Chapter 28: Demo Release

Chapter 28: Demo Release

It all began on a dark beach.

A gloomy landscape where crimson skies, black sandy shores, and gray seas blended together.

Shoaaah―

The sound of waves washed over through the headset.

Seokhoon's gaze was drawn towards the girl in the centre.

"Oh, she's the protagonist."

The girl from the cover illustration.

A sudden feeling of awkwardness came over him.

From his perspective of not yet knowing about Hellic 2, the girl with a completely different appearance from the previous protagonist was enough to make him feel unfamiliar.

Seokhoon let out a thoughtful "Hmm."

It was different from what he had expected at the beginning.

But that feeling soon vanished.

"No, it's too early to judge."

Isn't gameplay more important than visuals in a game?

It was a moment of thought.

"Hello."

With the appearance of Navi, the script came to the screen.

Seokhoon!

Seokhoon rapidly pressed the space bar to skip the script.

He wasn't particularly interested in the story as a gamer, and with a limited playtime of 30 minutes, he didn't have the luxury to read all of this.

The conversation passed by quickly.

However, a few keywords definitely stuck in Seokhoon's mind.

"Hell, escape, guidance."

That was part of Yeonho's intention, which Seokhoon didn't know.

Whether through script placement, font changes, or skip speed, it was designed to make sure that even someone passing through the story quickly could understand the basic flow.

As a result, even without realizing it, Seokhoon understood the game's setting.

And so it began.

Finally, controlling Alice, Seokhoon burst into laughter in less than a minute.

"Ah! It's the equipment evolution tree from Hellic 1!"

The screen turned Gray when he pressed the shortcut key.

Then, a mind map-style equipment evolution route appeared around the floating butterfly.

It was a "welcome element."

It meant that the fatigue of understanding the game had decreased because it had inherited the equipment evolution tree from the previous game.

Moreover, it wasn't exactly the same as the previous game.

"A new ranged tree has been added!"

There was a ranged build using a crossbow in the main build!

A clear differentiation from the previous game, which had only melee weapons!

From that moment on, Seokhoon began to feel interested and excited about the game.

"How do you unlock the locked builds? Oh, the information is hidden! Right, I won't know what that question mark is until I unlock it, right?"

One of the most important elements in game development was "indicating direction."

It was about quickly presenting interesting elements to the player before they felt bored after starting the game.

This time, too, the intention was clear.

Seokhoon wasn't someone who analysed games.

All his thought processes were based on the perspective of a dedicated gamer, so he followed Yeonho's intentions without any filters.

The first choice.

Which of the four weapon trees to unlock: Dagger, Bludgeon, Elixir, Crossbow.

Seokhoon, who remembered Helic 1, thought without much consideration.

"For the first round, it's the dagger. The other weapons..."

"Do it on the next round."

Tap!

The butterfly transformed into a dagger and appeared in Alice's hand.

With that simple action, Seokhoon understood the role of the butterfly in this game.

"It serves as a weapon and a guide. Okay, let's follow along."

And so, Seokhoon controlled the girl and ventured through the beach.

He experienced farming various key items and battles with enemies.

His knowledge about the feel of impacts and control directions began to accumulate.

It was at that moment.

"That's a fragment of the soul! Give it to me!"

A speech bubble appeared above the butterfly's head.

Seokhoon immediately realized, "Oh! It's the currency needed for equipment growth!"

Familiar elements led to quick comprehension.

In terms of the growth system, Hellic 2 clearly inherited the system from the previous game.

"Let's see..."

A box marked with a gray question mark sparkled in front of the dagger.

When Seokhoon, unlocked it, a longer machete appeared than the dagger.

"Oh!"

His first achievement.

However, his joy was short-lived.

It was only then that Seokhoon realized one thing that set Hellic 2 apart from the previous game.

"Quick slots?"

In Helic 2, you could seamlessly mix and use four unlocked weapons through quick slots numbered 1 to 4. This was a surprising change even for Seokhoon.

"With this, the combinations become more diverse, right?"

That was his sense of anticipation.

As an experienced player from the previous instalment, Seokhoon instantly thought of various ways to utilize the quick slots.

From combining daggers with a single route to strategically unlocking multiple routes to deal with enemies through combinations.

"Oh, why is it only 30 minutes?"

It was a moment of frustration as he felt the time was too short to explore the combinations thoroughly.

Impatience set in.

Following his feelings, Seokhoon's Alice ventured through the forest on the beach, heading into a cave.

Shortly after, a calm orchestral bass played as the background changed.

"This place is 'Hell of Heretics.'"

A bewilderingly beautiful flower garden.

A white temple.

And...

"...God?"

There stood an alien giant.

It captivated Seokhoon.

Seeing the giant, Seokhoon immediately thought of "God."

The combination of this landscape, the word "Hell of Heretics," and that giant clearly pointed towards a certain direction.

The booth has formed a short waiting line, and the impressions of customers who have played are very positive.

"This should be good enough."

Enough to anticipate the success of the demo version.

Fists clenched.

That was the moment.

"...Senior, senior."

Kim Hyeji poked my waist.

Wondering what was going on, I looked, and Kim Hyeji pointed to Han Seorim with her chin.

"Um..."

Han Seorim's expression, standing quietly while being overshadowed by Jo Ayoon's presence, was quite hostile.

It felt like a wounded beast, glaring and with a hostile atmosphere.

Maybe that's why there are no people around.

"Senior, please go and talk to her or something!"

Kim Hyeji's voice was trembling.

It definitely seemed like she might explode if I left her alone like that.

After gathering my thoughts for a moment, I cautiously approached and asked.

"...Is it very tough?"

Han Seorim's response came after three seconds of silence.

"Sunbae."

"Yeah?"

"What am I even doing here?"

"..."

"I'm supposed to be doing something."

"..."

"But it doesn't seem like I'm needed that much."

"..."

Han Seorim's gaze turned towards me.

It was a piercing, intense stare.

Chilling to the bone.

"How long do I have to keep doing this?"

In that moment, there it was.

A moment when survival instincts drive you to find an answer before your thoughts do.

"...Shall we switch?"

Thunk!

Han Seorim's wig was placed on my head.

"I'll take a break, so just stay here."

"Okay."

And so, Han Seorim left.

It was right after that.

Click!

The sound of a shutter echoed in my ears.

***

That evening, a G-STAR review post appeared on the community.

**(Review) Waiting for Helic 2: G-STAR Experience with Hellic 2. (Booth Photos)

(Silver-coated giant photo)

To cut to the chase, I'm very satisfied!

The booth was right next to Space Craft, so it was easy to find!

If you go nearby, the person cosplaying as a silver-coated giant will guide you inside.

At first, I was puzzled about what that cosplay was, but after trying the game, I figured it out, haha!

It was really fresh and fun.

·

·

···Now, let's talk about the game, which was really fun.

At first, I felt a bit disappointed because it seemed so different from the previous installment, but within a minute, I realized it was just a misconception.

They've deepened the previous weapon evolution system, and the fact that it's so easy to understand without the need for studying is the most praiseworthy point.

Great combat controls, fast-paced action, and there's a story too, but you can understand it even if you don't read the dialogues (though I'm the type who doesn't really read the story, so I'm not very interested in it yet. I just understand the world better, maybe?)

The only downside: The demo time is extremely short.

Just by looking at it, I feel like I could spend several hours delving into it, but since the demo time is short, I feel like I'm going crazy.

The fortunate thing is that I heard the demo version will be released in early December.

I'm eagerly waiting for that.

That's it for the review; now for some chit-chat.

P.S. There was a booth girl cosplaying as the protagonist, not just the silver-coated giant. She's really beautiful, seems like she might be one of the developers.**

Seokhoon's post quickly received a flood of likes and made its way to the main page.

It was the result of a few dedicated Hellic fans in the community.

**<Comments>

┕BangbaedongLord: It was fun, I went there today too.

┕PureWithoutT: What's with that silver-coated monster, lol?

┕SweetBlueMan38: It seems like there are more advanced elements than the previous game. Looking forward to it. ^^

┕GoppiKuSwordsmaster: I'm going tomorrow!!! Tomorrow!!! Ah!!! I'm excited!!!

┕ZJohnHanSu: If the demo version comes out, I should try it. I'm in Gangwon Province, so G-STAR is too far away...**

Some users who had already attended G-STAR that day, users planning to go, and most users who were already favourably disposed toward Hellic expressed their blatant anticipation for Hellic 2.

In this community, specifically, discussions about Hellic 2 became as prominent a topic as discussions about "Space Craft 2."

Furthermore, where there is much discussion, there are bound to be incidents.

**(Small Talk)FlowerJaehuiCherryLips: Hellic 2, I'm waiting...

I also went to G-STAR today, but...

(Photo of Yeonho wearing a golden wig while working as a host)

Is this a beauty...?

Maybe...?

<Comments>

┕Helic2Waiting: N-No, it's not like that!

┕BangbaedongLord: Pervert

┕TWithoutClearSky: Homo

┕S2PobiS2: ... ^^**

The community was filled with innuendos and provocation.

The weak wouldn't survive.

Anyway, that's that.

"Seorim Seorim! Take a look here for a moment!"

Using the community's buzz as fuel, the second day of Hellic 2's debut was busier than the first.

The demo version was coming soon.