C123: As Expected,

Players on the Internet quickly escalated from textual arguments to video debates.

Some Dark Souls gameplay videos began circulating, including live broadcasts of first-time walkthroughs. Among them, one video stood out, showing the first boss, Ash Judge Guda, in action. Unlike the demonstration video from the online publicity conference, this footage revealed a more intense and challenging experience.

In the video, Ash Judge Guda appeared imposing, his halberd spinning fiercely. With one swift move, the player's health bar was emptied, accompanied by a scream of frustration. This vividly showcased the boss's appalling strength.

Other clips surfaced as well, like the one featuring a crystal lizard effortlessly dispatching peoples, or the knife-wielding man obliterating the players in seconds.

Before these videos could fully take root, new footage emerged—this time showing a completely different approach to facing Ash Judge Gouda.

In this new clip, the player donned knight armor, wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. When Gouda's weapon came crashing down, the player expertly parried the attack with a slight lift of the shield. Following the counter, they executed a clean, precise takedown. Throughout the entire battle, even during Guda's second form, the boss failed to land a single hit. It was a masterful display, as if Guda was being toyed with.

The stark contrast between these two play styles left viewers stunned. Questions arose like Is this game truly difficult or not?

On live-streaming platforms, the reactions varied widely. Some streamers were in tears of frustration, while others gleefully demonstrated their mastery over Ash Judge Gouda, effortlessly dispatching him with precision.

Unbeknownst to many, some of these seemingly talented players had spent considerable time practicing, dying repeatedly to gain experience. Others had honed their skills in advance. With the game being newly launched, information was scarce, and there was no unified understanding of its mechanics. This mystery only fueled curiosity.

What is this game really about?

Some players, recalling the earlier release Escape, suspected this was another bold attempt at creating something groundbreaking. This speculation only deepened the intrigue. People are naturally drawn to the unknown, and Dark Souls wasn't a horror game like Escape.

While Escape made players hesitant to step into a mental hospital, Dark Souls dared them to spread the fire.

Motivated by this intrigue, countless players eagerly joined the Dark Souls phenomenon. However, just like the first wave of players, the newcomers were soon overwhelmed.

Despite heeding the advice and death markers left by the veterans, these players were unprepared for the game's malice. They discovered, through repeated defeats, the unique satisfaction of dying so heartily in a game.

Facing the towering and intimidating Ash Judge Guda, many recalled the online demonstrations where Guda was defeated with ease—three punches and two kicks. Yet, when they faced him themselves, they were swiftly and mercilessly slain.

The fire keeper and the mysterious maiden who had intrigued players during their online glimpses? Those aspirations quickly took a backseat as reality set in.

If you want to see her, you have to pass the test of teacher guda! Otherwise, you can't even touch the bronze gate of the fire-proof sacrificial shrine.

High difficulty. No Minimap. Insidious and malicious level layout.

Many players who were attracted by the game immediately joined the camp of wailing and frustration.

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"I vomited! Is this game too difficult?"

"Why are there no difficulty options? Why is there no minimap?"

"Why is there no mowing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Those who say this game is easy—doesn't your conscience hurt?"

"10 deaths in 20 minutes. God knows how I did it!"

"I thought it was a game of mowing lawns, but now you're telling me now I am the grass?"

"Who said, you will get what you want here? The only thing I get is a beating"

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[Neon Games' Office]

Although it's the National Day holiday, the core development team members of the project voluntarily stayed in the office, working overtime.

After all, Dark Soul is Neon Games' first big project, and everyone is deeply invested in its success. The high overtime pay and generous benefits also made overtime an appealing choice.

"Many players are discussing the difficulty of Dark Soul in the game's community, on the company blog, and even on personal accounts," Qin Yi from the project team said, sounding concerned.

"Yeah," added Ruan Ningxue.

"Are we going to update the game with a difficulty selection system? Or maybe add a minimap?"

Chen Xu smiled and replied, "It's too early to make conclusions. There's no need to change the system or the difficulty."

He then turned to the customer service department. "What does the data show?"

"The data from third-party platforms isn't available yet," a customer service team member reported.

"But on Neon's own platform, 495,721 copies of the game were sold within the first 24 hours. Out of those, 24,916 copies were refunded.

"Among those who refunded, 40% cited the game being too difficult as the reason. The other 60% had different reasons."

This was not surprising to Chen Xu. With all the promotion and buildup, along with Neon Games' prior reputation, selling nearly half a million copies on the first day wasn't unexpected. Most players also took advantage of coupons, making the Neon platform their go-to.

As for refunds, the rate was higher than average for most games, but lower than what Escape had experienced in the past.

Is Dark Souls a game for everyone?

Obviously not.

But then again, no game is. Every gaming experience is personal. Some enjoy AAA masterpieces. Some prefer mobile games. Others are drawn to web games. What someone likes ultimately depends on their own preferences.

Dark Soul is a game where, as long as players calm down and immerse themselves, they can experience its true charm. Its high difficulty is not just a feature—it's integral to the game's entire identity.

The boss designs, the map layouts, the combat system, and even the art are all interconnected.

Lowering the game's difficulty would be like cutting a link from a chain—it would break the entire system.

Instead, it's not worth dwelling on.

What's more, compared to the remarks of online players, the data from the backend server provides a clearer picture of the situation in Dark Souls.

For now, the results are far better than anticipated. In addition to those criticizing the game, there are also many players speaking up in its defense.

The game remains in its initial 4X6-open mode, and a critical metric is that player online time hasn't shown a continued decline. Among the first batch of players, 70% have already exceeded the two-hour refund window.

This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. The players in this parallel world exhibit a higher tolerance for difficulty—or M attribute—than initially predicted during the market research phase.

These data points have reassured Chen Xu. Now, it's just a matter of time for the appeal of Dark Souls to spread naturally. Like a fine wine, the game's unique flavor needs time to reach more players and leave a lasting impression.

Of course, some proper guidance during this period is essential. Without it, the final results could still be negatively impacted.

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Well, M attribute - it's SM, don't question my conscience.

The 4x6 open mode is likely online mode.