Chapter 879: Cartoon Style
Chen Mo's new game was still just a vague notion, not even a game title released yet, but players were already eagerly anticipating it.
For many players now, "predicting Chen Mo's new game" had become a routine event every few months. Although no one ever guessed correctly, that only made it more worth guessing, didn't it?
At the same time, as the year reached its midpoint, various game works began leaking information.
There were linear games and open-world games, but open-world games were noticeably fewer compared to previous years. From the start of the year until now, only two were worth mentioning, and one of them was Chen Mo's own "Assassin's Creed."
On the other hand, there were four or five decent linear games released this year.
Although Chen Mo hadn't revealed any information about his new game, one key factor was the platform.
Based on past experience, the Switch's performance was far inferior to VR game pods. After all, the Switch was a portable console you could carry around, while VR game pods were massive lumps. The two couldn't compare in terms of graphics, performance, or any other aspect.
People bought the Switch because it was cheap and portable, but if anyone got delusional enough to compare its experience and effects to a VR game pod, they'd be out of their minds. One cost over two thousand, the other tens of thousands—a price difference of dozens of times.
So, when a game like "Dark Souls" was ported to the Switch, many resource adjustments and cuts had to be made. Although the gameplay remained consistent, the overall experience was significantly watered down.
Moreover, "Assassin's Creed" wasn't ported to the Switch because its file size was too large.
"Dark Souls" had a relatively fixed progression, and its excellent level design minimized the resources needed. It also lacked flashy special effects and ultimate visual polish, so it could run smoothly on the Switch.
If a game like "Assassin's Creed: Origins" were to be ported to the Switch, it wasn't impossible—just cut everything down to the bone—but the gameplay experience would definitely be inferior to the Switch version of "Dark Souls."
To maximize the Switch's performance, linear games were still more resource-efficient.
Besides, Chen Mo excelled at linear games. Setting aside last year's "The Last of Us," this year's "Silent Hill," though niche, still showcased the advantages of cinematic gaming to the fullest.
Everyone was scared out of their wits!
However, some people wondered if the release of the Switch Pro was meant to port more powerful games onto it.
Maybe it was for porting games like "Assassin's Creed: Origins"?
……
While discussing Chen Mo's new game, a question went viral online.
This question first appeared in some internal groups for game designers, then quickly spread to forums, Weibo, and Q&A websites.
The original post was titled: "Want to join Thunder Interactive? Try answering this question!"
It had to be said, the author knew the essence of clickbait. Just the title alone sparked a frenzy of shares.
Not only players, but many designers in internal groups were also discussing it.
"Design a unique combat system centered around an 'environmental interaction mechanism.'"
Both players and designers were eager to join Thunder Interactive, as it was now the only top-tier major studio in the country, with unbeatable benefits.
Moreover, even designers who were satisfied with their current situation and didn't want to join were curious: what kind of question would Chen Mo personally come up with?
According to the poster, this question was the final one in the game design competition, personally set by Chen Mo. Those who answered well could directly join Chen Mo's latest project.
On the Q&A community, the question exploded, garnering thousands of answers. Many respondents were even well-known domestic first-tier designers.
"If it were you, how would you design the 'environmental interaction' system Chen Mo requested?"
Many people shared their views, and the top-voted answers were surprisingly consistent, suggesting this might represent the direction of Chen Mo's next phase of development.
Many also wrote excellent design proposals, earning plenty of upvotes. Some designers even considered putting their proposals into practice.
But no one knew what Chen Mo's standard answer was.
Some had doubts and secretly asked the leaker if it was really okay to leak the exam question.
The leaker replied, "It's fine. The entire design competition has no confidentiality requirements."
In truth, Chen Mo didn't care about this at all. It was a very vague question. Just from the phrase "environmental interaction mechanism," who could imagine the entire chemical engine system?
Even if someone considered this direction, "The Legend of Zelda" would already be completed before he even started the project.
It was better to put the topic out there and get people thinking.
Anyway, you wouldn't guess it.
……
In August, news about various major works surfaced.
Some released promotional images and game data, others put out promotional videos or even demo videos.
Chen Mo wasn't one to lag behind, so he released…
The game's name and a concept art piece.
Many players were stunned. Chen Mo was getting more and more perfunctory—a name and a picture, and that counted as promotion?
And when they saw the picture, many players felt confused.
What kind of art style was this?
On the right side of the image, a male character in a blue tunic was climbing a cliff face. The main part of the image showed a breathtaking distant view.
Morning sunlight pierced through white clouds, casting a glow over the outlines of distant mountains, with a volcano faintly visible rising into the sky.
Looking closer, there were towering spires, a bridge spanning a lake, hills, plains, forests, shrines…
The composition was fine, and the scenery was beautiful. The only slightly odd thing was…
The cartoon style was a bit strong.
Not just the color palette of the whole image, but also the protagonist's design—his appearance, clothing, and poses were all heavily cartoonish.
Of course, it wasn't the kind of childish cartoon style. It leaned more toward Japanese aesthetics, or rather, the whole environment felt like a watercolor painting.
But regardless, it had little to do with "realism."
Many people were baffled. Had Chen Mo… changed his art style?
In their memory, Chen Mo rarely made cartoon-style games. Of course, "Plants vs. Zombies" didn't count…
Looking at his recent works, whether "The Last of Us" or "Assassin's Creed," they all leaned toward refinement and realism, which was the current trend in the gaming industry—striving to make games as detailed as reality.
So, what was the deal with this game called "The Legend of Zelda"?