Chapter 32: Things Already Accounted For
"Next up, we’re tackling this one! 《Next Fire》."
On the screen Kirishi-tan pulled up, the title was written in katakana with a bit of a cheap vibe. The image showed a man who looked like the protagonist, holding a torch and glancing around nervously in the dark.
Top Chat: Another game I’ve never heard of.
Top Chat: Indie title, like Wire Connection.
Top Chat: Supposedly made by a single developer.
Top Chat: Kirishi-tan, you kinda like obscure games, huh?
"What kind of game is it?"
"Put simply, it’s a maze. You rely on your torchlight as you wander the dark labyrinth searching for the exit."
"Hoh."
"But the torch burns out as long as it’s lit. If you dawdle too much and don’t find another torch in time, the light goes out and that’s game over."
Top Chat: Ahh, that’s why it’s called Next Fire.
Top Chat: Wouldn’t Next Torch have been fine though?
Top Chat: Katakana title… indie game… all the mysteries are solved!
Top Chat: Better let this one stay lost in the labyrinth.
Top Chat: That’s exactly where Elf-san and friends are headed.
Top Chat: Pretty simple game, though.
"Exactly. Which is why this time, no matter what Elf does, she won’t be able to pull off some crazy exploit."
Top Chat: Flag.
Top Chat: That’s a flag.
Top Chat: Total flag.
Top Chat: That’s about the clearest flag I’ve ever seen.
Top Chat: Even as a humble lamb, I know that’s a flag.
"You guys…"
"Let’s go."
When the game started, the opening cutscene played: the adventurer protagonist tripped on a mountain path, scattering torches everywhere as he fell into a hole.
Gameplay began. Overhead 3D view. The character could jump. Hm.
"So if I just climb out of the hole, that’s clear, right?"
"There’s no hit detection for that, so no, it won’t count. Get down here."
Top Chat: Already trying some weird exploit lmao.
Top Chat: She’s actually caught her foot on the wall, I can’t stop laughing.
Top Chat: Get down here lol.
Top Chat: That would’ve been the shortest game lifespan ever—ten seconds.
Top Chat: Good thing the devs accounted for that.
"Once I’m far enough down that no light comes in from above, it’s pitch-black."
"Press F to light the torch."
"Like this?"
Top Chat: And there was light.
Top Chat: The visible range is bigger than I expected.
Top Chat: You can clearly see all the way to the back wall.
Top Chat: Real torches don’t work like that though.
Top Chat: Well, if it were that realistic, it’d just be unplayable.
"Elf, you see that green bar at the bottom?"
"Yeah."
"When that runs out, that torch is done. Touch a new torch and the bar refills to max automatically."
Top Chat: The gauge drains faster than I thought.
Top Chat: Even a small delay finding the next one and your torch’ll be gone.
"Exactly. That’s what makes this game tough. You need to plan efficient routes."
"Then this’ll work."
Top Chat: She put it out.
Top Chat: She actually put the torch out.
Top Chat: What are you gonna do without it?
"I’ll just run. I’ve memorized where the forks are. Once I reach one, I’ll light it again. That way I won’t waste the gauge."
"…That’s exactly what everyone thinks."
Top Chat: Eh?
Top Chat: Kirishi-tan?
Top Chat: !
Top Chat: Whoa, that jump scared me!
Top Chat: Dedeeeeen!
"Died?"
"Hehe… yep, you died."
On screen appeared the message: You triggered a trap and died.
"A trap?"
"Every trap in this game is floor-triggered. With your torch out, you can’t see them activate. Which means running with the torch off is impossible as a strategy."
"You sound a little too happy about this."
"Ehh? Just your imagination~ fufufu."
Top Chat: That’s the laugh of someone who just watched their victim walk straight into a trap!
Top Chat: She’s got that “I totally got them” vibe.
Top Chat: Dark-side Kirishi-tan.
Top Chat: Praise be, for religious reasons.
Top Chat: Elf-san! Use some crazy strategy and shut Kirishi-tan up!
"I don’t know if it counts as ‘crazy,’ but I’ve thought of a way to beat it."
Top Chat: Wait, seriously?
Top Chat: Here we go again, Elf-san’s about to break another game! (warm-up swing)
Top Chat: So, how’s it work?
"First, you jump and grab onto the wall, right?"
Top Chat: Uh-huh.
Top Chat: Okay.
Top Chat: Looks janky as hell, but… okay.
"Then from there, you jump again and grab the wall higher up."
Top Chat: Hm?
Top Chat: Uh… what?
Top Chat: Oh crap, I get it now.
"And after that, you just keep going along the walls, never touching the floor."
Top Chat: Echoing jump sounds in total darkness.
Top Chat: Creepy.
Top Chat: Ah—right. Since you never touch the floor, the traps won’t trigger.
Top Chat: Makes sense, but wow, what a terrible watch for stream content lol.
Top Chat: This is creepier than most horror games.
Top Chat: And there it is—Elf-san broke another game! (for real this time)
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