"Dogs canât be brought on the bus!"
"This is a guide dog!"
"I donât care what kind of dog it is, the companyâs policy is no dogs on the bus..."
It was terrible, the bus refused Peter, and he thought the task had failed, but unexpectedly, there was a turn of events.
A passing kind-hearted driver offered to take Abab and the guide dog to their destination for free.
With this, the newbie guide task was half complete, and next, he just needed to talk to his dad to unlock the follow-up plot.
Ababâs dad is a construction worker, busy building a stadium. Abab approached him, intending to tell his dad that he also wanted to work and earn money to ease the familyâs burden.
But this wish was predictably denied.
Ababâs dad seriously stated that no company or institution wants to hire someone like Abab because he not only doesnât create value but is a burden!
"Oh shit!"
Peter cursed, "Even if youâre my old man, you canât talk about me like that, right? How can you be sure Iâm useless without even giving it a try?"
Screw you, old man!
His fatherâs rejection and the label of "burden" deeply hurt Abab, but he didnât give up and decided to prove him wrong.
How to prove it?
Of course, by going to the job market to find a job, to prove he can support himself!
"Thatâs right, find a job!"
Peter admired the protagonist Ababâs character, believing that this is the demeanor an inspirational protagonist should have.
But what he never expected was that the so-called "job search" plot was actually a trap deliberately set by the gameâs creators.
Abab tried to prove himself, only to end up destined for failure, leading to depression and a cycle of self-abandonment.
"No, I canât take it anymore."
After playing for about two hours, Peter removed his headphones with a heavy heart, taking a deep breath as he looked out at the sky.
It was too suffocating, too oppressive.
"Ababâs True Story" is unlike any game heâs played before; the whole atmosphere is too depressing and stifling.
When playing the game, if you put yourself into the perspective of the protagonist Abab, it easily leaves you speechless with frustration.
Just as it happens, a colleague also stopped playing.
"Tony, howâs the progress?"
"Couldnât find a suitable job, not even the restaurant would hire me to wash dishes because Iâm too slow and have mobility issues. What about you?"
"Same here..."
Upon hearing colleague Tonyâs progress also stuck at the job search segment, Peter couldnât help but complain, "I canât understand why this game is so difficult?"
Had it not been for work, Peter wouldâve been persuaded to quit at the newbie guide level.
He didnât understand why "Ababâs True Story" was made to be so off-putting, wasnât this indirectly raising the bar for players?
Surely there are very few players with the patience to continue.
So... why?
When a game is made, who would dislike having too many players? Why make it so difficult, designing each level to somehow discourage players?
"This reminds me of the game âGetting Over It with Bennett Foddyâ!"
Tony raised an eyebrow: "The same high difficulty, the same strong sense of frustration, the difference is, at least that game gives players an incentive to continue, since everyone wants to see whatâs at the end."
"But in this game, sorry! I also donât know what the reason is to keep playing, the protagonist canât accomplish anything..."
"If you put it that way, I actually have a must-play reason!"
Peter suddenly thought of something, musing to himself, "Everyone around him, including his parents and friends, say Abab isnât capable. I donât believe it, I want to see the day he succeeds."
This is his reason to keep playing.
Exactly!
The game atmosphere is indeed oppressive, it feels suffocating to play, plus you canât see anything, which heavily affects the gaming experience.
But... despite everything, he still desperately wants to know what Abab will achieve in the end, what heights he will reach!
This aspect is certainly captivating.
The gameâs immersion is so strong, you easily get engrossed in Ababâs perspective, experiencing everything heâs been through.
This sense of immersion is also an important reason why Peter keeps playing.
Because he eagerly anticipates the upcoming turnaround, also eagerly anticipates the day Abab defies fate and changes everyoneâs perception.
So what if you canât see?
Who says that a blind Abab canât accomplish great things in the end? Hey, today I refuse to believe that nonsense, Iâll achieve something no matter what!
A strange sense of competitiveness pushes Peter back to the computer.
The game continues...
Although Ababâs job search gets nowhere, Peter has already figured out the way to break through. Since Abab canât find normal work, he might as well try something unconventional.
For example, writing?
Blind Abab officially begins his writing career, becoming a freelance writer. With Peterâs relentless efforts, the tragic literature "My Youth Has No Love, Only Tears" is successfully published.
Then, the book failed to sell!
The road to success isnât smooth sailing, but Peter doesnât give up, continuing to strive toward becoming a "great writer."
However, Ababâs writing journey is too rocky, previously noticed by publishers was just an accident, and due to poor performance, publishers soon gave up on Abab.
Ababâs new book is written only to be rejected by all major publishers, with some editors bluntly saying itâs at the "primary school essay" level.
Forced by circumstances, Peter has to change tactics, making Abab start writing about other things, at least not putting all eggs in one basket.
Tragic literature didnât work, he canât write popular novels, so Abab started writing "She Escapes, He Chases: Hide-and-Seek Game of the Tyrantâs Dainty Wife."
Yippee, he finally succeeded this time!
Just like the saying, âthereâs always light at the end of the tunnel,â even at his most desperate, when the game is on the verge of a dead-end save, Peter reverses the situation, finding Abab the most suitable development direction.
Though this direction is a bit abstract, just look if the bookâs published and selling or not!
First print run of fifty thousand copies, reprint of one hundred thousand, another reprint... Ababâs first work after switching paths became a huge success, bringing in money and huge fame.
"Phew! Thought the game was so difficult, turns out itâs just this?"
Glancing at the time, Peter scorned, suddenly he realized only five hours had passed, the gameplay was so short, previously he thought the game was huge.
Now it seems, itâs not that big!
A game you can clear in five hours canât be that big? For a veteran game editor like him, itâs incredibly easy!
With Abab achieving tremendous success in his career, love also sails smoothly, quickly getting married to a "soulmate" of a girl.
Peter originally thought "Ababâs True Story" should end here.
After all, isnât this kind of ending the common Happy end conclusion used in film plots? Continue to show us, whatâs there to show?
Surely itâs not the main character Ababâs story finished, and now itâs going to show Ababâs sonâs story? Thatâs too ridiculous!
Clearly!
Peterâs prediction of the gameâs plot turn was inaccurate because he misjudged one thing, that the game isnât just five hours, more like tripled.
After getting married, Abab soon encountered a huge setback, the wife he just brought home turns out to be a villain, taking all his money and disappearing.
Abab not only returns to square one but also owes a significant debt of millions.
Even worse, because of industry competition and market shifts, his "Tyrantâs Dainty Wife literature" is no longer popular, and no readers are willing to pay for it.
"Fuck, fuck!"
Peter, upon reaching this part of the game, couldnât hold back his anger, directly throwing the controller onto the table, eyes flashing with furious fire.
Not playing anymore, refund!
This broken game is utterly unplayable, whoever wants to play it can play it, but he canât go on any longer.
Ababâs situation is already miserable, why canât the plot be a bit gentler on him? Isnât "Ababâs True Story" better named "The Suffering of Abab"? Isnât that more appropriate?