Chapter 806 - 806: The Strongest Game Trailer in History!

Although Nebula Games has always been jokingly called a movie and animation company that's being held back by gaming.

The excellent CG animated shorts they produce are mostly meant to serve their games.

Especially before the release of "DOTA," they even released an animated season called "Dragon's Blood." So, could this CG feature film, "Advent Children," also be something Nebula Games shot to promote a new release?

But making a movie to promote a new game? That's just too over the top, Zack!

"You think it's not like that? They're actually making a CG film for a game?"

"If this were anyone else, I'd say they're dreaming, but this is Nebula Games, it's Boss Lucas!"

"Actually, if you think about it carefully, it's not impossible! Many of Nebula Games' titles have game structures with cinematic storytelling, and Boss Lucas has done this before—making an animated season to launch a game!"

"Yeah, forgotten about 'Dragon's Blood'?"

"That's different. This is a CG feature film. With animation, you can scrap it if it's not good, but a movie must at least be completed."

Players online were divided into two factions, unable to reach a consensus, as both sides had valid points.

However, the debate was quickly settled because many players found the confirmed answer on the official Weibo account.

No more hiding, laying it all out, announcing it!

'The prequel to Advent Children, Final Fantasy is currently in development, please look forward to it.'

When this official Weibo post came out, everyone was stunned.

What the heck!?

Is it… is it really… they actually made a movie for a new game?

"Holy cow, I'm not impressed by anything, I'm only impressed by Boss Lucas!"

"To promote a new game, they actually made a CG movie!"

"Is Boss Lucas confirming the title of 'movie company held back by gaming'?"

"I can't beat you, Boss Lucas!"

"This is probably the strongest game trailer in history, right?"

Following Lucas's official Weibo post confirming that "Advent Children" was a CG feature film shot to promote a new game, the keywords "Advent Children" and "Final Fantasy" instantly shot to the top of the trending list, taking the first and second spots.

Meanwhile, other game developers in the industry were completely bewildered.

What the heck, their promotions were still stuck at buying online and offline ads, holding press conferences, and using media and live streaming for publicity.

Good grief, Nebula Games is now making movies for promotion?

How can we possibly compete with that!

.........

After Lucas officially confirmed that Advent Children was a CG feature film shot to promote a new game, it attracted countless eyeballs. Some people who didn't play games became somewhat interested in "Final Fantasy" because of "Advent Children."

Similarly, some people who only played games but weren't really into movies became quite interested in "Advent Children" because of "Final Fantasy."

Take Ben, for example. As a gamer, he was a hardcore enthusiast, just not very skilled.

As for movies, he'd only watch them if they were truly sensational and breakout hits. Otherwise, his knowledge of movies was limited to famously titled ones, and even then, he just knew they existed, not that he'd seen them.

"I wonder what the new game is really like!"

When it was time for "Advent Children" to be released, Ben was already sitting on his sofa.

The main reason he was so interested in "Advent Children" was that, in his eyes, it was purely a trailer for a new Nebula Games title.

"Steampunk? Fantasy, sci-fi, or what!?"

As the CG movie began, Ben was a little taken aback by the setting on screen.

According to the opening narration and background introduction, the planet in the movie is surrounded by an energy form called the Lifestream.

It's said to be formed by the residual mental energy (memories, thoughts, obsessions, and other emotions) of countless dead souls.

The Shinra company, which ruled the planet, accumulated wealth and established a powerful order that covered the land in a short period by developing this energy resource.

And using an energy called Mako, they created special forces called Shinra Soldiers.

But due to a great catastrophe, not only was Shinra severely damaged, but the land also became devastated.

Yet, people still held onto hope for life and began the work of rebuilding their homeland.

However, what followed the end of the great catastrophe was not a bright future. A mysterious illness called the Star Syndrome began to spread worldwide.

For this reason, Tifa decided to seek help from her childhood friend, Cloud. But at this time, Cloud was just a depressed and down-on-his-luck man.

As the movie progressed, Ben gradually learned about the world's settings.

This gave him a peculiar feeling.

Talking monsters, magic, giant steampunk machines, highly futuristic motorcycles, and all sorts of other settings.

Especially Cloud's motorcycle chase against Kadaj and his crew in the wilderness was incredibly cool.

And the character designs that impressed Ben the most.

Cloud, Tifa, Shinra soldier Reno, the Kadaj brothers, and the mysterious mercenary Vincent—they were all incredibly good-looking!

You're telling me that characters with brightly colored hair, looking like they've used a whole bottle of hair gel, are Visual Kei?

Don't make me laugh! Being ugly is Visual Kei, looking handsome like Cloud is punk culture!

Besides the dazzling action sequences and visually stunning effects that occurred one after another.

The other content was no less impressive. Reno, acting carefree, would often speak in a loud and flippant tone.

Whenever Rude lost a fight, his brothers Kadaj and Yazoo would mock him by saying things like, "Don't cry."

Rude, the bald man who always wore sunglasses, stood in front of the camera, holding explosives developed by Shinra technology, and said in all seriousness: "Putting aside the power of this thing, the first thing to be sure of is that it will be magnificent."

Paired with his very serious demeanor, it was incredibly comical.

This made Ben laugh out loud.

As for the gentle whispers between Cloud and Tifa, accompanied by the orchestral music, Ben felt like he'd been force-fed three pounds of dog food.

Finally, the big boss, Sephiroth, appeared, and Cloud's epic battle with him was incredibly cool.

The only thing that annoyed Ben was the game's tendency to leave many unanswered questions and plot holes.

Especially when Sephiroth appeared at the end and had a conversation with Cloud, revealing that they knew each other, were enemies, and had fought before, but there seemed to be some different bond between them.

Ben analyzed it seriously, and it basically meant: "Young man, want to know all about this? If you do, then go play the game!"

With this annoying feeling, Ben took out his phone and checked the comments of others online.

"As expected of Boss Lucas, the title 'movie company held back by gaming' is truly deserved!"

"I have to say, Advent Children is really good! The visual effects are amazing! The details and textures are so expensive! Most importantly, Cloud is so handsome! Sephiroth is also so handsome!"

"+1, Sephiroth's appearance was ridiculously cool, and his exit was equally cool. That forty-meter long sword! And the line, 'I will not become a memory,' gave me goosebumps."

"But usually, when the BGM plays, shouldn't it be a triumphant fanfare? Just like Rex in Xenoblade, why did Cloud defeat Sephiroth after Sephiroth's 'dun dun dun dun' entrance? And looking at the music list at the end, that was Sephiroth's theme music?"

"This CG movie is really great. And it was made by a game company?"

"Tifa is simply perfect. I declare, Tifa is my goddess!"

"You're dreaming, buddy!?"

"Why does the fated showdown between Cloud and Sephiroth at the end make me want to ship them together?"

"Whoa, swords gay, swords gay, swords gay!"

"But I feel like Boss Lucas dug a huge hole! Who were those people who appeared in Cloud's memory at the end? And had Sephiroth been defeated by Cloud once before?"

With the release of "Advent Children," it quickly garnered a lot of attention.

Even some people who didn't play games became interested in the so-called Mako, Shinra Soldiers, and the backstories of Cloud and Sephiroth after watching "Advent Children."

There were also some people who had doubted Nebula Games' sudden decision to make a CG movie.

But now that they've seen it, everyone has to admit that the movie is quite good!

The plot is not hard to understand. It's basically about a warrior who needs to save the world, but falls into despair due to certain events, and the former big boss returns.

Ultimately, the warrior regains his spirit with the help of his childhood sweetheart Tifa and friends like Vincent, Yuffie, and Barret, and defeats the big boss once again. It's a very templated hero's journey story.

However, for non-artistic films, especially those involving sci-fi and action, this kind of template is what's needed. Anything too complex can easily lead to failure.

And "Advent Children" undoubtedly followed this template perfectly, with added emotional moments, bonds of friendship, and humorous scenes to lighten the mood.

Finally, the opening motorcycle chase, the fierce battle between Vincent, Barret, and the Kadaj brothers in the middle, and the final fated showdown between Cloud and Sephiroth.

It can be said that "Advent Children" is a very standard popcorn commercial CG movie.

The fight scenes and special effects alone were enough to satisfy the audience.

The only thing that may have made players uncomfortable was that after watching it, everyone had to admit one thing: this CG movie was indeed a trailer for the game.

Although the story itself is complete, the entire film is filled with unresolved mysteries and plot holes, making countless players want to grab a hammer and storm into Nebula Games' office to get those holes filled.

Elden Ring~ I originally thought it was the culmination of Bloodborne and Sekiro, but after playing it, it feels more like Dark Souls~ The mage is the ultimate cheat code, especially against bosses where you can summon NPCs~

(End of chapter)