Chapter 626: Forever Alex Mercer
After the official release, posts about "Prototype" began to dominate the discussion boards of major VR games, and in player chat groups, a large number of players were spontaneously recommending the game.
The players had only one attitude toward this game: "Awesome!"
In fact, the previous "Dark Souls" had already made many players doubt their own lives. Now, after playing "Prototype," those suppressed emotions were given a perfect release.
On the forums, there were many discussions about "Prototype," but the tone was completely different from that of "Dark Souls."
Back then, posts about "Dark Souls" included complaints about difficulty, sharing gameplay tips, analyzing level design, dissecting the story...
But here with "Prototype," none of that existed. There was only one type of post: This game is so damn fun!
Indeed, there wasn't much to analyze about difficulty, gameplay, or level design, because they were very ordinary. As for the story, only the final scene was particularly noteworthy, and everyone had the decency not to spoil it.
Everyone felt pretty much the same: this game was incredibly fun!
And as for how exactly it was fun, most people couldn't quite put it into words; you had to experience it yourself.
Many players were completely hooked because, in VR mode, whether parkouring across skyscrapers or brawling with the military in Times Square, the experience was thrilling!
Especially the parkour on the buildings. At first, many players couldn't adapt, and they would scream when falling from great heights. But after falling a few times, everyone got used to it, and even developed a strange sense of anticipation!
After all, in the real world, few people ever experience the sensation of plummeting from a high place. Those who have either went bungee jumping or have grass growing several meters tall over their graves.
In VR games, while the sensations can't fully compare to real-life scenarios, they are already extremely close.
Especially as players unlocked more abilities, they gained additional movement options, like air dashes, gliding, quick rolls, and so on. Skilled veterans, when controlling Alex, could truly experience the feeling of flying freely through the air!
On the other hand, after its release, "Prototype" also boosted Alex's popularity, making him one of the most iconic game characters!
And "Welcome to the top of the food chain" and "A-God" became two very important keywords.
Some well-known content creators also took advantage of the "Prototype" hype to release character compilations about Alex.
All of this meant that Alex was not just the protagonist of a game; he had become a classic character in gaming, even a virtual idol!
It could be said that the success of "Prototype" was inseparable from Alex's image, and many people specifically analyzed what made his design so successful.
First, Alex's popularity was mainly due to his coolness. His face was only part of it; the most important factor was his outfit.
He wore three layers on his upper body: from inside to outside, a white shirt, a hoodie, and a black jacket. On his lower body, he wore jeans and black leather shoes.
Especially the black jacket: on the upper arms were two white rings each, and on the back was a red, wing-like pattern.
The most stylish part was that the hoodie zipper had to be pulled down to just below the chest, and the top two buttons of the shirt had to be undone. The shirt absolutely could not be tucked into the pants; the hem had to hang out slightly.
This outfit highlighted the freedom and rebellion of the younger generation, but while being cool, it wasn't too flashy, giving off a very deep vibe. Plus, the hood covered most of Alex's face, adding a sense of mystery while still appealing to young people's aesthetics.
It perfectly emphasized Alex's trait of being a man of few words but great action.
It could be said that even by today's standards, this outfit was still incredibly stylish. In fact, Alex's entire outfit could be found on major shopping websites, and sales were pretty good.
Second, Alex's ability design was perfect. This powerful cheat code didn't break the story; instead, it gave players an ultimate sense of satisfaction.
Alex could climb walls, use various weapons, acquire others' memories, and transform into anyone he consumed. He simultaneously possessed super speed, attack power, and defense, making him a perfect template.
Moreover, all these abilities were unified under the same package, all originating from the virus. Players didn't feel that having so many superpowers on one person was inappropriate; instead, they thought, "Damn, that's awesome!"
In fact, even in Chen Mo's previous life, Alex's abilities influenced a large number of web novel authors. Elements of Alex's viral powers appeared in many modern urban, supernatural, and post-apocalyptic stories.
The fact that it perfectly fit the cheat code setup of web novels also demonstrated, from another angle, the reasonableness of Alex's ability design.
Finally, there was Alex's personal charisma, which was also the most brilliant part of the game's story.
From the very beginning, whether it was the tutorial in Times Square or starting in the morgue, everything was designed to create a suspenseful atmosphere, making players wonder: Who is Alex? Who is he seeking revenge against? And why did he wake up in the morgue?
As the story progressed, Alex encountered more and more powerful enemies, unlocked many different abilities, and various mysteries were gradually unraveled.
However, the truth caught both Alex and the players in front of the screen completely off guard.
Alex had experienced a brutal childhood. As a result, he trusted no one, had no friends, and didn't care how others saw him. He was hired by Gentec as a research scientist. But due to his personality, he was already a borderline individual with antisocial tendencies.
Although Gentec was a research institution under Blackwatch, the experiments had gradually spiraled out of control, and Blackwatch began eliminating Gentec staff, silencing them one by one. Barring any surprises, Alex would have also met his end in a dark alley.
To protect himself, Alex escaped, taking a sample of the Blacklight virus as leverage. But at the train station, Alex was surrounded by Blackwatch. With no way out, he smashed the virus in a spirit of revenge against society, infecting everyone at the station.
The virus entered his body, and he was loaded into a body bag and transported back to Gentec. But by then, the virus was already transforming his cells throughout his body.
In other words, Alex had been searching for the person who released the virus and caused his mutation, but that person was himself.
And, strictly speaking, Alex was no longer the same Alex from before, nor was he even human.
The current Alex was the Blacklight virus prototype, the game's namesake: Prototype. The protagonist controlled by the player was a life form with Alex's appearance and partial memories as its default settings, another Blacklight virus with its own consciousness, following Elizabeth.
After learning this truth, the vast majority of players, like Alex himself, were completely dumbfounded. Because Alex had been running around until now to stop the Blacklight virus, and deep down, he had always considered himself human.
In other words, the source of all sins seemed to stem from himself, from the human Alex of the past.