Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 566 Late-Night Phone Call
However, compared to other live streams, this one was surprisingly successful.

On the one hand, just like usual, countless "slicers" immediately started working after the live broadcast ended, editing out the highlights of the live broadcast, adding subtitles and special effects, and releasing them to various video platforms.

On the other hand, Chu Chen's theory that "the core of terror is abnormality" is itself highly contagious.

Especially the example Chu Chen gave, "shouting three times in the middle of the night, 'Who's there?' in front of an empty living room."

This behavior is simple, easy to imitate, and carries a sense of challenge and excitement, perfectly embodying all the elements of current short video dissemination.

If ordinary people were to discuss this topic, it would probably just be a joke among friends, or perhaps someone with a lot of guts would try it out themselves.

But who is Chu Chen?
By the end of 17, Chu Chen's live stream clips had already been translated into various languages ​​and spread across overseas platforms such as YouTube and Twitter, thanks to the globalization of the Starry Sky Games platform.

Soon after, as the slices of Chu Chen spread, a peculiar phenomenon occurred.

Initially, only some imitation videos appeared on domestic platforms such as Douyin and Bilibili.

In the videos, the bloggers mostly turn off the lights furtively late at night, then shout into the dark living room in trembling or funny voices.

Then there were discussions about this on Weibo.

There are jokes like, "I tried it, and now my mom thinks I've gone crazy."

Soon, this trend spread overseas.

On YouTube, a blogger with millions of followers has made this "Eastern mystery challenge" a new video theme.

He solemnly introduced Chu Chen's "abnormal theory" and then put it into practice in an old house that was supposedly "haunted".

Although there was nothing suspicious in the entire video, the heart rate monitor the blogger was wearing did show that his heart rate was very fast during that time.

After the video went viral, the hashtag #LivingRoomShoutingChallenge quickly became a trending topic on Twitter.

Countless short videos have been created.

After some people shouted, their cats suddenly jumped out from under the sofa, scaring them so much that they dropped their phones.

After someone shouted, the motion-activated lights turned on, the stark white light illuminating the empty living room, which was even more eerie than the darkness.

Some couples also play pranks on each other.

If you look closely, you'll see that many of the videos have been "artistically embellished." But then again, whether it's scary or not is no longer important now that things have developed to this point.

Like the "Ice Bucket Challenge" that swept the world a few years ago, it became an online frenzy.

Countless imitation, parody, and deconstruction videos have emerged. In Japan, the issue even made it onto television programs, where some psychologists solemnly explained from a professional perspective why this simple behavior evoked fear associations.

The biggest beneficiary of this frenzy, besides Chu Chen himself who contributed the theory, is the original demo—now known as "Midnight Call".

The day after the live stream ended, the producer of the "Ringtone" demo applied for the Star Project and then went to Xingchen to thank Chu Chen in person.

It was the end of the year, and Chu Chen was quite busy.

I thought that after chatting for a few minutes and taking a few photos, the matter would be over.

是 的
In many cases, Chu Chen's main role in the Star Project was taking group photos. After many games joined the Star Project, the first thing the producers did was to go to the Star Project and take a photo with Chu Chen.

purpose?

Part of it was "idol worship," and the other part was, of course, to gain attention. Chu Chen originally thought Wang Hao was the same, but unexpectedly, from then on, Wang Hao would go to Xingchen every few days, sometimes bringing a laptop and staying in the rest area all day.

Whenever Chu Chen had free time, he would come over to ask about the details.

Chu Chen himself wasn't actually averse to students who were "overly enthusiastic." Although he was now famous, there were very few people who dared to go all out and keep asking him questions.

Moreover, Wang Hao is a man of discretion; he always thinks things through carefully before asking questions.

Therefore, the two communicated very efficiently.

In the end, when the game was released, Wang Hao added "Special thanks to: Teacher Chu Chen" to the final credits.

After the official release of "Midnight Call," Wang Hao, in interviews with gaming media, repeatedly mentioned "General Manager Chen's guidance" and "General Manager Chen's advice."

He positioned himself as a "student".

Some people said he was trying to ride on Chu Chen's popularity, but Wang Hao didn't refute it. He only said, "Chu Chen is my teacher. Without him, there would be no 'Midnight Call'."

This candid attitude actually won him some popularity among the general public.

Of course, the game's success ultimately comes down to its high quality.

The final version of "Midnight Call" takes Chu Chen's theory of "abnormality" and "unknown" to its extreme.

At the start of the game, the player, as the protagonist, returns home late at night after working overtime and discovers that their phone is missing, the apartment door is locked, and they cannot open the doors or windows.

The only means of communication with the outside world was an old-fashioned rotary dial telephone that had been placed on the desk in the study at some unknown time.

Soon, the phone rang for the first time.

When I answered the phone, all I heard was a crackling sound from the static, mixed with incomprehensible murmurs.

After hanging up the phone, players will notice a slight change in the layout of the living room. As the game progresses, the phone will ring intermittently.

Each time you answer the phone, the content you hear is different. Sometimes it's a cry for help, sometimes it's a strange nursery rhyme, and sometimes it's even something the player said just minutes before.

After hanging up the phone, the "abnormal" phenomena in the apartment will become more and more serious, and at the same time, more and more clues will emerge.

There are no "ghosts" in the traditional sense in the game, and the game scene is just an apartment.

However, the atmosphere of terror is rendered very well. Since the entire game scene consists of just one apartment, the details are meticulously crafted. Starry Sky even assisted in the use of real-world rendering technology.

Besides the apartment interior, the game also excels in its external environment design, including the occasional sound of ambulances outside the apartment, as well as weather effects such as thunder, lightning, and torrential rain.

These details, along with the game's clear storyline, contribute to a strong sense of rhythm and atmosphere throughout the game.

It's like reading a first-person horror novel.

Only at the end of the game will players piece together the truth of the story from fragmented clues, revealing that the protagonist died in an accident when he returned home.

Everything he experienced was simply his subconscious struggle with death and the will to survive.

Those phone calls were a distorted reflection of his subconscious yearning for his loved ones outside the home.

(End of this chapter)