Among the nominees for Best RPG, the one Ichin felt could truly compete with his game was Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
It was a solid game overall. Although its combat system was slightly lacking, its strengths far outweighed its flaws, making it a game players could enjoy all the way through to completion.
In the end, however, the award still went to Tales of Berseria.
Ichin went on stage once again, happily accepting the award.
After delivering his acceptance speech, he didn't step down immediately. During the rehearsal, he had already been informed that after this award, a video segment would begin, showcasing official game trailers. Whether he won the award or not, he was supposed to be on stage for it.
The host casually put an arm around Ichin's shoulder and said with a smile, "You didn't attend last year, but now that you're back at TGA, I believe you've brought something players are looking forward to, right?"
Ichin nodded with a smile. "That's right. This time, we've brought trailers for two new games."
"Then everyone, please take a look at these new game PVs!"
The big screen immediately switched to the video.
The studio's logo appeared, followed by a 2D side-scrolling town scene. It looked like a classic side-scrolling action game.
Soon, a character clad in armor, wielding a sword and shield, appeared on the street and began moving forward.
What followed was a series of combat sequences, with no narration, just clips transitioning from regular enemies to elite enemies and finally to a boss fight.
As soon as the audience in the livestream saw the combat footage and the character's leveling and stat allocation options, they immediately became excited.
A side-scrolling Dark Souls?
The combat looks so smooth, and the art style is great, a 2D dark aesthetic!
This is exactly what we've been waiting for!
Dark Souls had long been one of the studio's signature titles, and players had always been looking forward to its sequel.
Even though this new game was in a 2D side-scrolling style, it still retained the same authentic feel, so players didn't mind the change at all.
At home, Utaha and the others were also watching the livestream chat, all smiling at the reactions.
Hajime was now completely awake and said with a grin, "What do you think their reaction will be when they see Bloodborne appear after this?"
Aoba tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Probably even more crazy. Compared to Salt and Sanctuary, Dark Souls is the real highlight this time."
Umiko added, "One in 2D and one in 3D. That's basically attracting all fans of action games at once."
The first video ended quickly, and the title Salt and Sanctuary appeared on the screen, along with its platforms being all major systems and a release window set for next summer.
The video didn't cut away after that. Immediately, the second trailer began.
As usual, the studio logo appeared first. Then, in a dark scene, a low, ominous piece of music began to play.
The screen lit up, revealing a character dressed in a unique outfit, holding a saw-like weapon. With one hand, he brushed along the blade.
Then, in an instant, the weapon transformed into a long-handled form.
The scene shifted to a gloomy, Gothic-style city. The same character walked through the streets, beginning his exploration.
In the city's streets and corners, figures dressed in Victorian-style clothing wandered about, carrying various weapons. Crows occasionally flew overhead, and stray dogs ran through the alleys.
The music shifted, and the perspective returned to a third-person view. The protagonist engaged in combat with a massive man wielding a hammer, constantly dodging with quick sidesteps while striking with the saw blade.
At the moment the giant raised his hammer to attack, the protagonist suddenly raised a firearm in his left hand.
Bang!
The shot staggered the giant, forcing him to his knees. The protagonist stepped forward, thrust his right hand into the giant's body, and delivered a devastating blow that sent him flying.
This scene immediately sparked excited reactions in the livestream chat.
Whoa! That's like a parry, right?
But with a gun… a gun parry?
I get it now, this is the real Dark Souls sequel!
Same dark tone, but completely different style!
That boss is huge!
On screen, the protagonist transitioned from fighting the giant to battling a massive creature with a grotesque design. Its upper body resembled a giant humanoid, while its lower body was made up of twisted, fleshy masses, a sight that made viewers uneasy just looking at it.
And it didn't stop there. More bosses were shown, including both humanoid and non-humanoid enemies, each radiating a sense of madness and horror that sent chills down the spine.
Beyond the bosses, the protagonist's weapons also showcased various transformations. The initial saw weapon that could extend into a polearm, a sword that could be sheathed into a greatsword, and even a cane that could turn into a whip. The theme of transformable weapons was clear.
That weapon transformation is so cool!
And those outfits, totally different from Dark Souls armor!
The overall atmosphere is so dark, and the blood effects are intense!
Finally, as different scenes flashed by, the protagonist faced a massive boss descending from the sky. The game's title appeared on screen.
Bloodborne
>Coming to all platforms, releasing at the end of next year.<
The two games were similar yet completely different. Especially the second one, Bloodborne, which not only captivated livestream viewers but also drew curious attention from the game media and developers present at the venue.
As the video ended and the screen returned to the main stage, Ichin held the microphone, bowed slightly to the camera, and said, "Salt and Sanctuary and Bloodborne. These are the two games we'll be releasing next year. Thank you."
He didn't go into further details about the games. They had just been announced, so there was no need to elaborate yet. Besides, many award segments were still ahead.
However, even without him explaining, the livestream audience had already begun discussing enthusiastically.
Bloodborne… just hearing the name, it's definitely blood-related!
I love those transforming weapons!
Some of those monsters look kind of disgusting though
Doesn't matter, Dark Souls had plenty of grotesque stuff too, and we still played it!
But it releases at the end of next year… that's so long to wait!
We can play Salt and Sanctuary first, that looks really fun too!
At the same time, the official website also released the announcement trailers for both games, and they were posted across all social media accounts, with views skyrocketing instantly.
Even though TGA wasn't over yet, Ichin's goal this time had already been perfectly achieved.
...
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