Chapter 827 - 827: Now This Is What You Call a Souls-like Veteran!

Whether it was players or industry game media, everyone was stunned into silence when they heard Lucas's voice from the livestream. It took them a while to snap back to reality.

A... a new IP?

Countless people were left with a whole head full of question marks.

Especially for players who loved The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, they clutched their hearts with their hands at this moment.

The roller coaster of emotions—from extreme joy to utter despair—had come too quickly. They couldn't handle such a shock!

Just mentioning the genre made them immediately think of Nebula Games' classic content.

And combined with Lucas's mention of open-world, Action RPG, a rich item system, and some puzzle-solving with epic fantasy lore, the first impression for countless players was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, an open-world game that had a massive impact.

Even though the nickname "Maiden Scrolls" made the game sound a little... impolite.

But the actual culture of Skyrim province and the story of the Dragonborn were enough to make players incredibly immersed.

And now, after building up such huge anticipation, they were being told it was a new IP?

"Holy crap, is there anyone who wants to beat up Boss Lucas right now!?"

"+1! One tag after another, I thought it would be a sequel to a big IP, but it turns out to be an entirely new masterpiece!"

"Damn it! Boss Lucas used to play along a little, but this time he's clearly doing it on purpose, right!?"

Countless players expressed their speechless frustration. The fact that it was a new IP wasn't the most surprising part for them.

Compared to other game developers in the industry, Nebula Games rarely developed sequels; they more often expanded on the game's story through DLC.

But this time, Lucas's actions were a bit out of the ordinary. Announcing a new project so quickly, holding a rare online press conference to introduce it himself, and then teasing them so much with the tag descriptions, it had instantly led players to misunderstand.

However, after venting their anger in the comment section, players' curiosity was quickly ignited.

Because based on these elements, this could very well be an Action RPG similar to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim!

And the name sounded similar too.

"Elden Ring, it's probably like The Elder Scrolls, right? Is it an important item in the game?"

"Speaking of the English name, I feel like they should have called it 'Elder'! 'Old Man Ring' sounds so good!"

"But I don't think the translation is very accurate."

"You guys are acting weird, why are you so hung up on the translation? The key thing is whether the game is fun or not!"

"Is the game fun? Damn it, Boss Lucas only announced the name, how would I know if it's fun or not!"

"Stop talking, Boss Lucas seems like he's about to announce more news!"

The comments were flooding the screen, non-stop.

Lucas, who was giving the introduction, paused for a moment, allowing players some time to process.

After a short while, Lucas continued.

"Compared to previous open worlds, players in Elden Ring will venture across vast landscapes with different themes: volcanoes, corrupted scarlet lands, mysterious underground ruins, swampy lakes, snowfields, and grasslands."

"At the same time, players can choose various flexible playstyles in the game. They can challenge difficult bosses right from the start, or explore the unknown world to grow stronger."

As Lucas finished speaking, the livestream appropriately showed concept art of the different locations.

The magnificent starry sky of the Eternal City, snow-covered mountains, the grand and radiant Erdtree, the Sky City floating in the air by a mysterious force, the desolate and corrupted Caelid...

Especially the Erdtree and the Eternal City, these two pieces of concept art made countless players excited.

Just as Lucas said, the epic fantasy theme was palpable just by looking at them!

However, just as players' expectations were at their peak, the next moment Lucas's voice from the livestream made countless players dumbfounded.

"Finally, thank you all for watching today's online press conference. Please look forward to more news about Elden Ring."

As his words fell, an icon appeared on the screen.

Several golden rings intertwined, with a golden beam of light connecting them, appearing like a towering tree from a distance.

At the same time, the game's name, Elden Ring, was written beside it.

It... it's over?

Looking at the black screen of the livestream, all the players were stunned.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! That's it? That's all!?"

"No! Where's the trailer? Where's the character introduction?"

"A few pieces of concept art and a logo, and that's it? Did they just create a folder!?"

"That's it? That's it? Boss Lucas, you could have just posted it on the official Weibo! Why even have an online press conference?!"

All the players were in an uproar, their expectations at their peak, only to be told there was nothing more coming?

What about the rest?

Boss Lucas, where's your conscience?

This project probably just had its folder created!

Following the online press conference, Elden Ring didn't exactly become a massive hit, but the topic of "beat up Boss Lucas" did go viral again.

It was simply because the players' lingering resentment was too strong!

.........

"These players are still too young! What do you mean 'just created a folder'? This is clearly not even created yet!"

In Nebula Games' office, Anna watched the players erupting online and couldn't help but sigh.

They, the core team members, knew the truth.

They had only just pulled people from various departments, and those few pieces of concept art shown during the press conference were hastily put together.

And if the players had looked carefully, they would have noticed a characteristic.

That is, these pieces of concept art clearly belonged to a specific environmental style.

Simply put, besides the thematic scenery like snow mountains, starry skies, grasslands, and volcanoes, you couldn't see anything more detailed.

Why?

Because of time constraints!

Detailed elements, like scene shaping and architecture, require meticulous refinement, don't they?

But for large-scale scenes, it's much simpler; it's more about conveying the thematic direction. After all, it's not a painting; conveying the thematic style is enough.

"Didn't we already have a meeting about this? Don't just say random things."

Lucas coughed lightly and said.

The players' uproar?

He wasn't the same person he used to be.

Back then, when he saw players acting like this, he would be upset, worried, and even want to change their impression.

But now?

He could even watch their reactions while happily munching on snacks.

"Although it's a Souls-like game, this time it's different from the development of Dark Souls and Bloodborne."

"Because it's presented as an open world, in terms of difficulty, this will be the easiest installment, but also the hardest." Lucas said, looking at everyone.

Hearing Lucas talk about the serious business of the game, everyone put away their smiles and became serious.

Souls-like games have always been known for their hardcore difficulty.

Fragmented lore, grand settings, and ingenious map design are indeed the hallmarks of Souls-like games.

But in reality, these are never the main core elements of Souls-like games.

The true core is how players find joy after challenging high difficulty.

And this is the core idea of Hidetaka Miyazaki in his previous life.

Allowing as many players as possible to experience the joy of overcoming difficulties, this is the most important core of the Souls series.

Death in Souls-like games is no longer a mark of failure but is given meaning.

Dying in a humorous or peculiar way, or this death can create a story that can be shared, gaining more experience from death, trying various methods to defeat invincible enemies, this cycle is the joy that Souls-like games bring.

In his previous life, Elden Ring was criticized by many players for having too many "cheese" methods, but in reality, it was precisely because of this that Hidetaka Miyazaki in his previous life called Elden Ring a masterpiece.

By honing their skills, they became masters and defeated the bosses that troubled them, learned to use ashes and powerful weapon arts to defeat enemies, or became tanky like the "Ten Mile Slope Sword God" and then defeated bosses in two hits.

These are all ways players found to defeat enemies, just different methods.

As for many so-called veteran Souls-like players who think playing as a mage or summoning spirit ashes are "cheesing" and ruin the meaning of Souls-like games, believing that only those who defeat all bosses with a useless person's bare hands and a big chicken leg are true Souls-like players, this statement is completely absurd and even laughable.

Because Souls-like games themselves are not about being difficult or making players suffer, but about letting players learn how to overcome enemies through setbacks and then feel the joy of overcoming difficulties.

What makes a veteran Souls-like player?

A veteran Souls-like player is someone who has mastered the art of cheap environmental kills using gravestones and cowardly poison arrows combined with throwing knives!

(End of Chapter)