Started as a comics editor

Chapter 289 I'm not playing anymore.
Players began to wonder if Outlast was a healing game disguised as a horror game.

Tang Yao reacted quickly, immediately canceling the planned live stream promotion segment, demonstrating her ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

It surprised me that.

This release, following closely after Legend Hearts, is a pleasant surprise.

If players approach Outlast with the mindset that even the mentally ill can heal, well...

I have to say, it's really something to look forward to!
"..."

After hearing Tang Yao's reason for canceling the live stream, Li Xue stared at her blankly for a while before she reacted, then said with a wry smile, "You're really malicious! You just want to let the players step into hell without any warning, full of hope, right?"

Tang Yao puffed out her full chest and retorted directly, "Then tell me if you're looking forward to it or not!"

"..."

Li Xue rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and said, "You know what, I'm actually quite looking forward to it..."

"right."

"But Tang Yao... don't forget that this game also bears the name of a third-rate teacher."

"No problem! What does a third-rate teacher have to do with me, Tang Yao?"

"..."

Li Xue was speechless and could only silently light a row of candles in her heart for those players who were still immersed in the fantasy of healing horror games.

And at the same time.

Although the game's promotion plan has been slightly changed.

However, in the ten days leading up to the release of Outlast, the community's enthusiasm did not cool down because Tang Yao canceled her live stream; on the contrary, it continued to grow stronger, like a bonfire that had been doused with oil.

[Undertale player reviews of the Escape trailer... On the surface, it's terrifying and twisted; at its core, it's about love and peace. I get all the tricks in Avalon!]

Two games in a row! Just how good is Avalon's technology right now?!

[The warmth that may exist beneath the terrifying exterior.]

[Promotional Video Analysis! Avalon's First High-Spec Game!]

【…】

Various analytical posts, humorous posts, and memes are emerging one after another.

The "healing horror game" meme has been used in countless creative ways.

A small number of players genuinely believe this, a small number are doing it intentionally, but most players are simply echoing what others say.

But the power of the masses is undoubtedly strong.

This is compounded by the fact that the popularity of Avalon's previous game, Undertale, has not yet faded.

Their use of internet memes has indeed distorted the reputation of the horror game "Outlast".

Some people seriously analyzed the sadness in the doctor's eyes in the trailer, while others interpreted the heavy footsteps as a lonely cry...

The official Avalon account is filled with teasing comments from players such as "Stop pretending, we know you're gentle" and "Avalon, come out and admit it already." Even some well-known streamers and content creators on ANF who don't usually play horror games have publicly stated that they will premiere Outlast on the release date because of the huge buzz, wanting to see what tricks Avalon is up to this time.

Rong Cishan browsed the forum every day, watching the increasingly outrageous speculations and the game's growing popularity. His initial shock turned into a mix of amusement and exasperation, and eventually he was even swayed by the rumors.

"This almost made me believe it..."

He shook his head with a smile, clicked on a parody video that paired the terrifying scenes from the promotional video with the heartwarming background music from Undertale, and watched it with great interest.

Although deep down he felt it was unlikely, Avalon's previous Undertale was too impressive, and coupled with the atmosphere of the community... a glimmer of hope began to quietly grow in his heart like a weed.

……

Ten days later.

The day for Outlast to be unlocked has arrived.

Countless players, whose appetites were whetted by the trailers or who were eager to see the quality of Avalon's high-caliber game, rushed into the game without hesitation.

Zhang Da.

Old Zhang is one of them.

However, he is a rather special case among them... He is a game media professional, not the kind of reviewer who gets paid to hype up online games. The magazine he works for, "Game Frontier," is one of the few media outlets in the industry that still adheres to independence and objectivity.

The reason he played Outlast immediately was because he was influenced by Undertale.

Although it was somewhat unexpected that Undertale came from an online game company... he had to admit that Undertale was indeed the most creative and impactful RPG game he had played in China in recent years.

After playing through the peaceful ending, he even ranked it as the number one game on his list of favorite games.

Although things calmed down afterward, the rankings dropped somewhat.

But there's no doubt he likes the game.

At the same time, because of this game, he also developed some expectations for Avalon, a rising star in the gaming industry that made its fortune through online games.

He just didn't expect that his expectations would be met so quickly.

"Escape...a healing game disguised as horror?"

As Zhang Da started the game, he recalled those posts and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

It's certainly possible.

After all, the screenwriter of this "Outlast" seems to be that third-rate teacher again, and with the masterpiece "Undertale" as a precedent, maybe those monsters that look scary have a tender story that no one knows, or maybe there will be a shocking twist at the end.

However, as a game media professional, the script and emotional aspects were not the main reasons he played this game.

Technique is the key.

In short... he was more curious about the game's technical aspects. What kind of high-spec 3D game would Avalon, a rising star in the gaming industry that mainly made its fortune through online games, produce?
Zhang Da was very curious.

After all, Avalon's lightning-fast announcement of the new game, and the huge stylistic contrast of the new game, really took him quite by surprise.

It was too fast, which made him slightly worried—was Avalon trying to take advantage of the popularity of Undertale to push an immature, high-spec single-player game?
...This is not impossible, especially considering the recent trend of discussion among players, many of whom feel that this game is in the same vein as Undertale.

A small number of players even had the unrealistic idea of ​​playing a 3D version of Undertale.

But Zhang Da wouldn't lower his standards for evaluating the game because of this, because he knew very well that Undertale's size and scale were indeed top-notch in the traditional RPG genre... but if Avalon thought that as long as they did a good job with the narrative and made it in 3D, they could raise the price and sell the game to players.

That just shows how incredibly stupid they are!

Zhang Da was unwilling to believe this possibility, but the almost blindly optimistic discussions in the player community, along with Avalon's unusually fast promotional pace, subtly pointed to this unsettling possibility.

too fast.

Avalon's lightning-fast announcement and release of Outlast, following the huge success of Undertale, caught everyone off guard.

The whole thing was filled with an air of adventure and speculation.

But Outlast... is a genuine 3D project! Graphics, modeling, physics, AI, optimization... every aspect is a deep pit of technology and resources.

"Can they really produce a work that matches this standard in such a short time?"

Zhang Da murmured softly, sounding somewhat distrustful.

Anyway.

He's not here to experience the story today; he's mainly here for the technical aspects. No matter how good the story is... if Avalon is just being opportunistic, he'll give the game a bad review without hesitation!

He wanted to take a closer look at Avalon, this upstart company that started with online games, and see just how technically capable they really were in the hardcore 3D game development field!

As Zhang Da pondered this, he put on his headphones, dimmed the room lights, took a deep breath, and, with a curious mindset of "I want to see what Avalon is up to," started the game.

A brief black screen.

The game started and loaded quickly, which made Zhang Da raise an eyebrow... but the subsequent CG made him relax slightly.

Accompanied by a brief background introduction.

The game screen appears.

Under a sky overcast with dark clouds, the car drove forward along the path... A huge, dilapidated mental hospital complex appeared ahead, standing in the desolate wilderness.

With its gloomy and oppressive soundtrack and dimly lit environment, the protagonist Miles drives his dilapidated car toward the Mountain Mental Hospital in the night.

The overall atmosphere was good.

Next comes the tutorial and story setup, including the protagonist's purpose for coming here and how to operate the camera.

"The atmosphere is alright."

Zhang Da nodded slowly.

In his opinion, it was passable overall, although not much detail could be seen in the nighttime scenes.

He controlled Miles and walked straight forward, entering the mental hospital in the game.

After pushing open the iron gate and entering the interior...

Zhang Da's brows relaxed again... Not bad, the presentation of both the buildings and the environment in the game is quite good.

on the screen.

The desolate courtyard inside the iron gates of the mental hospital came into view.

The wind howled, rustling the withered leaves on the ground.

Zhang Da tried moving the camera angle. The operation was smooth and there was no lag. The details in the picture were still discernible under the scattered lights. The texture accuracy was acceptable, and the lighting and shadow rendering was natural, reaching the level of mainstream 3D games.

"There's something there, let's see what happens next."

He guided Miles to the gates of the castle-like mental hospital and pressed the interaction button.

Locked.

"As expected."

Zhang Da muttered to himself as he began to maneuver Miles around the desolate courtyard. The wind howled, and the withered leaves on the ground rustled.

He quickly found a gap in the rusty fence that had been violently breached.

Without hesitation, he immediately steered Miles inside.

The process was unusually quiet, with no background music, only the protagonist's soft breathing and the ceaseless howling of the wind in the wilderness.

Occasionally, from the depths of the massive mental hospital complex, a few muffled, unintelligible thuds could be faintly heard, like heavy objects falling to the ground or heavy footsteps, standing out starkly in the deathly silence.

"Environmental narrative? But the lights here are too bright... It's hard to get tense."

After muttering something to himself, Zhang Da controlled his character to look up at the cluster of buildings in front of him.

Although most of the main building was hidden in darkness, some windows were letting out a dim but steady light.

He shook his head slightly in disappointment.

Avalon seems to have overlooked the most basic aspect of horror games: the control of light and shadow rhythm, a common mistake for beginners.

As Zhang Da pondered this, he manipulated Miles to find a piece of metal scaffolding attached to the exterior of a low-rise auxiliary building. He slowly climbed up the rusty stairs, and as the view opened up, he could see more windows with lights on, like scattered eyes on a dark behemoth.

Although the building was dilapidated, the stable light sources did significantly reduce the sense of horror.

After all, it's really hard to feel any tension under the bright light.

As expected, Avalon is still too young.

but.

For their first time producing such a high-quality 3D single-player game, the level of scene construction and environmental detail they achieved is quite satisfactory.

The future is expected.

Zhang Da gave himself a fair assessment and then controlled the protagonist to move forward along the scaffolding.

At this moment, the monotonous and low-pitched background music finally began to play faintly, carrying a hint of unease.

He maneuvered Miles along the narrow scaffolding platform, eventually climbing through a broken window into the interior of the annex.

just.

As soon as Zhang Da controlled the protagonist to jump in, he noticed what appeared to be large, dark stains on the floor, like spilled paint, or perhaps...

Sizzle—smack!

Zhang Da didn't have time to see clearly what was wrong; it looked like bloodstains.

Because at that very moment, the lights in the room suddenly flickered violently, and in the blinding alternation of light and shadow, the stains distorted and deformed in the field of vision... followed by a piercing crack of electricity!

The entire room was suddenly plunged into complete, pitch-black darkness.

At the same time, the monotonous background music that had just started seemed to be injected with energy, and the volume suddenly increased, becoming deep, rapid, and full of pressure.

A prompt appears on the screen: Press F to activate the night vision mode of the portable camera.

Zhang Da subconsciously pressed the F key.

"Zi la——!"

A slight electrical hum could be heard.

Then, the world on the screen was completely filled with a dark green, distorted image, riddled with dense, pulsating noise.

The field of vision was severely compressed, and one could only rely on the eerie green light of the night vision mode to see a small area pointed to by the lens.

And all around was endless, thick darkness.

The outlines of all the furniture became distorted and eerie under the green light and noise, and the dark stains on the floor took on an extremely unsettling texture under night vision. The atmosphere suddenly changed.

Zhang Da was jolted awake by this sudden sensory shock.

...I must say, the night vision effect is really realistic, and it's absolutely amazing at creating atmosphere.

It was extremely depressing.

And players cannot dodge.

Zhang Da gritted his teeth and controlled Miles to grope his way forward in the darkness, relying on the extremely unsettling eerie green vision... The bizarre camera work, the overturned furniture, the bloodstains on the ground, it was as if he could smell the faint stench of decay even through the screen... all of these silently intensified his unease.

Every step was taken with utmost care, and every time the camera turned, the shaky, eerie green field of vision and the rolling darkness at the edges of the field of vision sent chills down my spine.

He stumbled and groped his way to the other end of the room and found a door.

Push away.

Outside the door is a relatively spacious corridor, with connected rooms.

The dim lights flickered overhead, barely illuminating the surroundings.

Compared to the all-consuming darkness and the unsettling green light of night vision we had just witnessed, this place was practically bright.

Zhang Da manipulated Miles to walk out of the room and stand under the dim, flickering lights of the corridor, subconsciously letting out a sigh of relief.

Although the lighting was still dim and the atmosphere was oppressive, the ability to see the surrounding environment itself brought a false sense of security.

Compared to the outside, the inside was indeed darker and more oppressive...

The intense sensory impact of the night vision mode was still lingering in my nerve endings.

Zhang Da stood at the door, lost in thought.

The changes in lighting—from the bright and stable courtyard to the sudden darkness and night-vision hell in the room, and then to the dim and flickering corridor—were a precise psychological manipulation executed by Avalon using technological means.

They don't seem to be novices who don't understand the rhythm of light and shadow.

However, this newly emerging recognition of Avalon's technological capabilities was quickly overshadowed by a critical mindset from someone who had been there before.

Zhang Da, controlling the protagonist, cautiously glanced at the room connecting to the corridor while habitually commenting in his mind: "The technique is there, but it's still too immature... This sudden dark jump scares combined with night vision, while highly effective, feel somewhat contrived and rudimentary, lacking sophistication. A truly good horror game should slowly build up fear, like boiling a frog in calm water..."

As he pondered this, he guided the protagonist, Miles, into a relatively larger room, dimly illuminated by an unknown light source—perhaps the pale moonlight filtering through a broken window.

The room's furnishings were much more normal than the previous one—the furniture was basically as it was, with no obvious signs of fighting or damage. However, this apparent normalcy was tinged with a deeper sense of eeriness.

A portrait of a priest in his robes hangs on the wall near the entrance.

It was just a normal portrait, but in the dim light it looked particularly eerie. Above the fireplace in the room, an old television screen flickered with glaring static and emitted a continuous, irritating hissing noise, which was the only background noise in this deathly silent space, making it even more oppressive.

"The technique still feels too deliberate..."

As Zhang Da carefully guided Miles through the room, he stubbornly commented in his mind, fueled by the pride of a media reviewer: "The priest's painting, the static TV... a typical pile of horror symbols. Avalon is still too young; he doesn't understand that subtle horror is more chilling..."

He guided Miles to the center of the room, where it was relatively open. He turned the camera around, trying to look for possible clues or an exit.

And at this moment——

"hiss--!!!"

A bizarre, inhuman scream suddenly erupted in the room without warning. The sound was like the dying howl of a wild beast. It pierced through the headphones, carrying a strong sense of direction, as if it had suddenly exploded right next to Zhang Da's ear! The volume and the eeriness of the tone far exceeded any previous ambient sound effect!
!!!

Zhang Da was so frightened by the sudden, ear-piercingly terrifying sound that his whole body trembled violently. His heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an icy hand, and it suddenly stopped beating for a beat!
He sprang half an inch from his chair, the mouse slipped from his hand and slammed onto the table with a dull thud. A chill instantly shot from his tailbone to the top of his head, making his scalp tingle!

"Wh...what the hell?!"

Zhang Da's voice trembled without him even realizing it, and he frantically grabbed the mouse.

Take a deep breath.

It took me a while to finally calm down.

The hissing disappeared.

It was as if I had just imagined it.

The room remained unchanged, the furnishings were the same, and the screen above the fireplace was still flashing snowflakes.

just.

The whole room seemed even more eerie.

"...Gudong."

Zhang Da gripped the mouse, unable to resist swallowing hard.

It turns out.

Although he has been criticizing the game, it still makes him uneasy, very uneasy.

Just quickly.

As the shock of the sudden scream gradually subsided, he slowly calmed down.

Followed by.

As if trying to prove something, or perhaps to ease the awkwardness, Zhang Da manipulated the protagonist to wander around the room for a long time.

Nothing happened.

"Hahaha."

Zhang Da chuckled a few times, as if to encourage himself or to dispel the chill brought by the eerie scream just now.

Then, he controlled his character to turn his head and look at the exit of the room, the half-open door.

Warm light was streaming in through the crack in the door.

He guided the protagonist to walk over, push open the door, and there was another corridor.

It just has lights.

The environment was found to have become bright again.

call……

Zhang Da's tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and then he chuckled, "That was just an accident. How could I be scared by the first 3D single-player game made by an online game company... It's not that serious."

Speaking of which.

He paused slightly, then said in a low voice, "It shouldn't be... that bad...?"

……

Nearly an hour later.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump—

Heavy footsteps, like giant hammers striking the ground, came without warning from around the corner of the corridor ahead!
It felt like a direct hit to Zhang Da's chest! The sound coming from the headphones was incredibly precise, making him feel like the thing was just a few steps away!
"Holy crap! What is that?! What is that?!"

Zhang Da's scalp tingled instantly, and the hairs on his body stood on end! He roared, all his mental preparation crumbling in the face of fear! His mind went blank, with only one thought remaining—run!

He frantically maneuvered Miles around and sprinted away, his heart pounding in his throat!

Soon, he rushed into a room in a panic.

Boom! Boom! Boom—

The footsteps stopped outside the door!

Then came the clicking sound of the doorknob being frantically twisted!
then!

bang——

A deafening crash! The entire door panel shook violently, dust falling in a flurry! It looked as if it would be smashed to pieces at any moment!

"Oh my god!!! Help!!!"

Zhang Da was terrified, his adrenaline was surging, and his hands and feet were ice-cold. Like a frightened rabbit, he controlled the protagonist to run around the room. His eyes fell on a storage cabinet, and without thinking, he crawled inside and curled up in the small space.

Heavy footsteps echoed outside the door.

Zhang Da stared intently at the screen, at the door that seemed ready to burst open at any moment. Time seemed to freeze, each second feeling like an eternity. He could clearly hear his own heart pounding and his teeth chattering.

Technical issues?! All of that was thrown to the winds at that moment!

Fleeting. In an instant.

After an unknown amount of time, the terrifying footsteps finally faded into the distance.

Zhang Da let out a long breath as if he had collapsed, feeling that his whole body was soaked in cold sweat.

He guided the character out of the closet, his hands trembling slightly.

However... the nightmare has only just begun. As the plot unfolds, various environment changes and jump scares will occur!

That eerie green night vision mode has given him PTSD!
His nerves were getting more and more tense.

At last.

He even started to pant slightly.

Soon, the moment that completely broke him came... During a frantic chase by monsters, he frantically controlled his character to rush into a dark room.

The camera's night vision mode became his only support.

He hid in the corner, listening to the heavy footsteps outside the door getting closer and closer, his heart pounding in his chest.

But the low battery warning light came on like a death knell!

The battery icon in the bottom right corner of the screen started flashing.

"No! No! No, don't let it run out of power!!" Zhang Da roared in terror, desperately trying to find a spare battery, but it was too late!
"Zi la..."

The eerie green light on the screen went out!

Absolute, all-consuming darkness has descended!

My vision has completely disappeared!

at the same time!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

Those heavy footsteps, so heavy they made your heart stop, clearly, step by step... entered the room!

"Aaaaaaahh ...

This moment!

Zhang Da's declarations of "professional commentary," "media professional restraint," and "not being intimidated" have been completely shattered!

He felt a chill instantly shoot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if his scalp was about to explode! The blood in his body seemed to freeze! His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand!

Instinctive fear completely consumed him!
At this moment, he could no longer bear the extreme fear and despair!

Bang!

in reality.

Zhang Da sprang up from his chair as if he'd been electrocuted! The movement was so violent that it knocked over a water glass on the table, spilling water all over the floor!
then.

pat-

Almost reflexively, he used all his strength to rip the high-end gaming headset off his head and slammed it onto the table like a red-hot iron! The headset made a piercing thud and rolled to the side.

"I'm not playing anymore! Damn it!! I'm not playing anymore!!!"

Zhang Da's face was deathly pale, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath. His voice, shrill and distorted with extreme shock, trembled with a mixture of relief and intense rage: "What the hell is this thing! What the hell is this?! Damn it!!"

What technical prowess assessments! What narrative depth! They were all shattered by simplistic and brutal fear!

His pride in his media professional rationality and analytical skills was utterly crushed in those brief ten seconds!
He gripped the table, his legs trembling, staring at the screen in shock.

"Liar! They're all liars! This lousy game... it's even worse than those obviously money-grabbing trashy online games!!! You might as well have speculated on something else!!! At least... at least those won't actually kill you! Damn it!"

Zhang Da leaned on the table, his voice even trembling with a hint of tears, a mixture of anger and lingering fear, his head covered in sweat.

This isn't a game! This is a meticulously planned torture!
Avalon...

"Avalon, you guys! Is this really your first time making a game of this high standard?!"

……

at the same time.

Avalon gaming forum.

[Those who say Outlast is a healing game, get out here! Get out here!!! I was so scared I almost choked!!!]

【I didn't believe your nonsense!!! What third-rate teacher being all warm and gentle, what Avalon's gentle trap! It's all bullshit!!! I've only been playing for ten minutes! I even threw my mouse away!! There's still half a cup of Coke on my keyboard! Who the hell told me this was a healing game?】

[Avalon! A third-rate artist! Even the most healing art shouldn't be done like this! This is terrifying!! The kids were crying! I turned off the game as soon as I entered the second room!]

【Aaaaaah!! Help!!! Help me!!!】

【…】

Outlast was released less than two hours ago.

The forum exploded...

It directly achieved the fastest legendary achievement!
(End of this chapter)