Players had a love-hate relationship with this newly updated Scent System.
The 'love' aspect was that this new feature, combined with the more advanced experience of the VR gaming pod, truly made them feel the progress of the next generation.
When playing games, especially realistic ones like Resident Evil, the sense of immersion was absolutely maxed out. What surprised players even more was that the game, through scent simulation, even changed some gameplay routes.
For example, in Resident Evil, when players escaped the house, they would be chased by Old Man Jack.
Originally, to create a tense and thrilling atmosphere in Resident Evil, the focus was primarily on footsteps. In a pitch-black room, increasingly heavy footsteps would approach from behind. Turning a corner and then turning back, a flash of lightning would illuminate the room, revealing Old Man Jack, axe in hand, dripping with blood, glaring menacingly at the player.
However, with the new Scent System, a whole new mode of arrangement was possible. The footsteps were removed, replaced by a silent space where there was no sound except for the player's footsteps and breathing. Instead, there was a constantly thickening smell, starting from faint and indistinct, then growing so strong it felt right in the player's face.
With footsteps, players could at least distinguish that the monster was chasing them from behind. But with the omnipresent scent, players had more to worry about, every space—up, down, left, right—became a source of anxiety.
And this was just the design in a horror game. Transferred to other games, players could imagine countless changes brought by this feature just by brainstorming.
As for the 'hate' aspect, it was that most of the scents currently simulated were still quite unpalatable. Gunpowder, putrid odors... only a few were pleasant to the players. Furthermore, Nebula Games immediately reset a next-gen Resident Evil, and even 'conscientiously' updated some of the game's level designs, instead of merely adapting to the new Scent System.
Players already had a bad feeling. They feared that with Nebula Games leading this trend, other game developers would soon follow suit with next-gen VR, creating horror games and psychologically oppressive level designs.
Nebula Games, what a menace!
The newly supported Scent System was a hot topic among players, but it only lasted a few days. After all, not many games currently supported it, the flavors were a bit too strong, and for many domestic players, there was even more anticipated news: Fate Seeker, Nebula Games' first wuxia game, was finally launched.
Even though wuxia and xianxia genres had almost been 'ruined,' and this theme had even become a slightly derogatory term in the country, most players still harbored a wuxia dream. Coupled with the fact that it was a Nebula Games production, it had already pushed countless players' expectations to the limit.
On the 28th of the month, Fate Seeker officially launched. After Nebula Games Platform opened purchase access, players flocked to buy it. Among them were also overseas gamers; although wuxia was indeed somewhat difficult for these players to understand, they still purchased the game out of trust in Nebula Games.
Of course, there was another factor: the current lineup of next-gen VR gaming pods was severely lacking in games. In such a situation, as long as the quality wasn't too terrible, sales would generally not be bad.
Zhang Yi had finished his chores early today. The floor was mopped, windows and cupboards were wiped clean, and groceries had long been bought from the supermarket. To avoid spending too much time cooking, he specifically bought all cooked food today. Hot dishes could be reheated in the rice cooker, and cold ones could be taken straight from the fridge and thawed briefly before eating.
I really am a genius. Too bad I can't get away with this every day. He gave himself a mental thumbs-up, glanced at the time, and seeing that it was still early before his 'old lady' got off work, Zhang Yi decisively lay down in the next-gen VR gaming pod, ready to transform into a martial arts hero and experience this long-awaited game.
'Chujiu, Hidden Dragon, Do Not Act. The Zhuge Family Motto left by my father: 'Living simply and aiming high; being tranquil to achieve greatness,' your son, Zhuge Yu, has always kept it in mind.'
'Today, I continue to practice martial arts, and my skills have just begun to form...'
'Jiuer, Dragon Appears in the Field, Favorable to See the Great Man. It is time to inherit my father's ambition and dedicate Zhuge Yu's capable body to the people of the Divine Land, until all evil people and deeds in the world are eradicated!'
As the narration sounded in his ears, an image appeared before Zhang Yi's eyes. At this moment, he was soaring in the sky, or rather, his perspective was that of an eagle.
"This map is pretty good," Zhang Yi said, looking at the map below from the sky, a surprised expression on his face.
Compared to games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Xenoblade Chronicles, the map of Fate Seeker was not very large, but not small either. Looking from above, the cities, villages, and mountain paths below were all quite impressive.
Coupled with the game's background, which he had read before, primarily based on The Three Heroes and Five Gallants, it was basically confirmed that it should revolve around Kaifeng and its surrounding areas. Cities, villages, streams, and finally the eagle's perspective descended into a forest.
At the same time, Zhang Yi's vision slowly darkened.
In the scene, a middle-aged man laughed heartily, holding a baby in his hands.
Then, a dialogue box for birth year and month appeared before Zhang Yi.
"The initial identity, difficulty options, and starting attributes are being determined." Looking at this obvious flashback cutscene, Zhang Yi, who was not a gaming novice, immediately understood the situation. Obviously, this baby was Zhuge Yu, the protagonist of the game, and the others were Zhuge Yu's family members, who had presumably been 'gone' for who knows how long.
The men who become protagonists, whether ancient or modern, domestic or foreign, are mostly orphans. Ezio, Rex, Nathan, Arthur Morgan... too many to count. Apparently, Zhuge Yu in Fate Seeker could not escape this law.
"Qian, Kun, Kan, Li, Zhen, Xun, Gen, Dui. These should correspond to health, attack, movement speed, defense, and a series of other attributes," Zhang Yi thought, looking at his confirmed attributes, getting a general understanding. This was also a major feature of wuxia and xianxia games. While Qian, Kun, Kan, Li, Zhen, Xun, Gen, Dui sounded complex, they simply corresponded to Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Wind, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Lake, symbolizing the changes and cycles of the world.
The only thing that worried Zhang Yi a little was that he found the game also contained elements of deduction gameplay. It wasn't that he disliked deduction, a gameplay style that opened the doors to intellectual exploration. It was mainly that in previous wuxia and xianxia games, the most frustrating part was when the main storyline incorporated a large amount of knowledge from ancient texts like the I Ching, linking it to so-called puzzles.
It wasn't that he disliked traditional culture; the main point was that these things were too complex, and the in-game guidance was simply inadequate. This led to playing for one minute and searching for guides for five minutes. Without guides or searching for these solutions, he simply couldn't progress. Yet, the puzzles themselves weren't particularly ingenious, similar to finding a switch in an ordinary game. It would be fine if they were in side quests, but these game developers always liked to put them in the main story. If the story gameplay was interesting, it might pass, but if it was just average, it was a pure point deduction. After all, players came to play games, not to attend lectures. Compulsory education didn't force him to learn these things, so why should he be lectured when playing a game?
With a mix of emotion and worry, the scene before Zhang Yi gradually brightened, like the comic strips at the beginning of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In a cave, on an altar, a strangely dressed priest raised his hands, and below were fanatical believers.
'Bright fire illuminates the world... Glorify my Mani... Bright fire illuminates the world... Glorify my Mani...'
In the mountains, a Patrol Officer led several Constables rushing in.
'Bold zealots, how dare you spread heresy here.'
But before he finished speaking, the chubby Patrol Officer in the scene suddenly erupted in green Phosphorous Fire. The surrounding Constables looked terrified, while the Patrol Officer fell painfully into the stream behind him.
"The White Lotus Sect, Phosphorous Fire? This story... it's very retro!" Zhang Yi smacked his lips, watching the game's plot. It was clear that Zhuge Yu had left his hometown at a young age to study martial arts, and upon returning with his initial mastery, he found his hometown plagued by the so-called Manichaeism, which used the 'Manichaean Sacred Fire' to delude people. But for Zhang Yi, who had read many wuxia novels, he immediately recognized this as a江湖 trick involving ghost flames.
Though a bit old, the vibe immediately settled in. He confirmed the look in its eyes: it was indeed wuxia, and of the retro wuxia style.
"Is Mr. Chen addicted to playing 'renaissance' recently?" Zhang Yi was filled with emotion. Xenoblade Chronicles, Final Fantasy, Persona, and now Fate Seeker. He's going to carry the renaissance to the very end!
(End of Chapter)
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