Chapter 34: Those Trying to Escape
By the way, “indie games” in plural is a Japanese-English term. It mainly refers to low-budget games, often including doujin or self-published works.
"Installation complete! Let’s get started!"
"Elf, the rain’s getting heavier, so I’ll turn off the lights—"
"Roger!"
Top Chat: Kirishitan naturally dims the room as part of the flow
Top Chat: Naturally?
Top Chat: Isn’t Elf just being careless?
Top Chat: She really only has eyes for the game, huh
"An opening movie too, huh."
"Pretty rare for an indie game."
As soon as the game started, a cutscene began. At dusk on a mountain road, the young man driving the protagonist’s car breaks down. Using his light, he pushes through the foliage and rushes toward a nearby Western-style mansion.
‘Anybody home?’
The young man repeatedly knocks on the door, but there’s no response. What will he do…?
"Uh, no Japanese translation…"
"Want me to translate it?"
"Can you, please?"
"Sure."
Top Chat: That was smooth
Top Chat: Elf’s English is strong?
Top Chat: Or maybe she’s a Japanese Elf with strong English comprehension
Top Chat: Elf-san is so Japanese, I keep forgetting she’s acting like a foreigner
"I’m Japanese, you know."
Top Chat: Expectations are important
Top Chat: Exactly
Giving up on the mansion, the young man turns to leave. Then, he hears a noise behind him. Looking back, he sees the door mysteriously open.
‘Is anyone here?’
However, there’s no response to his call.
‘Sorry. My car broke down. Could you lend me a phone or some tools for repair?’
As he steps through the entrance, the door silently shuts behind him…
The cutscene ends here, and the player gains control. The playable character is indeed the young man.
"Hmm."
"Elf, what does it say?"
"Search the mansion to see if anyone’s there, and once that’s done, go sleep in the bed."
Top Chat: Probably a measure to skip exploration on subsequent runs
Top Chat: Makes sense
We followed the instructions and began investigating the mansion.
"Elf, can you open this cupboard?"
"Hmm… nope, can’t."
Top Chat: No items to collect here
Top Chat: Only heroes can take things freely from houses
Top Chat: You can map the area, but not prepare in advance
Top Chat: The real game starts after sleeping, huh
Perhaps a wealthy villa, this Western-style mansion is enormous. In addition to the three-story main building, there are annexes connected by corridors to the east, west, and north. The total number of rooms across the main and annex buildings exceeds thirty.
On the other hand, there are very few exit points. Aside from the front door, there’s only an inner courtyard surrounded by the main and annex buildings.
Another notable feature is the lack of hallways. Most rooms are directly connected, so even from the main hall, the number of rooms you can access directly is limited.
"Somehow, this room layout feels like a dungeon."
"Is that so?"
"Elf, don’t you play RPGs much?"
"I’ve never played them."
Top Chat: Never played, huh
Top Chat: But Elf is all about RPGs
Top Chat: There are lots of great RPGs, Elf-san!
"I’ll play them sometime!"
"RPGs are good, but action games are fun too."
"I know action games too. The ones where you jump!"
Top Chat: That proud face is precious
Top Chat: This Elf is so cute
Top Chat: Makes me feel warm inside
Top Chat: What is this feeling…
Top Chat: Like when a kid comes to tell you they did something well
Top Chat: That’s it!
Top Chat: Elf-san, action games aren’t only jump-based
"Is that so?"
"Jump-based actions are common, but there are also many famous top-down 2D action games."
Top Chat: Like games where you blow up enemies or solve puzzles to climb towers?
Top Chat: Many action RPGs don’t even involve jumping
"Looks like we’ve checked everything."
"Yeah. We’ve got an idea where the tools might be stored, so let’s get some sleep."
"Mm."
Top Chat: Kirishitan inviting Elf-san to the bedroom
Top Chat: That’s… naughty!
Top Chat: Ah—this isn’t allowed
Top Chat: Kirishitan, you’ll be arrested for lewd behavior!
"Elf’s viewers, really…"
Top Chat: They’re Elf’s viewers
Top Chat: Not lambs
Top Chat: Lambs are devout followers
Top Chat: Quite a few snuck in here, lol
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