"Just simple role-playing?"
"Not really. In my view, âAbabâs True Storyâ is actually a Soul-like game!"
Yang Dong: "Huh...?"
Do you hear yourself? How can âAbabâs True Storyâ be a Soul-like game? Is that something a person would say?
Where is your Soul Element?
"Extremely high game difficulty, intense sense of frustration, and a clearance rate so low itâs shockingâisnât that a Soul-like game?"
Chen Ba laughed heartily: "Do you really think Abab will always succeed? Wrong, absolutely wrong!"
The difficulty of âAbabâs True Storyâ is extremely high.
Chen Ba treats this game entirely according to the standards of a Soul-like game. Every task in the game is akin to a level boss.
And as everyone knows, to beat the bosses in Soul-like games, you have to die several times, even get goosebumps, and you canât make a single mistake to have hope of defeating them.
The same principle applies.
The main tasks in âAbabâs True Storyâ are also so tough they make your scalp tingle. Players must precisely seize every opportunity and choice, and have clear thinking to barely meet the standards.
The only consolation is that Soul-like games really rely on skills, including controlling the timing of shield counters or dodges, etc.
âAbabâs True Storyâ doesnât require that much skill. Even players with poor hand-eye coordination can play it; thereâs no situation where bad players canât play this game.
But the difficulty of this game lies in the mind; if your thinking isnât clear or your brain doesnât work well, youâll still get stuck, and looking at other peopleâs guides and videos wonât help.
"The high difficulty and intense frustration of the game are actually to lower the clearance rate as much as possible, and the purpose of lowering the clearance rate is to highlight the gameâs core idea!"
Chen Ba nodded and said: "Things that are too easily obtained arenât cherished, nor are they kept in mind. Itâs what you canât get that is most precious, and the harder it is to obtain, the more unforgettable it is."
Through the gameâs extreme difficulty and intense frustration, the overall clearance rate of players is greatly reduced.
And the low clearance rate precisely reflects the core idea of âAbabâs True Storyââplease show more care to the disabled people around you, they have a hard time!
"What I want to see is nine out of ten players driven mad by the game, yelling that the difficulty is too high, asking why itâs so insane..."
Chen Ba showed a mysterious smile and said: "If someone complains to me that the difficulty is too high and wants me to lower it, then I can smoothly say that sentence."
"What sentence?"
"The game can adjust the difficulty and let you start over; what about reality?"
Yang Dong: "..."
Good, good, good!
He knew Ba must have a deeper meaning behind this; he was waiting for this! Heâs just waiting for players to complain about the gameâs difficulty being too high, then smoothly say those philosophical words!
But honestly, if there really are players complaining about the difficulty being too high and wanting it lowered, and Ba happens to say those words...
Heâd really pull it off!
Everything is interconnected. After carefully listening to Baâs description of âAbabâs True Story,â Yang Dong thought for a moment and said: "If itâs truly made, and the quality is decent, your plan might indeed work."
If this doesnât win an award, who else could?
Come on!
If next yearâs TGAâs Annual Awards has âAbabâs True Storyâ nominated, who could compete with Ba?
Probably right after the nomination list is announced, Ba would start crafting his award speech, thinking about what to say on stage and where to place the trophy back home.
No kidding, based on Baâs description of âAbabâs True Story,â this game is absolutely a hot contender for awards!
About game quality?
Itâs comparable to a AAA production, and it integrates multiple popular elements like open-world, role-playing, and multi-line narrativeâcan you really say this game has poor quality?
If the game quality isnât poor, not much less than standard AAA games, then is it the popularity thatâs lacking?
Nonsense!
Itâs obvious even without thinking. If a "AAA-like" new hit surfaces in the gaming community, itâs bound to be a hot topic all over the internet, with players swarming when it launches.
Do you think this is a small game?
A creation comparable to AAA, you could say before itâs formally initiated, just a simple leak can stir up discussion everywhere.
Not to mention, Tianba Studio isnât short of money, theyâll definitely have a massive amount of promotional articles and advertisements; players couldnât miss it even if they tried.
Popularity isnât a worry here.
With popularity, heat, and topics, with such high game quality, coupled with an impeccable theme, âAbabâs True Storyâ is simply undefeatable.
The only problem might be...
This gameâs project size alone is so huge, just making it will cost how much? Does Tianba Studioâs current funds suffice to develop this "AAA-like" game?
"No worries, we have enough money."
Chen Ba indicated that anything could be a concern except money.
After all, when developing âStar Emperor 2,â Tianba Studio received a lot of sponsorships. Although those sponsorships canât be misused and were eventually spent.
However, as the saying goes, money spent can, in some sense, be retrieved!
Just "clean" it.
...
While Chen Ba and Yang Dong were enthusiastically discussing âAbabâs True Storyâ at the company, the duo of Old Chen and Old Wang were also chatting.
But if Chen Ba were to hear their topic, heâd likely break out in cold sweat!
"Is this... genuine?"
Inspecting the killer move Old Wang brought out, even though Old Chen was mentally prepared, he was still shocked.
Sir, are you serious?
Speaking of, where did you forge this medical record? It looks just like the real thing, even has a doctorâs signature, very impressive.
"It sure is genuine!"
Old Wang animatedly said: "I know itâs hard to fool my daughter with fakes, so I used real medical records and have been preparing since half a year ago, absolutely no problem."
"Real medical records?!"
Old Chen was taken aback, eyes wide as he looked at Old Wang: "Youâre really diagnosed with cancer, and have little time left?"
"The cancerâs fake, the medical records are real!"
Old Wang raised his eyebrows and said: "I secretly acquired this private hospital a year ago; everyone from the director and doctors to nurses and security guards are in on it."
Meaning he has pretended to be "sick" for six months, and this incident has ample evidence and witnesses, enough for her scrutiny and inquiries.
Thereâs even a hospitalization record...
Moreover, to make it more believable, Old Wang specifically hired a special makeup artist to prepare various "haggard" looks for him.
"Itâs simply flawless!"
Old Chen sincerely praised: "Forget about your daughter, even I, knowing the truth, might believe youâre really dying facing so much evidence."
"But I have another question, if youâre pretending to be sick, what about your company?"
"Iâve already informed them."
Old Wang calmly replied: "Aside from a few directors, most arenât aware of the truth. The board will keep my secret and cooperate with my act; it wonât be a problem."
Thatâs part of your plan too?
Old Chen was truly impressed, worthy of being a self-made billionaire of the first generation; his plot arrangement is simply perfection.
If Conan came, heâd be clueless!
"Then in your plan, how do I cooperate with you?" Old Chen asked.
"You just need to mention my illness and hospitalization to your son at the appropriate time, and then find a chance to bring him to visit me in the hospital; Iâll handle the rest."
Old Wang confidently assured: "As long as we two brothers work together, we can absolutely show these young folks that theyâre aware but far from crafty!"
"Indeed, young ones playing mind games with us arenât quite there yet! Come, in-laws, letâs have another drink..."
"Alright, alright!"
At the table, the two who originally referred to each other as old buddies gradually began calling each other in-laws, the relationship became more intimate, and the atmosphere more harmonious.