Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 143 Doll
Late that night, the day before CNJOY officially launched.

A software development company.

The noisy conversations and keyboard clicks in the office were already familiar to Wang Jiayi.

As a programmer.

His work wasn't as creative as many people imagined; more often than not, he felt he was simply a "translator."

Translate the product manager's nonsensical remarks into a machine.

The hardest part isn't coding, but "translating" the product manager's rambling product requirements, which they themselves probably don't even understand.
Anyway, every time there's a product development communication meeting, Wang Jiayi really wants to crack open the product manager's skull to see if it's filled with sweet or savory tofu pudding.

"No way! How did this piece of junk break again?!"

"The product is about to launch! Isn't this going to be a disaster?"

It was already 9 p.m., but the noise around us showed no signs of stopping.

However, these things were not a big deal for Wang Jiayi. If it were his first year in the industry, he might have asked what had happened.

But now, he has been in the industry for more than three years.

At this point, pretending to be busy with your own things is the safest choice. Instead of getting involved in those trivial matters, you might as well go and see what kind of dress the receptionist is wearing today.
Thinking of this, Wang Jiayi glanced at his cup.

Hmm, the cup is empty.

Wang Jiayi stood up with a clear conscience, took the cup, and walked to the front desk.

Their company's receptionist is named Lin Wanwan.

She's a girl who just graduated from university. As the face of the company, she's pretty and quite cute.

Therefore, there were quite a few people in the company who secretly admired her, and Wang Jiayi was one of them, but he didn't show it much.

Lin Wanwan was resting her chin on her hand and scrolling through her phone when she saw him coming over, and she took the initiative to greet him.

"Brother Wang, slacking off again?"

Wang Jiayi raised his eyelids.

"Same here, you're on your phone too."

"How can that be the same? I'm experiencing users' lives and feeling the market dynamics."

Lin Wanwan first made a few teasing remarks, and then complained in a low voice.

"I don't know why I, a receptionist, have to work overtime with a bunch of men."

"We share both joy and sorrow."

When it came to sharing joys and sorrows, both of them gave a bitter smile that only those who are overworked and overworked would understand.

There is only one type of boss in this world.

They always think that the more people working overtime, the better. They don't consider efficiency at all; they just think that since they pay employees to work overtime, they should work overtime.

In theory, such "capitalists" should be hung on streetlights.

Unfortunately, there aren't enough streetlights.

After exchanging a smile, Lin Wanwan seemed to suddenly remember something and took out her phone.

"Hey, we haven't added each other on WeChat yet, have we? Shall we add each other on WeChat?"

"Isn't there a group chat?"

"It's different, this is my personal WeChat."

Wang Jiayi had to admit that when he heard those words, Lin Wanwan's appearance, which was originally an 8 out of 10, now rose to at least a 9.5, and he suddenly felt his heart beat faster.

What do you mean?
Do you have feelings for me?
Is this... interesting or not interesting?
Even after returning to his seat, Wang Jiayi still felt a little dizzy and lightheaded.

Just then, a red dot suddenly appeared on Lin Wanwan's WeChat profile picture. Wang Jiayi quickly clicked on it, but what awaited him was not a late-night snack invitation, but a game sharing link called "Doll".

"Huh??? A game?"

Below the game's share link, there's another sentence.

Everyone says you're smart, can you help me pass level 5?

Although it was just text, Wang Jiayi seemed to hear Lin Wanwan's slightly coquettish voice, and the text made Wang Jiayi's heart, which had just cooled down, begin to warm up again.

Outside, his colleagues in the operations department were still groaning, but he had already finished his quota for the day. He was only staying here to accumulate overtime hours and put on a show of "sharing weal and woe" for the leaders to see.

Since it's just acting, why not play some games instead?

"Star Tap! Activate!!"

The app is cleaner than I expected. Claim it, download it, and enter the game.

All in one go.

The phone screen went dark, and a few seconds later, a soft beam of light appeared in the center of the screen, outlining a simple yet mysterious star symbol.

The game "Dolls" has only six levels. The first level is set in a girl's boudoir with a distinctly Japanese style.

A cherry blossom screen and dressing table, with two rows of dolls sitting on tatami mats.

There are many things to interact with around you, but there is only one that can actually be called a clue: the diary in the dressing table drawer. The diary says...

I hate it when my sister always clutches things tightly...

The solution to this level is simple: after finding the diary, look at the dolls. You'll quickly find that among these dolls, only one is tightly clutching a bloodstained hairpin.

It can't be that simple, right?
I tried clicking it, and it actually worked!
"Huh? That's easy??"

After completing a level in the game, there is a short animated comic strip that tells the story behind the scenes.

Apart from this level, the second level, the tea room, the third level, the shrine, and the fourth level, the antique shop, are all pretty much the same, except for the puzzles.

They all have their own little stories.

The first challenge: the younger sister kills the older sister.

The second challenge is the falling out between master and apprentice in the tea room.

The third stage: the sacrifice of the shrine maiden.

The fourth level: an antique shop owner and a cursed antique.

After each level is completed, a short animated comic strip tells the story. These comic strips are not omniscient from a god's-eye view, but are full of narrative tricks and blank spaces.

For example, in the first level, the comic is told from the perspective of the younger sister, who describes how terrible her older sister's possessiveness is and how she "accidentally" killed her sister.

But it's clearly stated in the comic that the hairpin was actually bought by the mother for the older sister.

Furthermore, the statement "my sister always likes to hold onto things tightly" does not answer another question: why does my sister like to hold onto things tightly?

Is it because the younger sister always takes the older sister's things?
These details are easily overlooked when quickly completing a level, but once the level is over, any player who has actually played the game will form some vague impressions in their mind.

These impressions will be revived in videos, posts, and discussions such as "Shocking! Three details you missed in the first level of 'The Doll'!" and "[Amazing Analysis] The story trick in the third level of 'The Doll'! Did you really understand it?"
Secondly, such as

"One picture to help you understand the hidden relationships between characters in the 'Dolls' levels!"

"It's terrifying to think about! I've discovered a huge foreshadowing planted by the 'Doll' production team!"

These posts, like a virus, not only evoke players' memories but also get them involved in discussions. Why do mind-bending movies like Identity and Inception generate such widespread discussion after their release?
It's because the audience will be curious.

Wanting to understand the story, wanting to solve the mystery, and wanting to know more about the story, the best way is to discuss it with others.

Discussion is the best form of publicity.

(End of this chapter)