Chapter 82: Start

Chapter 82: Start

The gamepad was tossed with a thud.

Then, on the screen, Harshin wielded a scimitar, cutting through the enemies.

A cinematic played.

“That’s why I love the desert. No need to deal with corpses or anything.”

Saaaah—

The gust of wind carried away the bodies of the enemies.

Harshin adjusted his turban and walked forward again.

And then, the screen went black.

“You’ve reached a save point.”

As soon as the alarm went off, the game was turned off.

It was 7 in the morning, time to get ready for work.

**

“Senior, why do you look so pale again today?” Han Seorim asked.

Did it show?

“I stayed up playing games.”

“...What?”

“I lost track of time, and suddenly it was morning. So, I couldn’t get any sleep.”

“Is it because of Ayoon, Sunbae?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why ask when you already know?”

“...”

Han Seorim’s gaze became sharp.

I had my grievances too.

“I knew it would turn out like this.”

April 2014.

The long-awaited new game from Russo, “Road to Harshin,” was finally released, delayed beyond the expected time. I played it immediately, and the result was staying up all night.

It was fun.

As always, Russo’s games wiped out all calculations in my head, leaving only the result of “fun.”

Analysis always came after the gameplay.

The amazement at the completeness of the game is felt only after it’s finished.

Perfect calculations and a neat packaging method to cover those calculations.

Somewhere in there was the ultimate goal I wanted to reach.

So, staying up all night playing games was an extension of work.

An undeniable fact, Russo’s Road to Harshin was competing with this year’s release of Hellic 3 and GOTY, wasn’t it?

My eyes were sore, but it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t work. Besides, these days I didn’t have much work that required my direct involvement.

I asked Han Seorim, “But what’s the matter?”

“The final modeling is done. They came to confirm.”

“Already?”

“Not ‘already.’ I’ve been working on the modelling all along. It’s about time to finish, right?”

I see. It could be that the concept of time became blurry while focusing on work.

I nodded and checked the result.

A temple, a throne, war saga, and a golden gate.

The implemented model was indeed flawless.

“Yeah, let’s go with this.”

About half a year left until the planned release.

The schedule flashed through my mind.

Now, slowly...

“Take your supplements.”

“...”

“Quickly.”

I should take the supplements.

Swish—

I opened the drawer and took out the supplements. Only after taking them all in front of Han Seorim could I finally feel liberated.

It was spring.

***

In the afternoon, I received a phone call.

It was from Ayado, a colleague.

Comment: S2 Poppy S2: It didn’t appear in the E3 demo, so it’s likely to come out after Chapter 3, I guess.

T Bright: James Han had a parrying-specialized build. I think I’ll go for that.

WaitingforHellic3: There was a Berserker build with an axe, and that looked good.

Next was the discussion about customization:

(Analysis) Zzone Hansu: Adding parts aesthetics is a good idea. I can’t play the game unless my character is female...

Comment:

Flower Jae-hee Angdu-lips: Female parts seem to be mostly obtained from monsters.

Zzone Hansu: True love.

Flower Jae-hee Angdu-lips:?

WaitingforHellic3: Female vibes.

Zzone Hansu: Gay.

The conversation continued for a while, but ultimately, it’s a game that still has half a year before release. The information released has only fuelled the anticipation without satisfying the thirst for details.

However, there was one fortunate thing for them. At least there was something that would quench their thirst for new information, and that was a game that would come out just before the release of Hellic 3.

(Information) S2 Poppy S2: I found information about Hellic 1 Remaster. As mentioned in the announcement, upscaling and script insertion are the main features. It seems to enhance the prisoner narrative of Hellic 1! Regarding purchases, if you previously bought Hellic 1 on Steam, you’ll get the updated version for free! In that case, the smartphone version will also follow the original Hellic 1 price! Another point I found while investigating is that there’s a different director for the remaster! It seems that a new development team has been established within Rewind! As a fan, I think it’s good news! We can expect to see more games from Rewind in the future, and if not, there might be a new game title from Rewind!

Comment: WaitingforHellic3: Oh, they hired a different director...

Gunfil-Ker Geomsa: I hope they create a new title too.

T Bright: One of the new directors used to make dating sims.

Zzone Hansu: Oh?

LordBangbaedong: Oh, that’s good news.

Sweet Blue Elf 42: Truly, it’s good news. ^^

The Hellic 1 Remaster is scheduled for release in the summer, and there’s information suggesting the establishment of a new development team within Rewind. The reactions were divided into two groups: those hoping the new team would function well, and those who were interested in Hellic 1 itself.

For the former group, the situation was unique. Normally, players wouldn’t be interested in the internal affairs of the development studio, but in this case, it was a different story. Given the long development cycles in the gaming industry, having an interested company expanding its team might mean a reduction in release gaps.

The latter group expressed their thoughts:

(Question) Eungae Youip: Is Hellic 1 fun? Someone answer.

Comment: T Bright: Buy it and try it. lol

This was from the group of new users who haven’t experienced Hellic 1 yet. At least for them, Hellic 1 was an interesting topic.

Fast forward to July 31st.

Starting from the end of spring, the news came, and the past two months went by like a flash. The Hellic 1 Remaster has been released, on Steam and mobile.

***

It’s a trite saying, but the mobile version of an existing game rarely generates significant excitement. However, if it’s the mobile version of a package with a purchase price, that makes it even more difficult. There were no miraculous sales for Hellic 1 Remastered version.

Playing a smartphone game by purchasing it involves a psychological barrier regardless of the price. So, did the mobile version of Hellic 1 fail? If you ask about that, there was a definite answer.

“Junsoo, what are you doing alone during lunchtime?”

“Oh, I was playing a game. It’s fun.”

At a company’s lunchtime, on the rooftop smoking area, a man called Junsoo showed his smartphone to a colleague. The game being played there was the mobile version of Hellic 1.

“I’ve never seen this game before. What’s the name?”

Portability itself had an inherent advantage in accessibility. Even if someone wasn’t interested in games, if there was someone nearby playing Helic, it caught their eye at least once.

So, what mattered was neatly arranged pixel graphics and simple controls. In other words, it was the first impression. The mobile version of Hellic 1 particularly paid attention to these aspects, and it was having an effect.

“I’ve never heard of this game. Is it fun?”

“It’s good for clearing your mind. It has just the right amount of tension and is easy enough.”

Junsoo smiled and recommended it.

“Give it a try. For 5,000 won, you can clear the first stage in about twenty hours.”

“You pay for games?”

“Well, the price of cigarettes is going up next year, right? From next year, a pack of cigarettes will cost more.”

With Junsoo’s logic, the colleague, who was pondering over cigarettes, looked sadly at the cigarette.

After saying that, it wasn’t really a burdensome price. You only needed to buy the game once.

‘They say smokers should just die.’

The colleague, who was feeling sad, looked at Junsoo tapping on his smartphone with curiosity.

And so, the purpose of Hellic 1 Mobile was achieved. The influx of external users attracted by accessibility, and that was a success.

The colleague asked casually, “Where can I download that?”

“If you go to the app store, it’s right there in the rankings. It was around 9th or 10th place now.”

“Wow, it seems popular.”

That day, the colleague went home, played the mobile version, and thought that he found a game that suited his taste, collecting relevant information.

Then he discovered something.

“Oh? There’s a sequel to this.”

This wasn’t just a short story; it meant there was more to the game.

The release of Hellic 3 was only three months away. The name of Helllic was spreading gradually and steadily.”

/RomanceMTL