Chapitre 98: C98: Exaggeration?
Days passed, and both game developments progressed smoothly.
With the arrival of outsourced art resources, my team and I swiftly advanced in the production process.
Meanwhile, on my official blog and Neon Games' site. We've started releasing teasers for Dark Souls. Simple interactions with players, along with the occasional release of new promotional artwork, have been our main focus, this keeps the hype going.
However, during this period other games are also competing for the audience.
The most eye-catching is the promotional battle between NetDragon and Tenghua, two of the top domestic channels and game companies. Both are promoting VR games, similar to To the Moon from the last gaming competition.
Although we stole the show back then, these two games are going all out with their marketing campaigns now, trying to outdo each other.
Their efforts are noticeable, but honestly, they haven't affected Neon Games much primarily because both titles focus on the niche VR market, while ours is a major platform.
There's also an ongoing trend of anti-war-themed games hitting the market, both on mobile and console platforms.
Many of these games are RPGs or FPS titles, some even copying the narrative style I used in To the Moon last year, which won me an award.
But, honestly, none of them are impressive. Players are spamming low ratings, with critical feedback.
Let me share with you some snippets-
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"Man, the theme for this year's releases is... hard to understand."
"Right? Anti-war games are supposed to highlight the brutality of conflict, with big, impactful scenes. But these games are rushed and lack impactful depth. No major developers have gotten involved, and it shows. That this year's competition might be a cold winter."
"Exactly! It's like they're giving us a history lecture—and a boring one at that."
"Forget about them! Check out Neon game blog, looks like he's participating this year too!"
"Wait, what? What about Dark Souls? How's he got time for an anti-war game? Did they postpone Dark Souls?"
"Who knows? Who cares? But anti-war games aren't exactly common."
"Well, I'll check it out. Does Neon's games have decent quality? At least it'll be better than the other anti-war stuff on the market."
"True that!"
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When I announced the launch of Braveheart: World War, I didn't do a massive campaign. Just posted a quick update on my blog and added a short description of the game to the main page of the Neon Games platform.
But this time, things were different from my earlier days when I had to rely on little tricks to promote my games. The success of JellyMan, Three Kingdoms, and the ongoing development of Dark Souls had already given me a solid reputation and a loyal fan base.
So, as soon as the news about Braveheart: World War dropped, players flocked in soon.
But while many were surprised, I remained calm, and confident in the work we'd done.
Many of us who participated in this exhibition felt a little urgency.
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"I must be mistaken, isn't Chen Xu developing Dark Soul? Why did he still make this crap? Does he lack awards?"
"Yeah! I thought Chen Xu wouldn't participate in this year's expedition!"
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Many of us felt a bit stumped. Of course, some with competitive mindsets began fantasizing.
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"Let's take a closer look; maybe Chen Xu's game will inspire us!"
"Yes, Dark Souls has been heavily promoted lately. Chen Xu must be focusing on that. After all, it's Neon Games and his first major title. Anyone can develop an anti-war game using Neon and participate."
"Right, and anti-war games are deep—maybe it is someone else work."
Despite our speculations, like many players, we all bought and downloaded the game, eager to dive in.
Compared to last year's To the Moon, Braveheart: World War is priced at 20 yuan on both mobile and PC.
On Shark TV, the popularity of JellyMan, which had previously taken over the entire streaming platform, has declined.
Although many streamers are still playing it, and some are mixing it with Three Kingdoms, most have returned to their usual streaming content. At most, when there's nothing else going on, they might join up with familiar streamers to play JellyMan and get some entertaining moments.
Now, with the release of Braveheart: World War, many streamers have shifted their focus.
In Sister Liu's live stream on Shark TV, she's casually chatting with her fans.
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"Let's check today's new game from Neon Games."
"Is Dark Soul already released?"
Before Liu could respond, her audience in the room had already decreased by 200. Unsure whether to laugh or cry, she pressed on.
"No, it's not Dark Soul that one's still in development, and who knows when it'll be released. The new game is for the competition and is called Braveheart: World War. I expect it to be more on the scale of an indie game. Though Neon Games isn't exactly an indie developer anymore."
Liu introduced the game to her audience.
She's always kept a close eye on the Neon platform. Aside from Escape and the disgusting Magic Mirror. She enjoyed games like Overcooked, JellyMan, Undertale, and To the Moon.
So, when she saw that Neon Games had a new title participating in the competition. She was quick to launch a new stream.
As she talked, Liu opened the Neon Games platform and saw the game featured prominently on the homepage.
The cover image of the game shows a soldier in military uniform with a war dog. The art style is cartoon animation.
Clicking on the game store interface, I see the bold font title BraveHeart: World War.
The game's introduction reads:
"A heart-pounding adventure game with a unique atmosphere and art style. A mix of exploration, action, and puzzle-solving. Help the heroes survive this battle by solving puzzles or sneaking into enemy lines. The game mainly tells a story of revenge, family affection, and friendship between four individuals whose fates are intertwined in war, along with a loyal dog. This fictional story takes you back to famous World War I scenes, reliving major battles on the Western Front and diving into historical events."
After reading the introduction, many viewers in the live broadcast room had different opinions, expressing their thoughts in the chat window:
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"Is this bragging?"
"Yeah, isn't this just a small-scale game with cartoon graffiti art and a 2D scrolling type? How does it relive the major battles of the Western Front in history?"
"Exactly, how does this artwork convey the cruelty of war?"
"Although I trust Chen Xu, this seems a bit much. Revisiting World War I scenes? I might believe it if this were a big production, but this game?"
"Right, it's kind of a joke!"
"Neon Games didn't even promote this much!"
"Maybe someone else in Neon Games developed this game"
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After reading the introduction, I was a little confused. It does seem exaggerated. After all, it's a small-scale 2D game with cartoon-style art. How does this depict the realities of war or relive those brutal historical battles?
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