Starting the True Paradise Game

"I can't believe a game can scare people like that!"

"We'll check it out today!"

"Don't be ridiculous, it's just a commercial!"

Looking through the comments on the forum, Cassian was surprised. Whereas in 2080 full immersion games were still considered an exotic innovation, now, in 2092, it had become an everyday occurrence.

Every year a popular company would release a new game with somewhat realistic graphics and a compelling story. Although people were excited about it, they wanted more than just a game: they wanted to feel like they were in reality, a game indistinguishable from their daily life. One that would offer that rush of adrenaline.

And suddenly a new unknown company releases a game of the horror genre. Most people ignored the beta test of the game, thinking it wasn't anything worth their time.

Unexpectedly, after the game's test was closed, the Internet started a commotion. A game from an unknown company became the center of attention, people were going crazy waiting for the game. And today is the day when all their expectations and curiosity will be quenched.

Cassian is as impressed with this game as anyone. The trailer and the pictures posted by the beta testers are amazing. Even though he's not an avid fan of games, Cassian still bought a special gaming pod.

Today is the day the game will be launched. He was looking forward to this day, the forum only fueling his desire to play this game. There were only a couple of hours left, but for Cassian it was a very long time.

It was time to check whether the game would meet the expectations or if it was an overhyped piece of thrash.

Cassian was 22 years old, rich, handsome, powerful, and his whole life seemed full of all the colors of the rainbow, but only to those who didn't really know him. In reality, his life was filled with nothing but boredom.

Yes, boredom indeed. Cassian had everything from childhood that many people could not dream of, but for Cassian himself, everything was very boring.

He did not work for his father's company; instead, he found a way to amuse himself by experiencing fear from various situations.

The feeling of emptiness in his stomach, quickened pulse and breathing, sweaty palms, nervousness - he liked to feel these emotions.

The first time he experienced fear instead of being afraid, Cassian could be said to have become addicted to it: movies, books, or real life situations, he was intoxicated by the feeling.

Many people, his parents among them, thought Cassian was strange, but he didn't care at all. Instead of trying to change himself, he accepted himself as he was and enjoyed it.

When he watched movies and books in the horror genre, instead of being afraid or experiencing fear, he accepted what was happening with a smile, but, as usually happens, after the first movie the second one was no longer as interesting to watch. And soon he was bored again, so he felt.

The game, which is supposedly fear inducing, as written on the forums, was like a gift from heaven for Cassian.

Now there were only a couple of minutes left before the game opened - Cassian took a deep breath as he worried about whether the wait was worth it or not.

*Ding!*

Scrolling through the forum feed, Cassian received a notification from the company that had launched the game. Wasting no time, he lay down in the game capsule and immersed into the game.

Everything around him seemed to be plunged into darkness. Cassian couldn't hear or see anything: just silence and darkness encompassing him from every direction. A few seconds passed, and a system message appeared in front of him.

[ Welcome, the scanning of your personal data is about to begin, please wait.]

[ Loading... Loading… ]

[ The scan is finished. ]

[ Status:

User: Cassian,

Age: 22,

Equipment - Game capsule.]

[ Countdown to enter the game: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0… ]

As soon as the countdown ended, he found himself in a white room, the walls of the room were like mirrors, reflecting Cassian's appearance. There was also a touch screen control panel for the game.

Cassian's appearance, which could be viewed through mirrors, was an exact copy of his real appearance: the same hair, eyes, and build, but the clothes were different.

"Must be this game's starter set of clothes," Cassian thought as he examined his clothes.

Instead of his old clothes, he was now wearing plain jeans, black sneakers, and a white shirt.

Unlike the other games Cassian had played, he was enjoying it now. At the moment he couldn't tell the difference between the game and reality.

Instead of being disappointed, Cassian trembled with excitement. Yes, he felt it, it was almost like reality: he could feel the darkness enveloping him when he hit the white room, he could feel the light blinding his eyes. He felt all his five senses as if it were in reality, and the character's appearance only added to his guesswork. Even though he hadn't played it yet, just entering the game was 10/10. Now he understood why the beta testers were so fanatical about the game.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the light, just as in reality: the same feeling when a person was in a dark place for some time, and then abruptly stepped into the light, the adaptation is exactly the same.

Waiting until his eyes were fully accustomed to the light, Cassian carefully examined the white room. When he was sure there was nothing but a touch screen control panel, he clicked on it.

[ Greetings, our company is very pleased that you have become a player. User registration will begin now - please wait. ]

[ Step 1. Please choose a nickname. We remind you that after registration it will be impossible to change the nickname not only in this game, but also in all future games of our company. The nickname must contain at least four characters, if you use foul language or insults you will be automatically banned. You can use only letters, numbers are forbidden ].

[ Nickname: Reality Denier. Please wait. Verification in progress. Success ]

[ Please confirm your nickname: Reality Denier. ]

After Cassian confirmed his choice, a few seconds later a new system message arrived.

[ Step 2. Choose your date of birth. ]

[ Date: 10.05.2070. Confirmed. ]

[ Step 3. Please familiarize yourself with the rules of the game, as well as the use of the virtual reality game capsule. ]

[ 1. The virtual reality capsule cannot be used 24 hours a day. The maximum amount of time is 14 hours. Time in the game and in reality is different. 1 hour in reality is 10 hours in the game. Select "Accept" or "Refuse" ].

[ Accepted. ]

[2. The game "True Paradise" contains profanity as well as violence. The minimum age of the player is 18 years old. We do not recommend the game to users suffering from mental and heart disease, as well as pregnant women, people afraid of the dark, confined spaces and so on. Select "Go Back" or "Disclaimer". We remind you, in case of death or any mental injury, the company is not responsible after confirmation!]

"It's like the company knows what can happen to players," Cassian reasoned as he considered this registration item, but he didn't care.

[ Acknowledged disclaimer. ]

[ 3. In cases where the degree of fear reaches the maximum threshold, you will automatically be disconnected. In reality, if something happens to you while you are in the game, an ambulance will be called by the capsule. As a reminder, the risk of dying in the game is too small, but nonetheless it exists. Choose "Accept" or "Refuse" ]

[ Accepted.]

[ Registration completed. ]

[ Reality Denier will now pass the tutorial mode, choose the difficulty mode of the scenario, the probability of passing the scenario for the average user is: "Easy" - 80%, "Normal" - 40%, "Nightmare" - 5%. We recommend to start with the more difficult ones, when passing the scenario for the first time, the player gets a unique skill, which is retained throughout the game. If the player fails to pass the scenario, he can only pass the easy mode - the normal and nightmare will be restricted from the tutorial mode ].

[ Please select a scenario mode. ]

[ You have selected normal difficulty mode. Please confirm. ]

[ Confirmed. Please wait. The scenario is starting to load… ]

[ Tutorial mode. Normal difficulty. Please wait. ]