Chapter 70: Evaluation (1)

Chapter 70: Evaluation (1)

Spring has arrived.

It has been a year since Studio Rewind came to Pangyo, and roughly the same amount of time has been invested in the development of Hellic 3.

Despite seemingly having focused solely on development during this time, there have been quite a few changes when you look back.

There were small things like Jo Ayoon becoming a college student, Yang Gilsang’s receding hairline retreating by about 2 cm, and Myungkyu gaining a nickname like “Collarbone Measuring Device”. On a larger scale, there were milestones such as the success of Hellic 2’s console version and the completion of the demo version of Hellic 3.

During this process, there was even an incident where a mike stole my first kiss, but it was all for the sake of the game’s quality.

In any case, the Hellic 3’s demo was completed with a quality that exceeded expectations.

And today was the day.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

“Yes, you’ve been quite busy during this time.”

Ayado Goro, came to visit Studio Rewind after nearly a year.

***

Ayado Goro had been in the gaming industry for over 20 years.

With that much experience, he had visited every major game company, and when he looked at Rewind, one evaluation came to mind.

“It’s quite universal.”

In other words, it had a more open and welcoming structure compared to a typical corporate office. It was unavoidable, really. Regardless of it being an IT company, the unique subculture smell of gaming was bound to permeate when there were references for games, the company’s products, and related merchandise like figures and posters scattered around, serving as part of the interior design.

Nothing to be concerned about.

In fact, Ayado didn’t come to tour their office in the first place.

His purpose was to inspect Hellic 3, a game that had garnered global expectations and could potentially become a flagship title for the PS4 in the future.

“It’s been a year already. Time certainly flies.”

“Yes, we’ve been working non-stop, and it’s already been a year of development.”

“Can we have high expectations for it?”

“I don’t want to say and make it a burden... it’s not the right time to make such statements.”

Ayado responded to Yeonho’s answer with a small smile.

“It means he’s confident.”

What was rising was his curiosity.

Despite the fact that it was not an event that warranted his personal visit, he still came all the way for areason.

Well, perhaps it’s because it’s a game that has caught the attention of one Aldred Russo.

Ayado had the opportunity to play the next title from Russo, which was scheduled for release in 14 years. The game was so extraordinary that it made one wonder if 14 years would pass quickly like a breeze.

Even though he had created such a game, Russo said, “That guy, Cheon Yeonho is

formidable. I have a feeling. He won’t create anything mediocre.”

Ayado wanted to know whether Russo’s feeling was right or wrong. That’s why he chose this visit.

“So, shall we start?”

Ayado asked, and Yeonho nodded in agreement.

Although Ayado didn’t know much about Yeonho yet, one thing that struck him was Yeonho’s casual demeanour.

The two of them entered a room with a massive monitor, a computer, and a PS game controller. They had already received documents regarding the development progress and the game’s concept. Today, Ayado’s task was to play the actual game in the director’s seat.

Ayado asked, “I remember the playtime was around 4 to 6 hours.”

“Yes, that’s the usual playtime.”

“The usual?”

Ayado’s eyes gleamed.

Yeonho replied with his characteristic nonchalant expression, “I don’t like games that force you into one way.”

“Is that so?”

Given that Hellic 1 and 2 seemed to have followed a fairly consistent narrative direction, Ayado was slightly puzzled.

Yeonho explained, “It’s a matter of money. Always.”

Could it be understood as taking a different approach to AAA games?

A smile crossed Ayado’s lips. “That’s good. My playstyle is quite unconventional.”

“I hope you can find it.”

“The hidden route?”

“Sub-routes or shortcuts. That’s about it.”

“Hmm...”

Would the final product truly reflect his confidence? Ayado had already received written material related to the game, but having been in the game industry for 20 years, he knew that you couldn’t understand a completed game from documents alone. He understood that all the elements in the design were merely components to get closer to the ultimate goal of “fun.”

To put it in food terms, no matter how many fun ingredients you mix, whether it’s a combination of ramen and mint chocolate or tsuyu (soy sauce) and tamago (egg), you won’t know until you try it. Ayado intended to examine this closely.

He wanted to understand what elements this game chose to achieve commercial success, what it excluded, what it emphasized, and what systems it had in place. He also wanted to understand how the balance of each element was adjusted to maintain the game’s equilibrium.

“If even one thing is off...”

The game won’t sell.

“Customers don’t tolerate imperfections in the product,”

The same applied to what Yeonho called hidden routes or shortcuts.

If it disrupted the gameplay, Aya would boldly request their removal.

He subtly hinted at this fact.

“I believe I didn’t come here just for a simple demonstration.”

“An evaluation, indeed. I’ve heard quite a bit about stories related to the director.”

“You’re talking about me?”

“Rumors have been circulating. They say you overturned a nearly finished game.”

Ayado concealed his surprise and chuckled softly.

“That’s an old story.”

In his younger days, he was more energetic.

During the early days of Sony,he was more vigorous and had his fair share of conflicts.

The games he got involved with now held a significant position as flagship titles for Sony.

Though he currently managed them as the head of the business department, Ayado was originally involved in development.

Especially when dealing with it from a business perspective.

“In that case, I won’t hold back.”

It would be more comfortable if he knew.

Ayado suddenly felt a sense of longing and picked up the pad.

The system, story, and gameplay were quite intuitive.

The brief cinematic at the beginning of the game showed the characteristics of the four pilgrims, and the tutorial battles afterward hammered their characteristics, gameplay mechanics, and how to use each weapon into the player’s body in the form of combat.

In other words, it didn’t require a forced understanding of the game’s systems.

It continued like that.

Combining four characters into one body was achieved through quickslot-style stance switching.

Information about their goals and backgrounds was conveyed through voice subtitles rather than cinematic sequences.

“They minimized the time allocated to the narrative. They melted it into the gameplay.”

All these elements were integrated into the “play.”

At this point, Ayado realized one thing.

The idea of combining four individuals into one body was, in fact, an explanation of the world through natural dialogue insertion.

Explanations through item tooltips and in-game objects were seamlessly connected.

This was what Russo had praised.

“Very skilful.”

Cheon Yeonho, at a young age, was an unusually calculated and skilful creator.

Somewhere within that, an obsession with perfection that could be felt as almost pathological was present.

From the perspective of a player who didn’t analyse the elements, this would lead to immersion.

However, Ayado’s admiration was short-lived as he began looting Joan of Arc’s corpse.

It was at that moment.

Ayado became a gamer, not an evaluator.

“...It’s big.”

It was too explicit to say what was big, so he just said it was big.

And with that, something came to mind.

It was a past favourite comic character.

“Hey, life isn’t supposed to be that easy, you know.”

“So, wouldn’t that make it more fun?”

What is strength?

Not bowing to any worldly values and following your own path is what makes one strong.

In that sense, that comic character was a perfect match for what Ayado thought of as a “really strong character.”

Ayado also had romance.

His young romanticism was directed at a pair of neutral characters.

It was about fragrance, and he had forgotten to move the pad because of the emotions.

It didn’t take long.

Ayado quickly regained his reason and checked the options for the parts.

“Where...”

『The Body of Joan of Arc

The chosen heart of God burns with faith and justice.

Special Trait: Gains faith.

Faith: Converts attacks into magic damage.』

The moment he saw it, the build was naturally created.

“Napoleon’s head was a critical hit adjustment.”

Among the things he had obtained earlier, Napoleon’s head was a part that adjusted the critical hit probability for each weapon. By combining it with this body, he could go in the direction of “long-range magic shooting” when using a gun. In Ayado’s view, it was an immediate efficient choice.

He immediately ran with that build, holding a gun.

He didn’t bother to change the appearance of the parts.

Ayado liked this state, so he didn’t need to change it.

That was the moment he left the swamp of Chapter 1.

BGM started.

A low orchestra with a sticky kiss sound setting the beat.

Ayado felt a chill down his spine.

What was drawn next was the background.

Under a dark blue sky, blue candles shone.

The ground was covered with skulls, and tombstones sparsely protruded above them.

“Hehehe...”

Laughter could be heard.

What was revealed was the enchanting silhouette of brides guarded by skeleton soldiers.

They shone their pale skin and danced alone quietly on top of the tomb where darkness had descended.

It was that moment.

“Wow!”

Ayado admired something outside the game system for the first time.

It was as if he had come to the streets of the old times.

The bride were eductive woman, and the kiss sounds mixed with the BGM were their seduction.

And with laughter mixed in, Ayado felt a shiver.

What stimulated him was his imagination.

“If I had those legs, arms, and torso...”

Wouldn’t Napoleon’s double chin stand out even more?

I want to defeat monsters.

In other words, Ayado’s interest in customization was boiling.

That’s when it happened.

“Brother!”

Ayado Goro (53 years old, married for 21 years).

He felt the presence of his dormant doppelgänger within him all along.

It was a reunion after 10 years.

/RomanceMTL