The Live Test
Ethan "Blaze" Carter rubbed his hands together, a sly smile on his face as he scrolled through his emails. The professional gamer, renowned for his sharp wit and brutally honest live streams, had built a reputation on his ability to either destroy or exalt a game with a single stream. His followers loved his no-holds-barred approach. Today, one particular email had caught his eye.
"Welcome to Realm Eternal. A game that will redefine immersive experiences. Discover a world where every action matters. Closed beta. Exclusive invitation."
Blaze leaned back in his chair, laughing out loud.
— Redefine immersive experiences? I bet it's just another buggy mess full of empty promises. But hey, it might be fun to tear it apart live.
His audience, already hyped for a special stream, flooded the chat with excited messages. Blaze turned on his mic, greeting his viewers in his signature lively tone.
— What's up, legends? Today, we're diving into a "revolutionary game." Or, as I like to call it, an excuse for developers to let me beta-test their disaster. Realm Eternal. Sounds fancy, right? Let's see if it's worth the hype.
He shared his screen with his audience, showing the installation process.
— Nothing special so far. Minimalist logo… oh, "Phantom Realm Studios"? Never heard of them. Alright, launching now. Get ready to laugh, folks.
---
The logo faded, revealing a breathtaking loading screen. A dense forest, distant mountains, and shafts of light filtering through the trees. Blaze, initially skeptical, leaned forward slightly.
— Okay, these graphics are… surprisingly good. Not bad. But hey, we all know that's just the surface. Let's see what's underneath.
The game opened on a character customization screen. Blaze spent a few moments exploring the options.
— Wow, there are so many details here. Look at this—you can adjust the length of your character's eyelashes? Who even thinks of that?
The chat lit up with laughter and ridiculous suggestions. Blaze settled on creating a knight clad in light armor with an exaggerated scar and ridiculously long hair.
— There we go. The quintessential fantasy hero. Perfect for this type of game. Let's enter this so-called Realm Eternal.
The screen transitioned into a cinematic. Blaze's character appeared in a quaint village bustling with activity. Children ran through the streets, villagers chatted in hushed tones, and every detail felt alive and natural.
— Huh… this is… impressive. I mean, look at these NPCs. They're actually talking to each other, going about their lives. It's not just "Hello adventurer, want to kill 10 rats?"
The chat erupted with enthusiastic comments, and Blaze began exploring.
---
Blaze interacted with an old man who asked him to retrieve a lost book. But instead of a straightforward fetch quest, the game led him to an abandoned library where he had to solve a puzzle to recover the artifact.
— Wait… a quest with a puzzle? Not just "go here, come back"? I'm impressed.
After completing the quest, he received a message from another beta player, ShadowHunter, who greeted him warmly.
— Oh, hey there, fellow adventurer! Lost in this chaos too? Blaze quipped.
The player replied:
— Seriously, this game is insane. I just finished a quest where I had to convince a merchant to sell me a rare sword. He grilled me with questions.
Blaze burst into laughter.
— Wait… so even merchants judge you here? This game is a nightmare!
---
Over the next few hours, Blaze uncovered more game mechanics. Building camps, social relationships where NPCs reacted dynamically, and even a living economy influenced by player actions.
— This is… crazy. I've never seen a game this detailed. But wait, is there combat?
He encountered a formidable wolf outside the village. The fluid, strategic combat left him momentarily speechless.
— Okay, this is on another level. It's so satisfying.
Blaze's chat exploded with frantic messages:
"This looks incredible!"
"Where do I get a beta key?"
"Who are these developers? How did they pull this off?"
Even Blaze was visibly impressed.
— Seriously, I don't know who these Phantom Realm Studios guys are, but they're either geniuses or lunatics. Probably both.
---
Meanwhile, back in his villa, Lassen watched the beta players' progress through the system's interface. He could monitor their actions and reactions in real-time.
[Host, your game is being well-received. The players seem captivated.]
Lassen, sprawled in his armchair, smirked.
— Of course they are. I wouldn't expect anything less.
[Your arrogance is as refreshing as ever.]
Lassen observed Blaze skillfully take down a giant wolf with calculated moves.
— This guy's good. Maybe too good. I wonder how long it'll take him to find a loophole.
[You could appear in the game and surprise him. Imagine his face if he met "the creator."]
Lassen laughed.
— Tempting. But not yet. Let them enjoy their ignorance for now.
---
After three hours of gameplay, Blaze ended his stream with genuine enthusiasm.
— Okay, folks. I didn't think I'd say this, but… Realm Eternal is the most impressive game I've tested in years. It's so deep, so alive. I can't wait to dive back in tomorrow. Same time, same place. Don't miss it.
As he closed his stream, Blaze leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
— Who are these Phantom Realm Studios people? How did they create something like this?