The video wasn't too long, but it left players scratching their heads.
Because it was completely different from what they expected. At first, many players thought it would be a sequel to a survival horror game.
But the answer told them it wasn't.
Then they thought it would be a horror game, as zombies and the apocalypse are a fairly common combination.
But based on the current video, it was impossible to say for sure, because the apocalypse shown in the video was very different from what they imagined.
Furthermore, it was clear that the game's map was a reproduction of a real-world map.
They also noticed iconic landmarks like Parliament Hill and Boston in the video.
But what else besides these?
So far, all we know is that the main character seems to be named Joel, he's accompanied by a little girl whose name is unknown, and a woman named Tess.
Other than that, we know pretty much nothing.
The entire promotional video fully displayed the qualities of a riddle-giver.
Story? Unknown.
Gameplay? Unknown.
Open world, linear game, action-adventure, or shooter? Still completely unknown.
Many players who were initially excited, and then watched the entire promotional video, were instantly confused.
"What the hell? The previous 'Resident Evil: Village' had everyone from Chris to the Four Lords and Miranda acting like riddle-givers, and now this trailer is also full of riddles?"
"It looks like something huge has dropped, but apart from the game and some character names, we don't know anything else!"
"But the game's graphics are still amazing!"
"There are many lines of dialogue in the game, but they are all edited in fragments, so it's impossible to figure out!"
Players were confused. Even though many players unconditionally trusted Nebula Games' reputation, the promotional video for "The Last of Us" still made quite a few players feel frustrated.
Of course, it wasn't just the players who were frustrated. Alex and Grayson from FOW also felt a bit conflicted.
Because they both felt like Nebula Games was intentionally doing this, and the timing was very inconvenient.
Their own game promotions had already started. If they stopped now, wouldn't all the previous marketing efforts be wasted?
Although they hadn't officially announced the game's release or launch date yet, and could extend the cycle, the costs would increase significantly.
Another point was that this promotional video, for some reason, felt like it was trying too hard to be mysterious and looked rather ordinary.
If it were an open-world game like "Red Dead Redemption" or "The Witcher: Wild Hunt,"
Then Alex would definitely choose to avoid their direct competition.
But now, it made them feel a bit conflicted.
Based on the promotional content, ordinary players might not have noticed much about this game called "The Last of Us."
However, as a game designer, Alex did see some clues.
That is, this game would most likely be a linear game.
As for why he said that, it could be clearly felt from the promotional shots.
That is, the game's cutscenes, whether CG or actual gameplay, were more focused on points rather than the overall picture.
Like "Red Dead Redemption" and "The Witcher: Wild Hunt," even games driven by their story,
But with their open-world elements, even when showing the story, they had to present the world's grandeur to the players from an overall perspective.
"The Last of Us" was different. At least from the promotional video, the story was presented entirely through the point of focus, Joel.
So Alex thought this game was most likely a linear game.
And in terms of gameplay, it looked like a traditional zombie-themed game.
Even in terms of the protagonist, compared to a handsome character like Ezio in "Assassin's Creed," Joel looked more ordinary. If anything, he was a middle-aged man who had gone through a lot, with no particularly distinct features in his appearance.
So, according to his assumptions, the main selling point of "The Last of Us" would be the interactive experience of the story.
But could a game that looked like an ordinary zombie background truly be a huge success based solely on its interactive story experience?
Thinking from the perspective of a game designer, Alex felt it was very difficult. After all, it seemed too mediocre at the moment.
A fixed linear gameplay, a zombie apocalypse setting with no outstanding features, and a protagonist who was a middle-aged man.
But even so, Alex was still a little worried, because it was Nebula Games.
However, Grayson next to him was much more confident.
"Alex, don't worry so much. You're just a little scared because you were hit hard by 'The Witcher: Wild Hunt' last year. Last year was just an accident. We saw the quality of 'Wasteland1981'."
"Nebula Games might have presented 'The Witcher: Wild Hunt' last year, but that was just a fluke."
"This year is different! This time we have the foundation from our previous work, plus a complete overhaul of the game, and we will definitely conquer players." Grayson said with a smile.
He felt he could understand Alex's feelings quite well.
Last year, when he thought his game of the year was secured, "The Witcher: Wild Hunt" suddenly appeared, creating a situation of "why must there be two of them?"
So now, facing Nebula Games, Alex was a bit jumpy.
In his opinion, "The Last of Us" might be a good game, but it would be hard to become a classic, because based on the current promotional video, it looked too mediocre.
If there were no outstanding aspects in terms of gameplay or other areas, then to achieve great success, it would need an exceptionally brilliant story and a detailed player experience. But that was really too difficult.
So Grayson felt he had to convince Alex, he had to help his colleague have the courage to face his past demons.
This was a good opportunity to face the past and break free from the dark past.
Listening to Grayson's long speech and rational analysis, Alex couldn't help but nod.
That's right, he was indeed thinking too much.
Alex looked at Grayson beside him, he smiled, and a line of dialogue popped into his mind, a line from his favorite game.
Coincidentally, it was also developed by Lucas, and it was his debut work: Undertale.
'This filled you with DETERMINATION.'
He was now filled with determination.
What he had to do next was to close his eyes and charge forward bravely!
.........
With renewed confidence, Alex and FOW ignored Nebula Games.
They continued their promotions as planned, with minor content every three days and major news every five days.
Occasionally, there were even some rumors spread by so-called insiders.
These rumors gradually increased players' excitement. After all, compared to the riddle-mode of "The Last of Us," FOW's revelations were clearly more appealing.
Furthermore, as a sequel to a well-known IP, and with its open-world gameplay, players could still look forward to it.
As for Lucas, after releasing a promotional video for "The Last of Us,"
There wasn't much else. They mostly posted some specialized scene concept art and character concept art.
For example, Joel, Tess, and the little girl's name that players finally learned from the promotional video: Ellie.
But there was nothing else besides this.
This led many players to complain.
This is Nebula Games again, just like before, right?
The game isn't actually finished, they just made a promotional video to keep us hanging!
After all, this isn't the first time!
(End of chapter)
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