C54: Response

[Someone's POV]

For Neon Game and Chen Xu's new game, Escape, quite a few of us have been paying attention. It's not just players like me, but also some game designers in the industry and game media.

After all, Chen Xu has a big reputation as a new developer—he's the first prize winner of the Sci-fi competition. Plus, To the Moon touched countless players, including me. So naturally, a lot of us are curious about his new work, Escape.

Especially for those of us who are into horror games, Escape has already been making waves in our circles. In a horror game forum name Dread, which I visit, many players have been posting and discussing Escape.

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"Man, I just found this horror game that launched today, and it scared me so bad! At first, I thought it was just another mediocre horror game, but after half an hour of playing, I was terrified. I don't dare play it again!"

"I know, right? It's Escape, right? It was developed by the same designer who made To the Moon. At first, I didn't take it seriously either, but when I reached the basement, I realized how wrong I was."

"He said, he was a warrior of love~ a fart that was so loud" （´＊｀）

"I bought it too. It was terrifying, especially when I was hiding in that cabinet. I was so scared when that fiend arrived."

"I thought I was immune to those jump-scare horror games, but the night vision mode combined with the dark scenes... I just couldn't handle it!"

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As we played through Escape, more of us kept jumping into the conversation about how terrifying it was. These chats attracted even more curious players who hadn't heard about the game yet.

Sure, many of us pay attention to Chen Xu, but most regular players had no idea what Escape was about until we started talking about it. A lot of people know To The Moon, and maybe Undertale, since those are pretty popular in the indie game scene. But if you ask them about Chen Xu's new work, most wouldn't have a clue.

That's also why the big companies still pour a ton of money into promoting their AAA titles. Most players, even if they've played some excellent games, don't keep track of who designed them or which studio made them.

In the middle of all the posts about Escape, we managed to draw in some players who had no idea about Chen Xu or his new game. As for our aim~ 'It is, Misery should be shared'

>>>><<<<

"A new horror game? Escape?"

"Is it as scary as you're all saying? It's just a horror game." Cat Empire asked.

"If you don't believe it, give it a try. You can buy it on the official game platform or Neon's platform. It's even 5 yuan cheaper on Neon."

 Promoted by Neon Game

"OK, I'm ready for the challenge!"

"I'll give it a try, you cowards!" he mocked, before going off to the game.

"Wait and see the aftermath!" someone wrote, snickering in Cat misery.

"Alright, let's wait for the news of his clearing this game! He-he, what's so scary about a little horror game?"

>>>><<<<

They, too, made similar bold claims beforehand, but within an hour or two, those of us who said we were ready to take on the challenge in the forum came crawling back from our holes.

Compared to the earlier tone, full of confidence and disdain, this time, just from the words we posted, one could feel the psychological shift.

>><<

"Holy crap! That scared the life out of me! That mental patient in a wheelchair almost gave me a heart attack!" Cat Empire wrote.

"I can't handle this. I'm feeling a bit dizzy. The development pump in the basement broke down, my camera's battery is almost dead, and some guy with a nail board is chasing me!" he continued.

"Same here! I was so scared, I almost peed my pants, but thankfully held it in at the last moment." Billy replied

"I'm starting to wonder what the designer of this game went through to create something like this!" &seas wondered.

"I swear, this is hands down the strongest horror game of the year, if not in recent years!"

"+1!"

"I agree!"

"So, with such a fun game, does anyone have any ideas?" 

"For example, should we recommend this game to more players? Good things are meant to be shared, right?" Cat empire replied

"Great minds think alike! Let's go and post about it in other game community forums!"

"Heh, I've already posted, go spread the word for me!" Billy wrote.

"Bro, that's dirty! You sneaked off and posted without saying anything!"

>><<

With the first group of horror game lovers like us, after experiencing "Escape" and nearly peeing our pants, many of us who didn't dare to continue started heading to game community forums, planning to recommend the game "Escape" to others.

Of course, deep down, it wasn't just about sharing an excellent horror game with others. It was more like, "I got scared out of my mind, so others should feel that same terror, too!"

Of course, there were also some promotional posts that Chen Xu had already arranged to guide the conversation. Otherwise, it would've been hard to get people talking so quickly. But all of this only works when the game has what it takes.

And does "Escape" have that?

The answer is obvious.

Therefore, in the game community forum and some game groups, I began to recommend the horror game "Escape" to my friends and unfamiliar netizens.

Such a good game—how can I be the only one to play it? I want to make sure that other players can also feel the "tenderness" conveyed by this game!

In the game community, I found that many similar posts suddenly appeared in a certain period. The discussion was about the horror game called Escape.

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"I strongly recommend the horror game 'Escape.' I bought it for my roommates to play during the postgraduate entrance examination. It is very easy to get used to it. My roommates have been scared to death, and I have successfully guaranteed my place in postgraduate research!"

"I bought the game for my child, and now they are having a blast playing it in the underworld!"

"Other games cost money, but this game is amazing—it costs your heart!"

"Games are bought in the morning, played in the afternoon, and people are scared to death at night."

"Don't buy this horror game if you're timid; you'll regret it!"

"A horror game that only truly courageous players dare to play alone!"

"This year's best horror game, 'Escape.' Cowards, please stay away from this game!"

_____________________

Some gaming forum communities are filled with posts like this. They are divided into two genres: one plays tricks and tries to get others to share the same evaluation as they suffer together, while the other seems to be honest and sarcastic, telling people how terrifying this horror game is.

It's easy to distinguish between the two, but this also made everyone curious. Is this horror game called "Escape" really that scary? What has scared so many people and led so many to play tricks to lure others into it?

[Chapter end...]