Game Director from Hell

Chapter 83: Hellic 3 Release (1)

“You’ve worked hard.”

I said to the directors of Development Team 2.

The two smiled awkwardly, and their eyes met, exchanging a knowing glance.

Consistent as always.

The only noticeable changes were the shift from nerdy fashion to functional clothing and a decrease in body fat with an increase in musculoskeletal mass.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind that something might be wrong, but I brushed it aside.

Whatever it was, as long as the directors were good at development, wasn’t that enough?

Health is just one of the requirements for their well-being.

So, let’s set aside any trivial matters between the two directors, like the sparring match.

Now, ahead of the release of Hellic 3, it was time to assign a new task to those who had completed one.

“You’ve had about two months of rest.”

“Yes!”

“Mr. CEO! I body felt so itchy!”

“Yes, let’s get straight to the point. Please prepare for the next project.”

That moment arrived.

“Oh, about that.”

Nishimura adjusted his glasses and took a step forward.

“Could you take a look at this?”

“What is this?”

“During the break, we discussed and came up with a brief proposal.”

I was somewhat surprised.

They hadn’t just been idling, it seemed.

As a director, it was satisfying to see their enthusiasm.

“Let’s check it out.”

As I got handed over the proposal, I swallowed my surprise.

Copson spoke.

“Demon’s Relic. A RPG that combines cute girl dating simulation and JRPG.”

I had thought about this to some extent.

As I listened to the details in the proposal, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Is there some kind of external force?’

In my past life, the team Kawaii Demon, led by them, had created Demon’s Relic, and now, in a different time and space, it seemed to have reappeared in the same form.

Suddenly, the idea flashed through my mind that this might be the result of some inexorable force beyond human control.

But that thought was soon erased.

I could derive an answer to this question, both rationally and humanely.

‘…Every creator harbors their own worldview.’

It was quite a famous saying.

Following that logic, the result of this Demon’s Relic was probably the collision of the worldviews completed by Jelen Copson and Nishimura Keisuke.

It seemed like an interesting chemical reaction.

Their polar opposite natures could complement each other’s weaknesses.

The theme of the 72 demons of Solomon was probably Copson’s choice.

Adding moe elements to these demons and turning it into a dating simulation was likely Nishimura’s idea.

To reconcile both features, JRPG seemed to be the compromise.

It was quite intriguing.

I hadn’t played this game in my past life due to personal preferences, but that was from the perspective of a user, not Director Cheon Yeonho.

‘I might learn something.’

If this collision of unexplored ideas called Demon’s Relic could provide me with inspiration, it could be valuable for maintaining the series’ legacy and securing my personal skills.

“It looks good. Of course, since it’s just a draft, I can’t say much, but… yes, I think we can proceed with this.”

As I handed back the proposal, smiles spread across the faces of the two.

It was a relief.

“We’ll work hard!”

“Please trust us!”

“Huh?”

“What?”

The two turned their heads abruptly and exchanged knowing smiles again.

I spoke.

“…You can go now.”

If they were going to fight, I wished they’d do it somewhere else.

***

The world is rushing by.

There are moments when the future, once thought to be distant, suddenly approaches, and events that were thought to be long-awaiting turned out to be ‘already?’ moments.

It was the release of Hellic 3.

Sometime in mid-October.

The pre-order for Hellic 3 had begun.

With special benefits for those who pre-ordered.

『(Chat) WaitingforHellic 3: Are they giving an Alice costume? Oh? I already bought it!!! Don’t hesitate with your words!!!』

Pre-order customers for Hellic 3 could receive the costume of Alice, the protagonist of Hellic 2, as a bonus.

Some called it a cunning move relying on the glory of the previous instalment, but at least the users didn’t seem to harbour any complaints about it.

After all, those who decided to pre-order were probably hardcore fans of the Hellic series.

Regardless of what was said, most were willing to accept the reward bonus, and were prepared to play the game themselves and judge.

But that’s not all.

It was also the first AAA release from Studio Rewind.

That alone was motivation enough for longtime fans and some users hoping for the success of the underdog, providing sufficient incentive to decide on pre-ordering.

Users were already gearing up for a festival.

To make them even more excited, there was additional news.

The early reviews released a week before the launch day.

『(Chat) LordofBangbaedong: Crazy lol Metacritic 94 rating, is this for real lololol

(Metacritic screenshot)

(Review link)

Isn’t this a great start?

Can we expect more?

<Comment>

LoveSpaceWar: They’re giving a review after eating money; don’t believe it;

└ WaitingforHellic 3: Sounds like a conspiracy theorist fell for it

└ LoveSpaceWar: What are you saying, traitor, gay?』

Metacritic 94 rating.

Packaged games receive expert scores by distributing beta keys and guidelines to relevant media before release.

Although doubts about its credibility were spreading between the industry and consumers, it was an undeniable fact that a game reaching a certain level of praise played a role as a guarantee.

The focused reviews were positive.

They maintained a balanced view, clearly pointing out both strengths and weaknesses.

“Unveiling Rewind’s console masterpiece, Hellic 3.

• Jin Wooohung, Reporter for Jin Sungilbo Daily

Hellic 3, ending a journey of about three years, has finally revealed itself to the world.

Personally, I want to give it a high score for it being a Korean indie developer making a successful entry into the global console market, but I won’t mix such sentiments.

That’s because the game is already excellent without such biases.

(In-game landscape screenshot)

As always, Rewind’s art has a beauty that stimulates human emotions.

There’s nothing particularly outstanding in terms of technology or intricate details.

Yet, even in the sculptural aspect, the author felt the agony the development team must have gone through to complete this landscape.

Should I talk more about the impact of background and texture on the immersion of the game?

I won’t delve into such rumors.

Next is about the actual game content.

(Combat screenshot)

It was excellent.

The combat flow was tense to the point where you couldn’t relax, yet the fatigue wasn’t significant.

As an action game, it fulfilled its role, and the refreshing feel was enjoyable to the eyes.

The highlight, as expected, was the boss battles.

Similar to the previous series, Hellic’s boss battles provided great satisfaction with various gimmicks and unique visuals.

In fact, I wish there was content where you could just engage in boss battles separately.

One more thing that left an impression was the vibration of the gamepad; as with many big titles on the PS4, it highlighted the effective use of the pad sensor.

In conclusion, the combat was fun, and the diversity of builds didn’t leave room for boredom.

.

.

.

Certainly, if there are advantages, there are also disadvantages.

How can there be a perfect game that satisfies every user in the world?

Ironically, the drawback of Hellic 3 is the narrative that has brought it to this point.

In other words, it was in the story.

It’s not that the story is below expectations.

On the contrary, the story of Hellic 3 was excellent.

Especially for fans, it is close to a masterpiece that deserved praise.

I’ll skip the details to avoid spoilers, but in summary, Hellic 3 played the role of complementing the narrative and setting of its predecessors, Hellic 1 and Hellic 2, concluding the series as a trilogy.

However, the reason I express it as a drawback is because of one reason.

To fully digest this story, ‘understanding of the previous works’ is required.

It’s a natural story, but it cane be puzzling to those who first encounter Hellic series through this game.

I felt a bit of regret that they didn’t pursue completeness with a more self-contained story.

Of course, it wasn’t a big issue.

In any case, this is a game, not a movie, and Hellic 3 is a game where you can progress without knowing the story from start to finish.

Perhaps the development team recognized the problem, and it felt like they focused on improving the visual and gameplay completeness to compensate for the narrative weaknesses.

The result was a success.

And so, my personal score is 4.7 out of 5 stars.

It’s a level that I can strongly recommend to someone.

The reactions became even more enthusiastic.

Of course, all of this happened at a time when the game had not yet been released, so it was too early to judge the game hastily.

However, the time of such controversy was not long.

A week is a short time unless you are a soldier about to be discharged.

‘(Chatter) WaitingforHellic3: Delivery Complete!’

October 29th.

The day to open the lid has come.

***

Community nickname ‘WaitingforHellic3,’ real name Kang Seokhoon.

Until the release of Hellic 1, he was a job seeker, and by the time of Hellic 2 was released, he was a new employee. Now, he has established himself to the point where he is called ‘Manager Kang.’

Even with the passage of time, the innocence remained.

In any case, feeling such nostalgia, Seokhoon checked the message that appeared at the top of his smartphone screen.

[Sujin♥: Oppa, tomorrow is our 1st anniversary hehe]

Kang Seokhoon, in his first year of dating.

He never thought he would be in a relationship for his lifetime, but somehow, he met someone, and tomorrow would mark their 1st anniversary.

In the societal atmosphere and public perception, it was deemed that the first anniversary of a relationship is a day to celebrate with your significant other. It’s a day to eat at a nice place, talk, and celebrate the fruition of love.

Seokhoon knew this.

If it was an ordinary day, he would willingly choose to go to bed early tonight to conserve energy for the special day.

Well, if it’s the first anniversary date, it’s natural to spend the entire day together, right? He should save up energy for that.

However, it was not possible.

‘Why on earth…!’

Why did the first anniversary and the opening run of Hellic 3 have to be on the same day!

A once-in-a-lifetime crossroads, Seokhoon pondered.

‘Hellic 3 or Sujin.’

He had waited for Hellic 3 for the past three years.

Or, should he celebrate the first anniversary with his girlfriend and go to bed straight away?

The current time was 11:40 PM.

Only 20 minutes of agonizing decision-making time remained.

Seokhoon felt a queasy sensation in his stomach and clenched his teeth.

Nothing was unimportant.

Both were crucial events in Seokhoon’s life.

Seokhoon wished he had two bodies.

One could go on a date, and the other could participate in the opening run of Hellic 3.

He wished for two bodies, especially on a night like this!

Sweat was dripping, and before he knew it, the time was 11:55 PM.

That was the moment.

Ding!

On the refreshed community page, he saw a post:

『(Event) SweetBlElNam42: Planned an event for the open run,,, @―@

I,, getting older,,, games are not easy,,,

But passion,,, as a middle-aged man,,, let’s put our hearts into the game,,, and plan an event,,,

If our community family,,, can clear it for the first time,,, we will give away department store vouchers,,, 50,000 won each,,, coolly,,,!』

Thunk—

Seokhoon’s rationality was cut off.

‘Oh?’

Then, couldn’t he play Hellic 3, get department store vouchers, and use them to give Sujin a high-quality gift?

A clear thought came to him.

A bright smile appeared on Seokhoon’s face.

‘Yes! That’s what I should do!’

At least, Seokhoon thought so.

…That’s how humans were.

In fact, when faced with a problem where the answer was already apparent, the heart could easily be swayed by small variables.

At the moment of decision, 11:59 PM.

Tick-tock!

Seokhoon immediately grabbed his pad and started the game.

He shouted inwardly.

‘Sorry, Sujin! I’ll make it up to you twice as much on our 2nd anniversary!!!’

His eyes widened.

The scene where someone would sigh and say, ‘Even a guy like him is in a relationship,’ unfolded!

No one could stop Seokhoon today!

Not even his mother could stop him (he lives on his own)!

[Aaahhh!]

With the familiar intro scream, Seokhoon’s play began.