Chapter 20: They're Taking This Seriously?

You Were Told to Lose Money By Making Games, and You Actually Did It? 

Chapter 20: They're Taking This Seriously?

From a purely technical standpoint, Hyakukin Studio's capabilities were undeniably impressive.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have earned such a strong reputation in the industry.

Especially considering that the average level of game development in this parallel world was even higher.

The prototype that Hyakukin Studio had provided was already excellent.

Once proper art assets and sound effects were added, the combat would undoubtedly feel impactful and satisfying.

But impact was only part of the equation.

What Chen Xu felt from this prototype was still different from the feeling he remembered from playing Sekiro and other Souls-like games in his previous life.

At its core, the problem was that Hyakukin Studio still hadn't fully understood the effect he wanted to achieve.

Instead, they had created the prototype using the design philosophy of a traditional action game.

The bosses and enemies in the game did have recovery animations and reaction states, but overall, combat was still boss-driven rather than player-driven.

“To put it more simply, the boss's attacks aren't influenced by the player's actions.”

“When a boss starts executing an attack sequence, the player can only react passively by dodging.”

“But in Sekiro, when facing humanoid bosses, the player has much greater control over the flow of battle. If a boss begins attacking and the player attacks at the same time, the boss doesn't simply power through with hyper armor and continue its combo. Instead, the boss shifts into a defensive posture, parries the player's attack, and then looks for an opening to counterattack.”

Looking at the somewhat confused expressions on their faces, Chen Xu simplified his explanation further.

One was an experienced lead designer, while the other was a top student with excellent theoretical knowledge.

As soon as Chen Xu explained it this way, both Ying Gao and Xiao Dao immediately understood.

“A sense of duel,” Ying Gao said, getting straight to the point.

“From the player's perspective, allowing them to control the initiative while forcing bosses to actively parry and interrupt attack chains creates a feeling of genuine combat.”

“Exactly!” Chen Xu clapped his hands.

“That's one of the core pillars of Sekiro's combat system.”

However, Xiao Dao frowned.

From a gameplay perspective, he had to admit that Sekiro's approach was extremely interesting.

At the very least, it offered far more freedom and depth than the traditional formula of Boss unleashes a combo → player blocks, parries, or dodges → player gets a damage window and attacks.

If conventional action games felt like two dancers performing separate routines side by side, then this combat system would make Sekiro feel more like a true partner dance.

The player would need to respond dynamically to the boss's actions, adapting their own combat style accordingly.

But after recalling the design document Chen Xu had previously given them, Xiao Dao noticed a serious concern.

“Wouldn't this combat system become too difficult when combined with the game's stat balancing and overall design philosophy?” he asked worriedly.

The initial design draft alone had already made them nervous.

Because the difficulty level was absurdly high.

The game didn't even have equipment upgrades.

Healing gourds were limited in quantity.

Players could increase their maximum health by finding Prayer Beads hidden throughout the world.

But those were scarce and easy to miss without a guide.

Upon death, players immediately lost half of their money and experience points.

And whenever players rested at a Sculptor's Idol or fast-traveled, all previously defeated enemies along the route respawned.

And that was only the difficulty stemming from the level design.

When it came to bosses, things became even more outrageous.

What game on the market had bosses capable of killing players in just three or four hits?

Now, with this unique combat system layered on top, the game would become even harder.

After listening to Chen Xu's explanation, Xiao Dao fully understood the intention behind the design.

Giving players control of the initiative was essentially encouraging them to attack aggressively.

Meanwhile, the game also featured the Posture system, which made offensive play tremendously rewarding.

When combined, these mechanics were practically designed to exploit a player's natural greed.

The moment a player got greedy and tried to squeeze in one more hit, the game's difficulty would increase dramatically.

Just imagining it in his head was enough to make Xiao Dao shudder.

“That's true,” Ying Gao agreed after hearing Xiao Dao's analysis.

“In that case... won't players just quit the game out of frustration?”

Quit?

That was exactly what Chen Xu wanted.

What he wanted most was for players to get frustrated and quit during the game's launch period.

Otherwise, why would he have chosen to make Sekiro in the first place?

If players weren't driven away when the game launched, then his dream of buying a Bentley would drift further and further out of reach.

Though he was secretly calculating all this in his heart, Chen Xu maintained an expression of calm confidence on the surface.

“There's no need to worry too much. Just like some people prefer sweet tofu pudding, some prefer savory tofu pudding, and others like it spicy.”

“We can't cater to every player, so it's better to stay focused. These elements are the core soul of Sekiro. Change any one of them, and it becomes an ordinary game.”

“Right now, all we need to do is make it the best version of itself possible. After that, we'll leave the rest to the market and the players.”

“The gaming industry needs something different. If nobody else is willing to make a change, then let us do it.”

Looking at Ying Gao and Xiao Dao, Chen Xu—who had already grown accustomed to his role as a boss—unleashed another barrage of motivational speeches.

He might not know much about running a company yet, but when it came to serving up bowls of inspirational theocratic, he believed he had already reached the beginner's mastery level.

The effect was immediate.

The two men's faces flushed red with excitement.

Looking at Chen Xu's composed and unruffled expression, Xiao Dao and Ying Gao felt their hearts surge with admiration.

This... this is what vision looks like!

President Chen's level is simply different!

We're nowhere near him!

After leaving the office, neither of them had fully calmed down.

They exchanged a glance.

Each could see the determination in the other's eyes.

They had to do their best.

They had to make this game perfect.

They absolutely could not let President Chen down.

. . .

December 11th

For the past half month, Chen Xu had basically been slacking off at the office every day.

Mainly because he was broke.

Still, after slacking for this long, even he was starting to get bored.

The biggest problem was that he had run out of anime worth watching.

At first, he'd been pretty enthusiastic about seeing what kind of new top anime this world has, but after binge-watching a few series non-stop, he quickly lost interest.

Unlike in his original world, the animation industry in this parallel world was simply terrible.

Everyone seemed content to coast along.

Forget comparing them to legendary studios from his previous life like Kyoto Animation or Studio Ghibli, most of them were only one tier above low-budget adult animation studios.

Some were even bad enough to compete head-to-head with the worst bargain-bin productions.

Under those circumstances, Chen Xu simply had no motivation to keep watching.

So boring...

Leaning back in his office chair, Chen Xu yawned.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the office door.

He quickly rubbed his eyes, straightened his posture, and opened the game engine on his computer to look busy.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

Ying Gao entered carrying a laptop.

“President Chen, the new version of the combat system is finished. Would you like to take a look?”

Already?

Chen Xu was a little surprised.

He hadn't really been paying attention to development progress recently.

Still, he nodded calmly.

“Let's see it.”

Ying Gao placed the laptop on the desk and opened the latest test build.

The art assets still hadn't been replaced.

The environments and character models remained placeholder assets.

However, Sekiro's weapon—the Kusabimaru—had already been added.

It wasn't exactly the same as the version Chen Xu remembered from his previous life, but the overall style was very similar.

The design wasn't flashy or extravagant, instead, it perfectly matched the Sengoku-era aesthetic.

“Who designed this weapon?” Chen Xu asked curiously.

“President Chen, I did!” Ying Gao replied proudly, straightening up.

“From a historical perspective, uchigatana swords had already become popular by the Muromachi period. But since our game's setting is fictional, I felt that the style of a tachi suited the game better.”

“Of course, compared to a traditional tachi, I made quite a few modifications.”

“For example, I shortened the blade. That makes it better suited for frequent combat encounters and reduces the likelihood of the sword breaking.”

“Also, instead of using a more traditional flat blade profile, I went with a clam-shaped edge.”

“While the curved edge sacrifices a bit of sharpness, the reduced friction makes the blade far more durable and resilient.”

“And that ties in perfectly with the game's combat system, which emphasizes blocking and sword clashes.”

Ying Gao enthusiastically explained his design philosophy.

Listening to the explanation, Chen Xu fell silent.

He never intended to make a bad game.

But seriously, it was just a sword, did they really have to get this professional about it?

They were even coming up with behind-the-scenes design stories now?

What if this information got leaked?

Wouldn't that make the game seem incredibly polished and carefully researched?

Just this one development anecdote alone was probably worth at least a hundred extra sales.

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Tn: I updated the story once a day, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.

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