Chapter 148: This Game Has That Many Endings?
The Game and Virtual Reality Technology Committee.
Unlike Chen Mo’s previous world, the gaming industry in this world wasn’t managed by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television. Instead, it was overseen by this committee.
While their functions seemed similar on the surface, there were actually significant differences. In the previous world, the main role of the publishing authority regarding games was censorship—flagging violent, pornographic, or borderline content and ordering developers and operators to make corrections.
The committee, however, did much more than that.
Game censorship in this world was different from the previous one. It had a rating system, which made the censorship red lines relatively looser. Many games containing violent elements could pass review, as long as the playable age was adjusted upward accordingly.
Moreover, the committee’s primary function wasn’t censorship. Its main role was to guide and regulate the gaming industry, fostering better development for both the industry and virtual reality technology.
Generally speaking, the committee didn’t judge a game’s quality based on how much money it made. Games that earned a lot weren’t given special treatment.
However, the committee was more interested in innovative games and would support struggling game genres. At the same time, it provided guidance and support for content related to virtual reality technology.
At that moment, the committee’s judges were in a meeting, discussing the evaluation results for the “Traditional Culture Themed Game Activity Season.”
Since there were many games, each judge would first conduct a preliminary review. Only games that passed this initial screening would be brought up for discussion in the meeting.
Furthermore, the judges certainly couldn’t play through every game from start to finish. The designers had prepared corresponding GM tools for them, allowing adjustments to various attributes, story branches, and so on. For games with particularly complex plots, the scripts had to be submitted for review.
The judge chairing the meeting said, “We can take our time considering the lower-tier awards. As for the first prize, it’ll come from either *Sword Quest with Emotion* or *Heroes of the Martial World*. Any objections?”
“No objections.”
“No objections.” The other judges chimed in one after another.
“Alright, then let’s have an open discussion. Which of these two games deserves the first prize?”
…
While the committee was engaged in heated debate, players were also downloading both games online and diving in.
In terms of early promotion, *Sword Quest with Emotion* and *Heroes of the Martial World* were basically evenly matched, so most of the discussion was centered on these two games.
“Guess which game will take first prize this time?”
“I think *Sword Quest with Emotion*? Zen Entertainment is really good at this kind of theme. The plot, gameplay, and everything are very polished. As long as it’s done well, it’s bound to be top-tier.”
“But *Sword Quest with Emotion* doesn’t have much innovation.”
“What innovation do you need? There have been so many Chinese-style games already. The ones that tried to innovate all ended up dying miserably. The *Sword Quest with Emotion* model is the best one they’ve figured out. Messing with innovation could backfire badly!”
“But that model is already stale. The core is the same; they just change the script. What’s the point? If gameplay doesn’t innovate, is it even a game? If I just want to watch a story, I’d rather read a novel or watch a TV series!”
“I’m going to play *Heroes of the Martial World*. Chen Mo really put his heart into this one, and it’s been ages since we’ve had a martial arts game. I’ve got to support it!”
“Yeah, I’m supporting it for the theme song alone!”
…
Soon, players were immersed in both games. On forums and in various player groups, everyone was discussing the design and storylines of the two games.
“The story in *Sword Quest with Emotion* is amazing! I was moved to tears!”
“Yeah, that tragic ending really got to me, but the story was so good!”
“Hey, fellow players of *Heroes of the Martial World*, how’s it going over there?”
“Oh, still running around on the big map. I feel like I’m going to need a second playthrough…”
“Why? Is the game that fun? You have to play it twice?”
“No, because I don’t think I can finish it in one playthrough…”
“What martial arts did you guys pick? What am I supposed to do now? I’m totally confused…”
“I’ve already figured out most of the quests on the big map. All I can say is, it’s freaking complicated!”
“I have to keep a little notebook by my side while I play, jotting things down as I go. I’ve already filled over a dozen pages…”
“Seriously? Is it really that ridiculous? Even if the game has some puzzle elements, it can’t be worth a dozen pages, right?”
“Are you using sticky notes or something…”
“Just play it yourself and you’ll see. This game really makes me feel like an idiot.”
“I heard some guides are already out, made by players who tried it at the experience store. Oh, and there’s a streamer named Lin Xue who’s been live-streaming this game for a while. I think she’s already cleared two endings.”
“What do you mean? Is there a third ending?”
“Three? Hah, according to Chen Mo himself, this game has nearly ten endings…”
“What? Ten?!”
“Yeah, and Lin Xue has cleared the righteous and evil endings so far. In the righteous ending, the protagonist defeats all the righteous sect leaders, becomes the martial arts alliance chief, and wipes out the demon cult. In the evil ending, the protagonist joins the demon cult, destroys all the martial arts sects, kills the demon cult leader, and becomes the martial world overlord, unifying everything.”
“That’s awesome? An evil ending? Holy crap, this is the first time I’ve heard of a martial arts game having such rebellious content! But I love it!”
“I feel like I’m playing a different game from everyone else. Why did I get killed by a chicken in the newbie village and end up with the title ‘Weakling Warrior’?”
“Oh, don’t even mention it. I watched Lin Xue’s stream of the evil ending. It was brutal. I won’t spoil too much; go see for yourself. All I can say is, the freedom in this game is insane—way beyond what anyone imagined.”
“Damn, you’ve successfully hooked me. Fine, I’m downloading it!”
…
Both *Heroes of the Martial World* and *Sword Quest with Emotion* were priced at 50 yuan. After all, for Chinese-style single-player games, the standard version rarely cost more than that.
Besides, these games weren’t meant to make money this time; they were for the judges to see. Setting a high price would just annoy players, which was pointless.
At first, *Sword Quest with Emotion* quickly racked up a lot of praise. Most players were drawn in by the story, and after experiencing the entire narrative, they gave it glowing reviews without hesitation.
*Heroes of the Martial World*, on the other hand, received mixed reviews. Most were five-star ratings, but there were also quite a few one- or two-star ones. The main issue was that the game was too hard to get into. Many players couldn’t figure it out and ended up dying randomly in their first playthrough, which was incredibly frustrating.
But soon, the buzz around *Sword Quest with Emotion* died down. The game had no real innovation in its gameplay. Even if the story was decent, once most players finished it, they discussed it for three to five days and then ran out of topics.
Moreover, many players realized that the game’s difficulty settings, level design, and story arrangements were all tailored to please the judges, sacrificing some of its own gameplay appeal. Its flaws quickly became apparent: it lacked staying power. It felt smooth at the start and made a good first impression, but it couldn’t withstand deeper scrutiny.
This design also triggered a rebellious reaction in many players. “You’re so focused on winning an award that you only care about the judges and not the players?”
In contrast, *Heroes of the Martial World*’s popularity kept rising. Forum posts multiplied, and even the guides and gameplay videos saw their popularity steadily increase!
Yao Yu, the designer of *Sword Quest with Emotion*, was baffled. What was going on with *Heroes of the Martial World*? It was downright strange. How could its popularity not only fail to drop after all this time but actually keep climbing?
A genius remembers this site’s address in one second: