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Chapter 123: As Expected.
Online players had their own opinions, and the debate quickly moved from text to video. Videos of Dark Souls players also circulated, including those of some of the first Dark Souls streamers who live streamed the game.
A player posted a video of the battle against the first boss, Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder. Unlike the game video shown at the online promotional event, this one showed Gundyr in all his glory. He swung his halberd in a flurry of movements, and with a player's scream, his health bar was emptied. This video perfectly showed the essence of absolute devastation.
There were also videos of a katana player being crushed by a crystal lizard, only to die instantly in a flurry of slashes.
However, before these videos spread, other players uploaded others. Again, they were facing Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder. But their performance was completely different from the previous ones. In the game, he wore knight armor, with a shield in one hand and a sword in the other.
Faced with Gundyr's attack, he gently raised his left hand, gripping the shield. He simply deflected Gundyr's weapon and charged to execute him. Throughout the process, including his second form, Gundyr remained completely intact. They were practically playing with him.
The same boss, with completely different effects.
This left players instantly bewildered. 'Was this game difficult or not?'.
The same thing happened on live streaming platforms, with some streamers screaming in despair. Others, new from the Cemetery of Ashes, played with Gundyr, the Sword Master, and the Lost Knight.
Of course, what new players don't understand is that, whether in videos or from streamers, while some players are undoubtedly talented, a significant number have practiced for a long time beforehand or have gained experience through repeated deaths.
These numerous examples, along with the game's recent launch, have generated misinformation among many players, which has led to a lack of consensus and growing curiosity.
'What kind of game is this?'.
Some players even remembered the previous game, Outlast, believing it was a trick. But this only increased their curiosity. After all, people are curious about the unknown, and even more so about a game.
Additionally, Dark Souls didn't look like a horror game like Outlast. Outlast wouldn't dare enter a psychiatric hospital, so how could Dark Souls dare to pass on the flames?
With this in mind, countless players plunged into the abyss of Dark Souls. And then, these players who were playing for the second time were completely stunned. Like the original players, these newcomers to Dark Souls instantly perceived the game's deep hostility.
Despite the warnings and death videos left by veteran players, countless players experienced a game where they could die with such vehemence. They watched the imposing and burly Gundyr and remembered the impressive scenes from the demos, where Gundyr was defeated with just a few punches and kicks.
Then, when it was their turn, they were dispatched with ease.
Not to mention the Fire Keeper they had been looking forward to seeing since they saw her online. If they want to see her, they have to kill Gundyr! Otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to touch the bronze door of the Firelink Shrine.
High difficulty, no minimap, with a sinister and malicious level design. Many players who were previously attracted to the game joined the duel instantly.
"I've had it! This game is too difficult!".
"Why is there no difficulty option, why is there no minimap?".
"Those who say this game is easy, have no regrets!".
"I died 10 times in one hour, only God knows how I did it!".
"I was so excited, thinking that it was a mowing game, but now you're telling me I'm the grass?".
In Nebula Games' office.
Although it was a National Day holiday, the project's core development team had stayed at the company working overtime.
After all, Dark Souls was Nebula Games' first major project, and everyone was closely following its development. Of course, the high overtime pay and benefits also played a role, which made everyone happy to work overtime.
"Alex, in the game community, as well as on the company's and your official blog, many players are commenting on Dark Souls' difficulty!". Eric from the project team was a little worried.
"Yes, will they update the game's difficulty selection system later?".
"And the minimap," Jane and Lisa also said in the office.
"There will be no need to change the game's systems or difficulty, and it's too early to draw conclusions." Alex smiled, then went to customer service and asked: "What are the relevant statistics?".
"Third-party platform data is not available right now, but on the Nebula platform, 495,721 copies have been sold in the first 24 hours since the game's launch. Only 24,916 refunds have been issued, with 40% of players claiming the game's difficulty as the reason, and the remaining 60% claiming other reasons".
After all, this is Nebula's first major title and it has been captivating for some time. Added to Nebula's reputation, sales of almost 500,000 copies on the first day are not that surprising.
Additionally, thanks to coupons, most players chose to buy on the Nebula platform. As for refunds, Dark Souls has a higher number than other games. However, this was also within Alex's expectations. In fact, Dark Souls' refund rate is even lower than Outlast's.
Is Dark Souls a game for everyone? Clearly not. In other words, no game is suitable for everyone. Gaming is a deeply personal experience. Some enjoy AAA games more, others mobile games, and others browser games. Therefore, which games you prefer depends on your preferences.
However, Dark Souls is a game that, once you immerse yourself in it, you will truly feel its charm. The game's high difficulty is tightly intertwined. The design of the boss levels, the map, the combat system, and even the art are closely related.
Reducing the difficulty would be like cutting a link in the middle of a chain, breaking the entire chain. This would be counterproductive.
Furthermore, compared to online players' opinions, as the game developer, Alex, through backend server data, has a much clearer picture of Dark Souls' landscape.
So far, it's much better than Alex had imagined. And in addition to the criticism, there are also many players who speak in favor of the game. In reality, it's still a 46 to 50 model.
At the same time, the most critical point is that players' online time has not continued to decrease. Even 70% of the first group of players experienced a refund time of more than two hours. This surprised Alex.
Apparently, the M attribute of players in the parallel world is higher than he predicted when he researched the market. This data also made Alex stand still. The rest is time, letting the fragrance of the fine wine bottle "Dark Souls" slowly spread so that more players can perceive its aroma.
Of course, proper guidance must be provided during this period. Otherwise, Dark Souls' performance will still be affected.