Holy cow!!!”

Because at this very moment, the bald, muscular man in the game stepped towards the cliff ahead and began a free fall.

For him, who had acrophobia, this was definitely a high-impact shock.

On screen, the bald, muscular man fell headfirst, without a trace of panic, filled with serenity, as if willingly embracing death.

The surrounding scenery rapidly flashed by.

But compared to the bald, muscular man's calmness, Zhang Yi was practically panicking to death at this moment.

Concurrently, a somewhat hoarse female voice narrated.

‘Kratos plunged from the highest peak in Greece. Ten years of tribulation, ten years of persistent nightmares, were finally coming to an end.’

‘Death would be his final escape from it all.’

Kratos?

Isn't the God of War Ares?

Am I not playing as the God of War?

Listening to the narration, a hint of doubt arose in Zhang Yi's mind.

Although he knew very little about mythological stories,

He was still very clear that no God of War in any mythology was named Kratos.

Moreover, this game seemed to have a Greek mythology setting.

But wasn't the God of War in Greek mythology Ares?

Why Kratos?

Did he change his name later?

Watching Kratos plunge headfirst into the sea.

For Zhang Yi, who only had a superficial understanding of Greek mythology, a tiny bit of doubt arose in his mind.

(End of Chapter) <>