All the designers had originally come today planning to ask about the new VR device, its specs, and some development features.
But Silent Hill PT, the demo submitted by Lucas, completely wrecked their plans.
And today, the research center welcomed a very special theme.
That theme was "screaming."
When your emotions are unstable and you're scared, what's the best way to let it out?
The answer is simple: scream!
A grown man, a battle-tested tester.
Yet he screamed out loud because of a test demo. For them, that was pretty embarrassing.
So at first, even though Gery was really scared, when he first ran into Lisa (the ghost) at the bathroom door, he just let out a reflexive yelp.
It wasn't until later, when Lisa got up close and personal, that he finally let go of himself. Overwhelmed by that emotional impact, he followed his instincts and screamed out with all he had.
And when Quinn and Felix had their turn, they finally understood what this game really was.
This shouldn't even be a game meant for the living!
The only small comfort they had was that Gery had already gone first and let himself go. That took the pressure off them.
They too could scream to let out their fear.
For a while, the whole research center was filled with screams like pigs being slaughtered.
After resting for quite some time, Gery went back in, thinking he could face it more bravely this time.
After all, at the end of the day, it's still just a horror game.
Once a player gets familiar with a horror game, the fear gets weaker and weaker.
But once he entered again, Gery realized he had been overthinking, or maybe only half-right.
It's true that once you're familiar, the fear lessens.
But the key problem was—he wasn't familiar yet!
The only thing he knew was what the ghost looked like.
Everything else?
Completely unknown!
He didn't even know if there were other monsters in the game.
He thought he had played pretty far in, but reality hit him hard.
The game entered the "other world." After passing through the door again, faint water sounds came through his ears. The lights turned into a dark red glow.
The chandelier that had been hanging from the ceiling was replaced by a huge refrigerator.
The fridge swung back and forth in the air, and the red glow came from countless streams of blood inside it, reflecting outward.
In this part, the game also introduced its first creepy music. A loud baby's cry echoed from inside the fridge.
Together with the static-filled radio noise, you could faintly hear a line: "After killing his family, the father hanged himself in the garage with a rubber hose (umbilical cord)."
Looking up at the fridge hanging from the ceiling, blood poured out, splattering straight onto the player's face.
The sudden sound of high heels behind, matched with the atmosphere, pushed the tension of the game to its peak.
In that kind of mood, with Lisa's twisted figure suddenly leaning in for a face-to-face kiss, the testers at the research park couldn't help but let out sharp screams.
......
After leaving the research institute, Lucas finally felt a bit more relaxed.
He thought the Silent Hill PT demo should help the testers give more useful feedback for improving the VR device.
And judging from their reactions, it looked like they wouldn't be beating this demo anytime soon.
As for the new VR device itself, Lucas was still very interested.
From the experience alone, it really was a step above the old VR devices.
But sadly, it would still be hard to put it on the market in the short term.
While Lucas was thinking, his phone rang. The call was from David, the head of Game Division.
"Minister David, what's the matter?" Lucas asked after answering.
"It's nothing serious. Just letting you know that the subsidy should arrive in your account by next Monday. Also, this demo you made is very valuable for testing. But Lucas, if you plan to make VR games in the future—especially horror games for the public—you really need to take it easy!" David said with a very complicated expression on the other end.
He had already learned about the contents of Silent Hill PT.
How should he put it?
It was just too unusual.
The key point was that there weren't even many bloody scenes in the whole game.
The only disturbing part was probably the baby fetus in the bathroom.
That meant even without being just a test demo, Silent Hill PT could fully pass content review standards.
But if this game was really released to the public, combined with VR devices… he didn't even dare to imagine it!
Because then it wouldn't be professional testers playing it, but regular players.
This wasn't making a game for players. This was pushing players out the door!
How many could really handle it?
"I think Minister David's right. Lucas, if you actually put Silent Hill PT on the market, you'd probably scare away more than half the players." Marcus joked after Lucas hung up and told them about the call.
"It's not that extreme. It's mainly because the new VR is so immersive. Both the visuals and the sound are just too real." Lucas sighed.
A horror game's fear doesn't only come from shocking images. Sound is just as important.
Take Outlast's Mount Massive Asylum as an example. When the player stands in front of the gloomy hospital gates, the building in the distance looks like a giant beast in the dark, pressing down on them.
But if at that moment they suddenly heard a comedy skit in their ears, the whole effect would be gone.
And the other way around, if the sound was dark and heavy but Mount Massive Asylum was replaced by sunny Bikini Bottom, it'd be hard to feel scared at all.
"That's true." Marcus nodded in agreement.
"But horror games rarely achieve huge sales." Marcus sighed.
"That's right." Lucas nodded.
That's why horror has always been considered a niche genre.
Too scary, and players don't dare play alone, so even if it's praised, sales stay low.
But if it's not scary, then it's not a horror game at all.
"But the design of Silent Hill PT really taught us designers a lot. Especially that looping hallway that traps you, the tight spaces, and Lisa's deadly turn-around. Just thinking about it now still gives me chills!" Marcus said with feeling.
"It's mainly because this is just a demo, so I could really go all out." Lucas said with a smile.
"It's a pity it can only be played on the new VR device. Otherwise, I'd really want to study your demo more." Marcus added with a laugh.
"No problem. If you want to try it, it's just a demo. Game Division already said there's no need for secrecy. I'll make a version for you when I get back. Then we can study it together, and you can give me some advice." Lucas replied.
Marcus froze when he heard that.
Wait!
That's not what he meant!
Marcus was stunned. He wanted to say something but stopped himself.
He couldn't exactly admit he was a little too scared, could he?
"Lucas, really, that's not necessary." Marcus tried to decline.
"No need to be polite, Marcus. Making a PC version is easy. The materials are already there, it'd only take me two days. And it could also be a little gift for players, a nice surprise." Lucas smiled.
Hearing that, Marcus fell silent.
A surprise? He was sure about one thing—players were definitely going to be shocked.
But you call this surprise?
Let me thank you on behalf of the players!
(End of The Chapter)
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