Chapter 542: Official Release
On September 1st, "Dark Souls" officially launched!
This time, the domestic server version was released simultaneously with other language versions, and the game included both Chinese and English built-in voiceovers.
Both domestically and internationally, the download numbers for "Dark Souls" began climbing steadily.
Strictly speaking, "Dark Souls" was the first game to utilize an AI-crafted physics engine. Although "Knight's Glory" had released its information earlier, its development progress was slower, so it wouldn't be available for another week or so.
This made "Dark Souls" the world's first game built with an AI physics engine—the one and only of its kind.
Overseas, Thunderbolt Interactive had already built a strong reputation, regarded by many foreign players as a major Western fantasy studio. They hoped this game would continue the success of titles like "Warcraft," "Diablo," and "League of Legends."
It could be said that players worldwide entered "Dark Souls" with extremely high expectations.
However, they soon encountered the same problem as the experience store players: they immediately questioned the game's difficulty!
These players died in the game in the most gruesome and merciless ways imaginable. On the first day alone, many got stuck on the path to the Firelink Shrine, getting utterly wrecked by the Iudex Gundyr, unable to even function.
Moreover, in VR mode, these battles were even more heart-pounding. Fortunately, Chen Mo had designed "Dark Souls" with horror game standards in mind, monitoring players' blood pressure, heart rate, and other indicators; otherwise, it might have caused a major incident.
Foreign players fared a bit better, as most Western fantasy fans in Europe and America were hardcore gamers. Once they accepted the difficulty, they happily continued playing, finding it quite enjoyable.
Plus, they hadn't been tricked by Chen Mo's hype, nor did they approach the game expecting a "mindless hack-and-slash" experience.
But domestic players had never endured such hardship! On the first day of release, the official forum for "Dark Souls" instantly exploded!
"What's going on? This game is way too hard! I've already died four or five times to the first boss, and I feel like I can't beat it at all?"
"Forget the boss, I can't even handle the regular enemies! Where's the difficulty adjustment settings screen?"
"Where's the promised hack-and-slash game? You liars!!"
"Turns out, I'm the one getting slashed! The monsters are cutting me down! I'm so damn fed up!"
The forum was filled with complaints, and Chen Mo gleefully watched the massive influx of resentment points, his heart practically singing with joy.
Meanwhile, everyone else on the project expressed deep concern about the situation.
Qian Kun had thought from the start that the game's difficulty was too high, and seeing player feedback, he felt his judgment was correct.
Others, including Su Jinyu and Zheng Hongxi, also found it extremely frustrating, as most of them had playtested "Dark Souls" after its development.
Their conclusion was strikingly unanimous: it was too brutal! Unplayable!
If even the developers found it painful to play, how much worse must it be for the players...
There was an unspoken rule in game design: if the designer felt the difficulty was just right, they should at least offer players two difficulty levels lower to choose from.
But with Chen Mo, that rule clearly didn't apply...
A few people privately approached Chen Mo: "Boss, don't you really need to lower the difficulty? At least give players a difficulty option?"
Chen Mo shook his head. "No, the current difficulty is perfect. Lowering it would lose the essence of this game. Players spend so much of their hard-earned money to buy the game, and if I watered down the content by lowering the difficulty, would I even be human?"
Everyone was stunned. Boss, your conscience is kicking in at the worst possible time!
Clearly, Chen Mo had gone into stubborn mode. No matter how many players protested the game's difficulty, he remained unmoved and ignored them.
Inevitably, discussions about the game on the forum grew more heated. Players who had been driven away by Iudex Gundyr and the regular enemies were posting negative reviews, but many others spontaneously defended the game.
This was clearly reflected in "Dark Souls'" game rating. Despite many negative reviews, the game's score consistently stayed above 8.5, which was a very high rating.
Many players who had progressed further wrote their own game reviews, educating newcomers just starting out.
"As one of the earliest players to dive into 'Dark Souls,' here's a little advice for the newbies."
"Many say this game is hard, and I thought so too at first. But after defeating Iudex Gundyr, my perspective changed."
"Is this game hard? Yes, it is. The boss can kill you in just three or four hits. But the game's charm lies in its demand for skill. After playing for four days, I can now start a new character and take down Iudex Gundyr almost without taking any damage."
"Moreover, passing Iudex Gundyr's trial is where the game truly begins. On the High Wall of Lothric, you'll encounter even more threatening enemies and some truly malicious level design. When I first arrived at the High Wall of Lothric, I felt utterly hopeless. It felt like a real adventure, because you never know what's waiting ahead, and you never know where you'll die from a moment of carelessness."
"But after clearing the High Wall of Lothric, my view of the game changed again. Looking back at every battle, I can even remember exactly how many enemies spawn in each corner, what skills the boss uses in each phase, and where every treasure is hidden."
"And that's an experience I've never had in other games. In those games, I could clear a map and not even remember what was in it or what the terrain looked like—I just wandered around and got out."
"But in 'Dark Souls,' even a small area like the High Wall of Lothric demanded a lot of time and effort. I can remember the position of every enemy and the danger lurking in every spot. That's an experience no other game has ever given me."
"And as I delved deeper into the game, I discovered there are many different types of NPCs, and beyond the main quest of linking the fire by defeating the Lords of Cinder, there are numerous side quests."
"Even the various items in the game hold many stories. I won't spoil those for you; I hope you can experience them yourselves."
"I'm posting this mainly to tell everyone that, in my opinion, 'Dark Souls' is a game made with great care. Its level design, combat system, and boss battles are all industry benchmarks, and no other game in the world is quite like it."
"This is a game for real men. I hope everyone can be patient and savor it. At least from my four days of play, the seemingly invincible enemies early on aren't actually that hard. After defeating them, you'll feel an incredible sense of achievement. I hope you all can experience that!"