Chapter 768: Mr. Chen, Can You Speak Human?

Beyond the original story of Silent Hill, many players were also delving into various deeper aspects of the game.

As more and more game content was revealed, players discovered that the game's depth was far greater than they had imagined. It also contained a lot of content related to religious studies, occultism, and psychology.

A good horror game often leaves people feeling less scared after completing it. Many players who finished Silent Hill called it the best horror game they had ever played. While Silent Hill might not have been the scariest horror game, it was undeniably the most oppressive.

The game's music, plot, and atmosphere creation led many players to exclaim that this was truly a top-tier horror game.

From beginning to end, Silent Hill never once used 'jump scare' elements. Door jump scares, turn-around jump scares, or ghastly faces suddenly popping out – such tactics were completely absent in Silent Hill. The game even featured a radio that would emit static when monsters were nearby, warning players of an impending encounter.

It's worth noting that startling players is actually a very easy and simple task. For example, setting up a narrative that engrosses players, and then suddenly unleashing a ghastly face – that would certainly catch 90% of players off guard. However, such a design has absolutely no technical merit. Not to mention horror game designers, even a player who has played a fair number of horror games could concoct countless such jump scare scenarios.

Therefore, what truly amazed many players about Silent Hill was its complete avoidance of sudden jump scare scenarios throughout, instead utilizing the Great Fog, environment, and sound effects to create an incredibly oppressive atmosphere.

Of course, no matter how clever the design, how profound the content and depth, or how much artistic value it possessed, one undeniable fact remained:

Silent Hill had indeed left countless players with endless psychological trauma.

Many players had originally aimed for the top ten thousand reward slots.

These players had simply thought too much, as those slots were already filled on the very first day.

Additionally, some players who wanted to try the game for novelty and then slowly clear it within the time limit also felt broken.

Although they initially hadn't aimed for the 10,000 slots, simply wanting to 'free-to-play' Silent Hill and grab some exchange coupons, these players were typically those who didn't play horror games much but considered themselves brave. Consequently, upon entering the game, these players also broke down.

Such dense fog, such eerie monsters, and the need to find clues and solve puzzles in each level... While some people online had already compiled strategy guides for the game, meaning players no longer needed to rack their brains to solve puzzles and clear levels, this was still a horror game!

Even following a strategy guide, the atmosphere within the game was something they experienced firsthand. This made it incredibly difficult. Whether to give up and opt for a video playthrough, saving their lives while still learning the story, or to tough it out and complete the game themselves to feel it was worth it, experiencing the story from their own perspective – these became agonizing dilemmas for players.

In contrast to the players, Chen Xu was quite pleased. Inside Nebula Games' office, Chen Xu smiled faintly as he looked at the compiled data.

“As expected, these reward events significantly boost the game's completion rate! A 38% completion rate for the VR version sets a new high for horror games!”

Hearing Chen Xu's words, Qin Yi and the others next to him showed speechless expressions. What did 'men die for wealth, birds die for food' mean? Silent Hill's performance perfectly illustrated this. Players traded their 'lives' for the game; wasn't this what they deserved?

As a horror game, Silent Hill maintained a very good level of buzz. Besides the boost from Nebula Games' events, Silent Hill was also inherently a suitable game for live streaming. It could be considered a 'streamable game'.

A 'streamable game' is one where players can experience enjoyment just by watching. Although the enjoyment might differ from actually playing, it's still a form of pleasure. For example, Souls-like games, horror games, and games like Big Hammer Game are prime examples of streamable games. Players gain happiness by watching streamers get tormented and scared out of their wits.

Secondly, Uncharted and The Last of Us also possess some of these characteristics, as players can fully enjoy their excellent plots and various grand scenes as if watching a serialized TV show or a major film.

On the other hand, games like Red Dead Redemption and The Witcher: Wild Hunt are less suitable for live streaming.

This is because these games require players to personally experience their open and free gameplay, and their plots and playthroughs have a long duration.

Simply watching them doesn't allow one to fully grasp the core essence of the game.

In the Nebula Games rest area, Chen Xu chatted idly with Qin Yi and the others. They discussed things like the benefits sent to players.

After all, Silent Hill's sales had even surpassed Resident Evil Village, which previously held the highest record. It was even comparable to other AAA-tier games under Nebula Games.

However, it was just a number. After all, these sales were boosted by reward events, so they didn't hold much reference value, unless it was a purely torturous game, most of which could have their numbers inflated by such welfare activities.

“By the way, Mr. Chen, have you seen the player discussion posts in the official community?” Qin Yi suddenly remembered something and asked Chen Xu.

“Hmm? What?” Hearing Qin Yi's words, Chen Xu was a little curious.

“It's about someone analyzing Silent Hill's 'Otherworld' and 'Real World' concepts,” Qin Yi said, pulling out his phone and opening the post.

Taking the phone from Qin Yi, Chen Xu glanced at it and was immediately speechless.

The post's content, with all its elaborate theories, even referenced an earlier game from Nebula Games, '《》'.

“So, when in doubt, quantum mechanics?” Chen Xu lightly shook his head. It looked quite plausible, but Silent Hill and quantum mechanics had absolutely nothing to do with each other. Religious studies, occultism, and psychology, yes, but zero connection to quantum mechanics.

Even Silent Hill's mysterious power and Maria, born from a wish, had no relation to it. If anything, Silent Hill revolved more around Freudian psychological philosophy.

“But Mr. Chen, may I offer a small suggestion?” Ruan Ningxue couldn't help but interject.

“Hmm?” Chen Xu looked at her sideways.

“For the art direction of future new projects, could we perhaps incorporate a little human aesthetic?!” Ruan Ningxue expressed strong condemnation.

What drove her most insane about Nebula Games' releases in the past two years was the monster design. While games like The Witcher: Wild Hunt, Resident Evil Village, and even the recently launched DOTA and God of War had their share of aesthetically pleasing characters, overall, the majority leaned towards the grotesque. With the advent of Silent Hill, the creatures' eeriness almost rivaled that of Bloodborne. Although not all the work fell squarely on her, she was responsible for the crucial aspects, and these crucial aspects were all content that caused one's SAN points to plummet. Frankly, during Silent Hill's development, she suffered from sleep deprivation.

“Ahem, next time, definitely,” Chen Xu coughed lightly upon hearing Ruan Ningxue's words.

“However, it seems the trend for traditional RPGs has been picking up again in the last two years,” Meng Zuo couldn't help but interject. In his hand was a recent game sales chart.

Some time had passed since God of War launched, and Silent Hill had only recently been released. As for Yan Huo (Game), it was merely a small-scale game; its pricing meant selling 100 copies equated to another game's single copy, so it didn't make the charts. However, compared to previous years, the proportion of traditional RPGs was gradually increasing.

“The cost of VR platform development is gradually decreasing, and traditional RPGs have an advantage for VR: focusing on turn-based gameplay and story as their core allows for stronger player immersion. Compared to more open, action-oriented new-style RPGs, this is more beneficial for developers lacking sufficient technology and funding.” Chen Xu wasn't oblivious to this trend; he understood its origins quite well.

“Speaking of traditional RPGs, though, I do have a rather good idea,” Chen Xu said with a smile, having thought of something.

“Oh? Mr. Chen, what idea?” Everyone was curious.

“You'll know when the time comes,” Chen Xu said, keeping them in suspense.

However, after speaking, seeing a group of people staring at him, Chen Xu, sitting on the sofa, sighed helplessly and spread his hands.

“It's just a preliminary idea. I don't know if you've heard the saying, 'The end of science is theology.' While it's a fallacy, as an art theme for a game, don't you think it sounds really cool?”

“Imagine a fantastic world, mechs, and deities, presented through a scientific lens,” he elaborated. “At the same time, the game's story background would be centered around the Socratic philosophical concepts of reason, essence, and soul. 'Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?' Is it 'I think, therefore I am,' or does the perception of others define my existence? One could say this is a story about the world, the universe, and the origin of the self.” Chen Xu slowly articulated, watching the group.

Bewildered, utterly bewildered.

Ruan Ningxue, Yang Xin, Meng Zuo, Qin Yi, and the others stared at Chen Xu, completely bewildered.

They understood every single word, but strung together, they were completely lost.

“Mr. Chen, can you speak in plain English?”

“Mr. Chen, could you explain it in terms we can understand?” Yang Xin finally managed to blurt out after a long pause.

“Fine, if you insist on putting it that way, then it's a retro, heroic story about a boy who meets a girl, bravely runs forward, and saves the world,” Chen Xu sighed, hearing Yang Xin's words.

Why did they force him to explain it like this? The prestige just plummeted from the clouds straight to the ground!

(End of Chapter) <>