Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 565 The Terrifying Core

The benefits of the propaganda department wanting to set up a stage for a performance are self-evident.

Official endorsement, resource allocation, and public opinion campaigning... these are all tangible benefits.

Moreover, it is quite obvious that this is a trial run by the authorities. In addition to themselves, they also brought in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Of course, it is also possible that Suzhou and Hangzhou are shamelessly trying to ride this wave of popularity.

However, whatever the specific reasons, this official platform is indeed an opportunity for Xingchen.

However, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and the platform set up by the propaganda department wasn't given away for nothing.

Liu Xin's demands, or rather the demands of her superiors, were actually quite clear.

They hope that Starry Sky Games will achieve outstanding results at E3, ideally with a single product that fully embodies Chinese culture and ignites the entire event.

To be honest, the person who made this request probably doesn't have a very thorough understanding of game expos.

It's important to understand that the 18 E3 exhibition was on a completely different level from the E3 exhibitions of the following years.

If Chu Chen remembered correctly, this year's E3 could be described as a battleground where gods clashed.

Microsoft's Gears 5, Halo Infinite, and Forza Horizon 4; CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077; Capcom's Devil May Cry 5; Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice from Software; and The Elder Scrolls VI, which only has a logo.

In a place like this, let alone igniting the entire audience, simply not being completely overshadowed by others is already considered a success.

If it weren't for the publicity department incident, Chu Chen wouldn't have actually made any preparations for the promotional items for E3.

After all, his core objective in going to E3 this time was to promote the Starry Sky gaming platform itself.

As for the gimmick, it was simple and straightforward: during the E3 expo, all the games in the "Project Stars" on the Starry Sky Games platform were offered for free for three days.

The number of games under Project Stars has grown considerably over the past two years, including some small-scale titles and others that have received rave reviews within specific communities.

For example, in early March this year, just a few days ago, there was a game called "Midnight Call" that became very popular in the horror game community.

Speaking of this game, it has a bit of a connection with Chu Chen.

The producer of "Midnight Call" is a college graduate who has been out of school for less than two years. He started a studio with a lot of enthusiasm and some classmates.

Their initial demo was stumbled upon by Chu Chen during a spontaneous live stream "room check".

The game was quite crude back then, and its name was rather straightforward: "The Ringtone".

It was a very rough demo, with a simple scene, crude models, and even some distorted basic sound effects.

However, its core gameplay revealed a glimmer of hope to Chu Chen.

Players are trapped in a small room, and the only interaction is a constantly ringing telephone. When the player answers the phone, there is eerie static and intermittent whispers on the other end. When the player hangs up the phone, subtle changes occur in the room.

Because the demo was very basic and the gameplay was quite ordinary, the chat was filled with comments like "What a trash game," "I'd quit after three minutes," and "What a waste of Mr. Chen's time."

But Chu Chen played very seriously. After playing for about half an hour, he turned off the game, faced the camera, and said the words that were later regarded as a golden rule by the producer of "Midnight Call".

"What's the core of horror games? It's not blood, not scary faces, not jump scares. Those are just methods, not the core." "The core of horror is 'abnormality'."

"Let me give you an example,"

Chu Chen spoke eloquently to the hundreds of thousands of viewers in the live stream.

"At nine in the morning, you're walking to work when your phone rings. Do you feel scared? No."

"But if it's three in the morning, and you're lying in bed alone, and an unfamiliar number calls, and your phone rings out abruptly in the quiet room, wouldn't your heart skip a beat? That's what's unusual. The same ringtone can evoke completely different feelings at different times and in different environments."

"For example, you can also try turning off the lights late at night and shouting 'Who's there?' three times into the empty living room, or stand in the living room with a knife."

"If you do that, most people will get scared."

"So why do you still feel uneasy even when you know no one is around? Because the behavior itself is 'abnormal.' When you do something illogical in an environment you consider safe and familiar, your subconscious will start to warn you and make you feel fear."

"This demo is called 'Ringtone,' which is too straightforward and lacks any visual imagery."

"If I were to make the changes, based on the style of the game demo, I might change it to 'Midnight Call'."

"Although this kind of name does not directly show horror elements, it can give people a sense of immersion. With just four words, players will naturally immerse themselves in the story."

"A pitch-black room, a lonely person, and a piercing ringtone—the sense of story and immersion is immediately apparent."

"That's why I think this demo is pretty good. It does create an unusual scenario and amplifies and conveys this sense of abnormality to the player through the medium of a telephone ringing."

At that moment, the comments in the live stream changed from mockery to a complete reversal of public opinion.

"Holy crap, Mr. Chen's analysis is absolutely brilliant!"

"A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study! Suddenly, I feel like this lousy demo is actually quite interesting."

"This is unusual... This theory has some merit. If you think about it, it seems that the core of those classic horror movies is this."

"Stop talking, I'm going to turn off the lights right now and shout 'Who's there?' three times into the living room. Brothers, wait for my reply!"

Chu Chen smiled as he looked at the comments, first adding a few disclaimers saying that ordinary players should not try to do this, and then continuing to add more.

"Of course, this demo also has many problems. Putting aside the rough models and monotonous scenes, the biggest problem is that its 'abnormality' is not done well enough. The phone rings, you answer it, you hang up, and the room changes. This process is too fixed. After repeating it a few times, players will get bored and may even start to look forward to what the room will become, and the fear will disappear."

Actually, Chu Chen didn't think much about these things when he talked about them during the live stream.

Chu Chen's own live stream style is just like this, like a master chef dissecting an ox, or a chef exploring a restaurant. The core charm is that Chu Chen uses his professional perspective to comment on various games.

This is also why Chu Chen's live streams can attract the attention of players worldwide.

Just like how people who enjoy eating will enjoy watching cooking videos and food reviews, the principle is the same.

(End of this chapter)