Chapter 167: It's a Bit Stressful
May 7th was only four days away, and while all the players were eagerly awaiting the Game Expo, some who followed Alex and checked his official blog daily in the hopes of seeing some news came across one.
"The Silent Hill PT test demo is now available on the Nebula platform. Interested players can download it for free."
Many players were stunned by the news.
'What was going on? Hadn't Alex just finished It Takes Two and hadn't he been actively developing the Dark Souls prequel? Why a demo so suddenly? Wasn't it a new game? But that didn't make sense. Wouldn't a new game be called a test demo? What the heck was a test demo?'
Many players felt a deep curiosity. And with this curiosity, after opening the Nebula platform and reading the introduction, many players fell silent for a couple of seconds, then bowed and said goodbye.
Because it was actually a horror demo.
Even now, many players vividly remember Alex's Outlast. Even now, streamers who haven't played it and don't find a good live stream choose to stream Outlast, and videos of terrified people on various platforms are getting a lot of views.
'And now this Silent Hill PT is actually another horror game?'
However, after looking at the introduction more closely, many felt curious. The introduction clearly indicates that it is neither a full game nor a trailer.
In short, it is a test demo, used to test the latest virtual reality equipment of the game department. In addition to national video game fairs, the most important news lately has been about new virtual reality devices. Abroad, they have been giving it a lot of importance, trying to create a preconceived idea of its impressive quality.
While development has been slow, it is evident that they cannot remain indifferent to the international buzz. They have also recently published some specifications. For common players, it all comes down to watching the excitement, with no idea when it will be released. At first, it will obviously be a luxury for some common players, and at most they will be able to go to virtual reality experience stores to try it.
However, for game designers, this news is not surprising. The news that the game department had previously invited some of the best designers in the country to participate in the development of a demonstration test program had already circulated and been reported by some media.
Now it seems that Alex is also involved in the development!
This has immediately caused heated debates among players and designers.
"Has Alex developed the DEMO for the tests so quickly? Is it a sleight of hand?"
"Seriously? The game department didn't force him, and doesn't Alex still have a Dark Souls prequel to develop? If he doesn't want to participate, he must have refused directly. I guess it's just a small-scale test DEMO."
"No, I heard that this DEMO has a lot of content and is very scary!"
"Scary? How scary can it be? It should be scary with the high-immersion experience of the new VR version, but how scary can the PC version be?"
"To be honest, those who questioned Outlast before have been put in a small box." "Sensational! Outlast is a complete game, and this is a DEMO. The meaning is completely different, okay?"
"By the way, don't always pay attention to Silent Hill PT! It's just a damn DEMO. Shouldn't everyone pay more attention to the Dark Souls prequel? Alex made a Silent Hill PT recently. Doesn't that mean it's very likely that the development progress of the Dark Souls prequel is temporarily stalled?"
"F***, now that you mention it, it seems to be true! So, can we play a test version at the game fair?" "Who should I ask? Besides, Alex and the others don't seem to have said that there would be test content at the game fair. They only said they would bring new news."
"I can't take it! I'm dying without Dark Souls to play!"
"Brother, if there's no Dark Souls to play, didn't Alex bring us a beta demo? It's a good opportunity to see if we can take a look at the new VR version!"
"You're overthinking it. The PC version and the VR version are different experiences. The VR version may be very scary, but it won't be a big problem on the PC."
Inside Nebula Games, Jane, Lisa, Eric, and the others, who also saw the online discussions, had complex expressions.
"Alex, I feel like he'll never be able to get rid of the title of 'Love Warrior'," Lisa sighed.
"That's right!" Jane nodded.
At first, everyone was curious about the Silent Hill PT demo, sent to the game department to test the new virtual reality equipment. But they couldn't test the virtual reality version. Now, using the previous data to develop the PC version, they finally felt that oppressive fear.
While it wasn't as good as the virtual reality version, that made it even more terrifying.
"It can't be helped. It's for the sake of the players. You said that, although Silent Hill PT is just a demo, the content is excellent, right? With such excellent level and puzzle design, wouldn't it be a waste if players couldn't try it?" Alex said with a smile, and then added: "Also, don't you see? This player already helped us understand why we don't have a demo of the Dark Souls prequel in the game."
Everyone present was speechless upon hearing Alex's words.
"And if the players' response is good, I think we could consider releasing a more complete Silent Hill on the virtual reality platform, instead of a basic demo," Alex said, stretching.
'A more complete one! And on the virtual reality platform? Was he taking off his mask of kindness and letting loose completely? Wouldn't that alienate many players? Nebula Games could change course and become a top-tier company!'.
While everyone was silent, the dominant topic in the video game world at the GameSpot fair had already emerged: screams! In every home, countless players who were experiencing Silent Hill PT let out agonizing screams, like pigs in a slaughterhouse.
While the PC version differed significantly from the highly immersive virtual reality version, compared to Kojima's previous version, thanks to parallel worlds' technology, Alex managed to make the graphics even more realistic. Graphics are a crucial aspect of horror games, and this contributed to the performance and immersion of the PC version being somewhat stronger than the original.
So much so that most players who tried it were discouraged by Lisa's first backstab. Some were scared when they saw Lisa through the crack in the bathroom door.
'Impossible! It's too scary, I can't take it anymore!'
Compared to the original Outlast, although this is just a demo, many players find it more terrifying. It's obviously just a game, but playing it is like experiencing life.
This PC version is very scary.
'How terrifying must the VR version used for testing originally be?'
Although many players have never met those testers, after experiencing the PC version of Silent Hill PT, they have grown somewhat fond of them.
In the forum community, these players even got together to give each other a little warmth and debated.
"Damn! Who said this demo wouldn't be too scary? I'm going to give you an upgrade!"
"Yes! Unlike the energetic and exciting Outlast, this demo only had one moment of high energy. It was depressing, but when that moment came, it overwhelmed my heart!"
"The baby crying in the bathroom and the ghost knocking on the door scared the living daylights out of me!"
"The most terrifying thing is that the graphics are incredible! Why the heck did Alex go to so much trouble for a demo? It scared me to death!"
"When the ghost turned around and asked for a kiss, I dropped my mouse!"
On streaming platforms, many streamers were devastated.
The previous episodes of Outlast followed the plot perfectly, making them easy to complete if you weren't scared. And the new scenes at least gave them some comfort, knowing that they were one step closer to completing the game.
But this Silent Hill demo, according to the description, only lasted half an hour, but the important thing was that it was a puzzle game! If you can't solve it, you'll have to play house with Lisa at home for the rest of your life!
But you know what, if you're with Lisa, you'll have a wife, kids, and a home all at once. Isn't that tempting?
The only drawback is that it's a bit stressful.
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