Backstage at the Nebula Games booth, Lucas picked up a bottle of yogurt in his office, poked in the straw, and took a sip.
Then he pulled out his phone, opened the work group chat, and tagged the on-duty staff at the company, asking them to put this little game onto the Nebula Games platform.
As for the game's name, Lucas didn't bother thinking of something tricky. He simply called it "Getting Over It." After all, it fit the gameplay and the ending animation perfectly.
Before this, players online had been buzzing with envy, saying how lucky expo visitors were to try out the new versions of "Legends of the Three Kingdoms" and "Fall Guys," and even get the first look at the "Dark Souls: Age of Fire" trailer, since Lucas hadn't uploaded it online yet.
But now, this small game—made just to give expo visitors a laugh—could at least let players online have some fun too.
After all, they were all dear players. He couldn't play favorites.
Just thinking about their expectant looks, Lucas… couldn't bring himself to let them down.
Meanwhile, at the expo.
Ben, who originally just wanted to find a game to "lower his blood pressure," was already feeling unwell.
He had returned to the starting point again, back to the same all-too-familiar high-altitude scene.
And once more, he fell. The background music even changed again.
It was a catchy, almost brainwashing tune.
"Go home and visit often, visit home often…"
Hearing the fitting lyrics, Ben felt the deep malice of whoever made this game.
So the "special feature" of this 30-minute trial was just this?!
This wasn't just tough—it was pure torture!
And it wasn't like "Dark Souls." At least "Dark Souls" was hard in a way that made sense. The stage design always had a solution if you figured out the trick.
But this game?
It made no sense at all. It only forced you to rely on muscle memory.
The strength and angle of each hammer swing had to be just right.
One small mistake, and you'd fall again!
Ben quietly turned his head and glanced at the player beside him, who was also sitting in the same "pot" playing the game.
Behind them, a crowd of players had gathered.
Clearly, they had been drawn over just to watch.
The onlookers were laughing happily, animatedly talking about their own game experiences.
"Ah, he fell again!"
"Huh, the background music changed this time! Pretty good!"
"I prefer that one with the line about success or failure and living boldly. Feels more epic."
"But honestly, compared to the game itself, it's all the same thing!"
"Hey, why's this guy not moving?"
"Probably can't handle the frustration. This game is brutal!"
Hearing the chatter behind him, Ben couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Yes, his fragile heart really couldn't take much more.
This "simple" game even gave him flashbacks to when he tried "Silent Hill PT."
And the guy next to him, who had just told him to stay positive and play with a smile, was now falling from the peak again—sure, he was smiling, but he was also howling.
A bit too loudly, actually.
As he fell, his face turned red.
"Gaia!"
The desperate cry was almost impossible to understand.
"Is it really that hard? Doesn't seem that hard to control, right? Just swinging a hammer to climb?"
Some new players who had just arrived and only now figured out the simple-looking gameplay were puzzled.
From the outside, it really didn't look too tough.
As long as you kept the right distance, shouldn't it be easy?
Ben's grip on the inflatable hammer was so tight his veins were popping out. He forced down his emotions, put on a gentle smile, climbed out of the "pot," and turned to the player who said it was easy.
"Friend, I've played for quite a while. Why don't you give it a try?"
"Eh, but I haven't even lined up yet!" The player froze. He had only come to watch the fun. Sure, he wanted to try the game, but he hadn't actually queued.
Hearing what he said, the players nearby all spoke up one after another: "Go ahead, don't worry about us."
"Yeah, yeah, this must be your first time at Lucas's booth, right?"
"We're all players here, it's no big deal. You go first!"
"Exactly. From your accent, you're not from Magic City, are you? Coming all this way to the game show isn't easy, so go ahead and play!"
"Right, right. Everyone in line, make some space. Let this brother try the game first."
The players around him all smiled and acted generous.
The player being helped felt warm inside. The people in this booth were so kind. With a grateful look, he said, "Thanks, everyone. I'll just play for a few minutes."
In the end, under everyone's kindness, the player couldn't hold back anymore.
"No, no, don't rush. Play as long as you want!"
"Yeah, exactly. You could play until the show closes, we'll just watch."
"Yep, that's right. We actually enjoy watching others play."
The group behind him waved their hands quickly.
And soon, some new players who had just walked over without knowing what was going on also got pulled into this.
Before long, the four players controlling the "barrels" and "hammers" were replaced by new faces.
Even though Ben and his group hadn't finished their own turns yet, they stepped aside without hesitation.
They even patiently explained how the game worked.
To make it even better, they restarted the game so the new players could get the full experience from the beginning.
Sitting in front of the screens, the new players felt really moved.
There really are good people everywhere. The players here at Lucas's booth were nothing like those at the other booths.
Full of joy and gratitude, they began their journey of swinging giant hammers.
But ten minutes later, strange sounds started coming from that side.
Someone let out a sharp scream: "No, don't!"
Another shouted like an elephant: "Ahhhhhh! Damn it!"
The players who had given up their spots, along with the crowd watching, all burst out laughing at the sight.
Yes, they hadn't lied at all.
They really did enjoy watching others play this game!
Look how fun this was! Way more fun than playing themselves!
At the same time, the pig-like screams rising one after another started drawing in nearby players.
This made them curious.
What was going on here!?
Wasn't this just a game?
Why did it sound like pigs being slaughtered?
Could it be some horror game?
They glanced at the booth. Did Lucas bring Silent Hill PT to the show?
Driven by curiosity, more and more players walked over to check it out.
Meanwhile, other game companies in Hall 3 looked at the massive crowd around Nebula Games, completely dumbfounded.
What was happening?
Hadn't they heard before that Nebula Games didn't have any big surprises this year?
Wasn't there no demo for the new Dark Souls game?
So why was everyone rushing over there?
(End of The Chapter)
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