"Damn, damn, damn! This animation is absolutely amazing!"
"Even though it's just 2D, it made my heart pound."
"At first, I thought it was just for fun, but then I watched it and was completely blown away."
"Pro tip: you can breathe while watching this video."
"Congratulations, treasure, you've found me. Newcomers really are monsters."
"Where's the UP owner? What happened to those people at the end? Did they reunite?"
"Can you believe this is actually a game promotional CG??"
"Holy crap?! Game CG?! You've got to be kidding me!"
Chen Lin's game didn't explode in popularity, but his promotional animation did.
In just one night, the views soared to nearly 100,000 and even made it to the homepage recommendations.
Netizens were buzzing in the comments, all discussing the animation's production and content, with new comments appearing every second.
This left Chen Lin a bit puzzled.
Since the promotion was so successful, it should have driven a lot of traffic to the game, so why had only dozens of copies been sold so far?
Even if everyone was resting at night, it shouldn't be this low.
Had something gone wrong?
With that question in mind, Chen Lin scrolled down.
Finally, after more than ten minutes, he found the key reason.
"What's going on? Didn't they say it was on Steam? Why can't I find this game?"
"Ahhh, I'm so anxious! Where can I download this game?!"
"Same here, I've tried all languages, and I still can't find it."
"I'm even worse off; I downloaded a pirated platform, couldn't open the game store for ages, and it kept crashing. I was so angry I uninstalled it on the spot."
"Is it possible that what you uninstalled was the legitimate version? (Wry smile)"
"Haha, that's hilarious, come on out, accelerator, you're getting a beating."
Seeing these messages, Chen Lin also chuckled.
He had forgotten that Steam's servers were not located domestically, and the network was very unstable, often leading to issues with opening the store.
Moreover, there were many pirated versions, and people often downloaded the wrong platform; those who couldn't find the game likely downloaded a pirated version.
He immediately edited and pinned a message, specifically explaining how to download the game.
Sure enough, not long after, the game's download volume began to surge, selling over a hundred copies in an instant, and it was still increasing at a visible rate.
"Brothers, this animation is well-made, so today, let's try out this game."
As a popular streamer in the game section of Bilibili, Old E also stumbled upon this animation and was curious about the game titled "braveheart."
Recently, he had been experiencing a game drought with nothing interesting to stream, so he immediately opened the platform to download the game.
While waiting, the live stream's bullet comments kept pouring in.
Many viewers who saw the animation for the first time were stunned.
"Is this really a game CG?"
"It feels like every frame is burning money."
"Others make CG to promote games, but this Designer makes games to promote CG. (Dog head emoji)"
"It's like buying the CG and getting the game for free. (Laughs)"
"Hurry, hurry, the free-to-play crowd can't wait any longer."
Urged by the bullet comments, Old E quickly finished downloading the game, clicked his mouse, and opened it directly.
After a brief narration, they successfully entered the game.
What appeared before them was the very first scene from the promotional CG: the husband was sent back from the war, leaving behind his wife, child, and father-in-law, and eventually, even the father-in-law was conscripted.
Then the screen paused, and control was handed over to the player.
"Huh? The protagonist is actually the father-in-law?"
Old E, who had been immersed in the narration and music, was momentarily stunned, and the live stream's bullet comments also suddenly stalled.
They had initially thought the game's protagonist would be the husband.
However, this didn't have too much of an impact on them, and they began to control the character according to the guidance, and the game content unfolded.
"Is that it? Is that it?"
Old E laughed, his voice full of ease: "I thought it would be difficult; it's just a puzzle game. Watch me get a speedrun achievement for you guys."
As a well-known streamer in the gaming community, Old E's understanding of games was quite good.
Amidst a burst of laughter in the live stream, he cleared levels, solved puzzles one after another, and in just twenty minutes, he had already reached a story level.
Here, he became a standard-bearer, leading his team into battle with a large flag, dodging bombs falling from the sky.
The simple operation process even amused the audience.
They began to wonder if the streamer had downloaded the wrong game, and some even felt that this game didn't live up to such a spectacular promotional animation.
Until
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out.
A bullet pierced the father-in-law's chest, and he fell to the ground, flag and all.
The camera zoomed in, and among the enemy ranks, the one who fired the shot was the son-in-law who had been forcibly repatriated!
"He's... dead?"
"What's going on? How did the father-in-law get shot by the son-in-law?"
"No way? So sudden?"
"Isn't this a puzzle game?"
"Fa—ther—in—law—"
At this moment.
Everyone, including Old E, sensed that something was wrong.
The live stream, which had been lively due to the unique art style, became agitated, with rows of question marks floating across the screen.
Fortunately.
Later, they discovered that the father-in-law had not died but had become a prisoner of the enemy, which relieved them.
Through information gathering, they learned.
It turned out that the son-in-law had recognized his father-in-law at the time and had deliberately knocked him down; otherwise, in that situation, he would have been shot to death by random gunfire.
"I knew it; how could a protagonist die right at the beginning?"
Old E wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, wearing an expression that said he had seen through everything, and picked up the controller to continue playing.
Emile, the captured father-in-law, did not give up hope of living.
Instead, he continued his journey with an iron spoon, wandering through various parts of the battlefield.
Although the visuals seemed quite comical, as the story progressed, they were still moved by this gentle yet brave father, and their hearts were stirred.
They hoped to see the family reunite soon.
But as more and more characters were controlled, the atmosphere in the live stream changed.
From initial laughter and chatter, it turned into quietness, then complete silence, and even the bullet comments mocking the game's simplicity faded away.
Through the characters.
They witnessed tragic wars and broken families.
No matter how far they advanced, their ears were always filled with roars and gunfire.
Everyone was killing madly in the war, losing their minds,
Chaos, oppression, despair
It was like a meat grinder, devouring vibrant lives, and only when reading letters from afar could they find a moment of peace.
For three whole hours.
After dying again and again, both sides finally faced the final battle.
Under the compulsion of his superior, Emile had no choice but to lead a squad of wounded soldiers into the battlefield amidst a hail of cannon fire.
Watching his comrades die one by one in front of him, and the officer pointing a gun at them, frantically ordering them to charge, Emile lowered his head, recalling the partings and deaths he had experienced along the way.
Finally, he reached behind the officer, raised the iron shovel in his hand, and brought it down heavily.
That muffled "thud" was like a heavy blow to everyone's chest, and it also definitively marked the end of this battle.
Ultimately.
Emile was sentenced to death for murdering his superior.
He wore shackles on his feet, his head bowed, walking step by step towards the execution ground—the cross that had appeared in the promotional CG—escorted by his former comrades.
The background narration read his last letter to his daughter.
"Dearest Marie:"
"For me, the war is over."
"I have no regrets; I have seen too many horrifying atrocities."
"I hope that over the years, fate has been kinder to you than to me."
"Our time on earth is fleeting, and my short life has been full of happiness."
"For this, I can only be grateful; I have received so many blessings, especially you, the miracle you brought to my life."
"This is my last letter."
"Because of the death of an officer, I have been found guilty by a military court. Killing him was not my intention, but war drives people mad."
"Although I have disappointed Karl, I know that my sacrifice was not in vain; I fought for my country and my freedom, and my honor will not be lost."
"Since it is God's will that we be separated on earth, I hope He will reunite us in heaven. Please continue to pray for me."
"Your loving father, as always."
When the last sentence fell, a gunshot rang out, the screen instantly darkened, and the live stream fell completely silent.
[Congratulations, your wealth has reached 10,000.]
[You can spend wealth to customize new game CG.]