Once the concept was finalized, it was ti for implentation.
We can consider that we're entering a sowhat challenging phase.
To put it a bit dramatically, the gap between concept and implentation is like a young child's dream of becoming president and the actual possibility of achieving it.
From the modelling stage to the gimmicks of the antagonist, difficulty adjustnt, and the progression of boss battles, there were many points to pay attention to.
Let's go through them one by one.
"We don't need to worry too much about the modelling."
After all, we've already completed the concept through the previous work.
The main points to be mindful of in modelling are two: eliminating the strangeness that cos with implenting a 3D version of a pixel character and reproducing the unique twitchy motions of the antagonist.
In reality, these are problems that the art team can handle, so I decided to focus on other aspects.
Balancing and gimmick implentation, to be precise.
"It's the protagonist from the previous ga."
This was acting as quite a big obstacle.
For players who have played the previous ga... in other words, for the core fans of Helllic, the antagonist Warden may be even more beloved than Alice, the protagonist of the second installnt.
Character affection leads to analysis.
And players have already visualized one of the warden's settings by combining known information and information provided by the developers.
"He must be the strongest in hell, right? In fact, from a story perspective, he's an expert in torturing and killing all prisoners."
That's actually correct.
He was one of the strongest in all of Hell.
There are many reasons for this.
First, he was part of Hell from the beginning, and he didn't know death.
He was so insensitive that he couldn't even feel the vastness of eternity.
The warden had never been defeated in any situation he knew of.
"That's why he needs to be the enemy. He has to be overwhelming."
But what if he is cleared too easily? That would lead to the character's collapse.
On the other hand, if it's too difficult?
"That's a problem too."
This is a ga.
You have to choose a difficulty level that the vast majority of players can clear as they strive towards the goal of clearing.
But if you raise the difficulty to the extre just to adhere to the setting?
The ga will fail.
Because you're putting up a wall in front of the goal of clearing.
"It's tricky."
In fact, bringing the protagonist from the previous ga into this one is a hardcore task that doubles the developnt difficulty.
I did it knowing that.
It's the most important task in my developnt, which can lead to a more enjoyable direction.
Fortunately, balancing wasn't entirely impossible.
"Let's use Hellic's setting."
Provide the "coherence" necessary for Butterfly's victory that can be inferred from fragntary information.
"His style and power change depending on the weapon he uses."
Previous Hellic were like that, and future ones will be the sa.
Based on that, I set his weapon.
"Saw."
The basic weapon you get when starting Hellic 1.
What if he carries that with him?
Why would he use the final route weapon just to capture two won?
In that case, the coherence in balancing is established.
The possibility of the re female prisoners facing Warden, the antagonist, erges.
Of course, they are still prisoners and the Warden is the antagonist.
You can't reverse that dramatic hierarchy.
So, I'm suggesting a different direction for the battles.
"Ti Attack."
Facing an opponent you can't defeat, you hang on for a certain amount of ti.
The advantage is that it can represent the desperation of a mother protecting her child.
However, the disadvantage is that if you rely solely on enduring as a gimmick, the choice of "avoiding the Warden for the amount of ti" will arise.
That's why the second option is necessary.
'Uncovering the Gimmick.'
One must uncover the patterns of the warden that occur at specific intervals.
Failure to do so results in instant death, retry, or passing it over.
"Is this okay?"
We'll have to establish a polygon model for the details, but this way, we can create a boss battle that satisfies both tension and narrative.
In other words, by introducing the elent of the warden, a clean resolution with multiple endings becos possible.
Let's imagine it.
A series of battles between the butterfly and the warden, with the warden steadfastly holding their ground while the butterfly's body becos increasingly fractured as it uncovers the gimmick.
By the ti the final pattern is uncovered, the butterfly's arms will already be in pieces.
At that mont, the golden door completely disappears.
Both of them confirm it.
Only then does the butterfly smile brightly and fall.
Because she has fulfilled their purpose of protecting their daughter.
She smile while looking at the spot where the door disappeared until they collapse and die.
And with that, one word.
"Goodbye."
Right after that, the butterfly will be swept away by the incoming waves and disappear into dust.
Once the target sinner is dead, the warden retrieves her weapon and turns around.
There will be the sound of waves.
The deserted beach with nothing left will be visible on the screen, and the ending credits will roll.
Let's add background music. Request a lyrical piece of music from Jo Ayoon.
After contemplating the ending, we will go to the second run.
The second run will focus on uncovering the identity of the butterfly and watching the story unfold from a different perspective.
Of course, it can't end there.
"Now, let's think about the in-ga fun."
Even if the narrative is completed like this, the ga will continue forever as long as the player doesn't quit.
Let's introduce changes in each run's gaplay.
And...
"We need a easter egg for the hardcore gars."
The hidden route for the final boss battle.
Just like the Cancer Giant in the previous installnt, it's a good idea to create sothing similar this ti.
After all, isn't an Easter egg another source of enjoynt in the ga?
I imdiately started brainstorming about it.
***
Before I knew it, it was November.
The busy autumn had passed without a mont to catch my breath, and now the college was in full swing with preparations for final exams.
If you look at the flow of the world from a broader perspective, you'll find a day in 2010 when you think, "Yeah, it was like this back then."
"The Italian craftsman is painstakingly... painstakingly..."
"Hahaha! Amazing! It's exactly the sa!"
"Myungkyu Myungkyu, oppa, you're so cool!"
In a corner of the office, Myungkyu was dressed in a sparkling tracksuit, performing a clown act.
In the era when traditional dia still stood tall, whenever a popular drama like that one ca out, the world would buzz with excitent over the drama's story.
This era was no exception.
I rember enjoying the romance between the sparkling tracksuit-wearing third-generation chaebol and the dirt-poor female lead.
"Myungkyu Myungkyu, oppa! Do that! That!"
"Kwon Raim, when did you beco so pretty...?"
"Hahaha!"
So many thoughts co to mind.
So many... too many thoughts.
"Oh! Myungkyu oppa..."
But I held back.
Myungkyu looked happy, after all.
I glanced at another corner of the office.
It was only now that Han Seorim, who had just started using a smartphone, was busy manipulating the smartphone from a well-known brand known for making durable appliances.
I looked at what she was doing, and it was another online community.
Isn't she getting tired of it?
"... "
Is our office really okay like this?
I suddenly thought, and that's when Jo Ayoon entered.
"Ah, hello!"
As she opened the door.
Suddenly—
Both Jo Ayoon and Myungkyu froze in place at the sa ti.
The sa went for everyone else.
Because both her and him were wearing the sa sparkling tracksuit.
"···."
"···."
The two of them looked at each other.
And then, they lowered their heads and looked at their clothes.
Soon, their eyes t again, and a whirlwind of indescribable emotions seed to be surging between them.
What could be seen sowhat clearly was confusion, followed by shock, and eventually erging feelings of resistance and despair... Could that be self-loathing?
But one thing can be said for sure, they are seeing themselves through each other.
It's like undergoing a mirror therapy.
"Huh? Wait, did they switch clothes?"
Han Seorim, who was lost in thought, made an oblivious remark.
Jo Ayoon slipped out of the office quietly.
About 10 minutes later, Jo Ayoon returned, wearing her usual frog-colored tracksuit.
Myungkyu also took off the flashy tracksuit.
Today, the T-shirt had a picture of a goat and a wolf tearing each other apart.
The eting room had an atmosphere of hilarity, but the two were chuckling.
I said,
"Let's start the eting."
That should be enough fun.
It's not a club (though it started as one), so we can't let fun interfere with work.
Fortunately, the team mbers quickly regained their composure.
Except for Myungkyu and Jo Ayoon.
Anyway,
"We should start soon."
"What?"
"What else?"
The developnt of the prototype is nearing completion.
The ga only has programming and sound work left, including the sowhat troubleso final boss.
Now it's ti to prepare for the release.
So, what should we do?
"We need to do marketing."
Promotion.
It's ti to let the world know, "Our ga is coming out. Please buy our ga." That's what marketing is all about.
The most basic and effective marketing is showing the product itself.
In the context of the ga...
"We need to make a trailer."
A promotional trailer.
When making Hellic 1, I didn't have much say, but now that we have grown in size, I finally have a substantial promotional tool.
"The art team is done with the first round of modelling, right? Let's try to make it in a month."
It's almost December.
December 25th is Christmas.
In other words, it's ti to beco Santa Claus for the users who have been waiting for Hellic 2.
***
December 24th, Christmas Eve.
Carols filled the air all around the world.
No matter where you went, the streets were adorned with LED lights on trees, and people's faces were adorned with smiles.
If you were to watch it from the warmth of your cozy corner, your heart would surely feel warm.
In reality, there were those who felt that warmth from the comfort of their own spaces.
『(Chatter) SweetBelNam38: Christmas... I'll be 29 soon too... ^^
(Ga) S2PobiS2: Recomnd a warm ga for Christmas!
(Ga) Evil'sPawnKimGapsoo: Recruiting guild mbers for Aiwon!
(Chatter) ClearWithoutT: What are you all doing on the previous ga's community? Get lost to your hopage -_-
(Chatter) WaitingForHellic2: Waiting for 381 days, the weather is cold.
(Chatter) ZZoneHanSu: Ah! I'm lonely!』
What can I say, these were the veterans of the gaming community.
Even on a day like this, they were pioneers of the internet, living in the digital world.
It seed like a waste of ti to go out.
More accurately, there was nowhere to go.
Why? Because there were no plans!
Everyone said, "I'm fine," but there were surely so who were not.
On this day, the voices searching for a few users who didn't post today were like that.
『(Chatter) ZZoneHanSu: Where's KkotJaehui and Bangbaedong...』
... Anyway, it was one of those days.
Even today, in the midst of a peaceful community, nurous small talk posts and a few informative ga news posts were being regenerated.
And then, it happened.
It was exactly 6 o'clock in the evening.
『(Promotion) SeorimSeorim: Hellic 2 trailer!』
It was a ga trailer that they had been eagerly waiting for.
『
WaitingForHellic2: Kyaaaaaah!!!
ClearWithoutT: Oh
S2PobiS2: Wow! I'll enjoy it!』
The post had a link.
It was a video streaming site with a red icon that was not yet famous.
But it wasn't just that community.
A similar post had also appeared on the North Arican server's community, and nurous users followed the link to a trailer video that was about five minutes long.
And so, the video began.
[Kyaaaaah!]
The signature scream of a woman that had beco iconic.
At the sa ti, the na [Rewind Studio] ca to mind.
Shooosh—
Starting with the sound of waves, the video illuminated a beach.
A girl and a butterfly flying towards her were depicted.
In a dreamlike encounter, when the butterfly landed on the girl's fingertip, the sound of string instrunts was added as background music.
Thump, thump, the sound of drums added rhythm.
The girl left.
The scenery changed.
First, a utopia, heretics, and a garden where a giant god existed.
Ssshaaang!
With sound, the landscape changed to purple, a distorted world filled with illusions, a mass of twisted human forms.
Poohwaaak!
Next was a black land, withered humans, and even though their bones were visible due to their thinness, their stomachs were swollen giants.
Jjeojjeojuk!
A tranquil plain where ash had settled, countless spears resembling thorns on the ground, and at the top of were humans with goat heads pierced into their bodies.
Ppaggak!
With a crack, the music that had built up faded away.
Shooosh—
Once again, the screen showed a beach.
Clouds covered the moonlight, and there was only one golden door.
Sapak—
The sound of footsteps on the sand could be heard.
Sapak—Sapak—
Neither fast nor slow, the noise gradually increased.
Seemingly relaxed, the sound of waves and footsteps alone disrupted the silence.
The viewpoint turned towards the sky.
The clouds obscuring the moonlight cleared.
That was the mont.
Srrrung—
A jarring tallic sound.
The screen once again illuminated the ground.
A pale, lifeless foot buried in the sand.
As the angle rose, a black robe with a hood, then a neck, and a shadow shaped like a cloud appeared slowly, revealing a face.
And thus, the stitched eyes and mouth, the severed nose, the nailed ears, and the pale, paralyzed blue skin.
Kkiguk—
For a mont, the figure of the warden with a saw erged.
Koong!
The screen went dark.
[Hellic 2: Hell of Alice]
With the title displayed in red, the video ended.
The first comnt was posted.
『Fuck?』
The comnt marking the montous occasion was a curse.
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