Chapter 1045: Black Soul Style
When Chen Mo said this, the reporters in the room fell silent for five seconds.
Then they exploded.
"Huh? No shields?"
"How do you play without shields? Just go toe-to-toe with the boss?"
"Before, you could at least cower behind a shield, but now you have to roll around naked like the pros?"
As soon as they heard there were no shields, the reporters were dumbfounded. Sure enough, Serent's fox tail was showing. Could this game even be played without shields?
How many people in *Dark Souls* relied on choosing the Knight class and holding up a shield to get through bosses? Forget bosses, even fighting regular mobs often required keeping the shield up the whole time!
Chen Mo cleared his throat twice: "Ahem, ahem, don't get worked up, I was just joking with you. Don't worry, *Bloodborne* does have shields, they're just not as effective as the ones in *Dark Souls*."
Hearing this, the reporters finally relaxed. What a false alarm!
But looking at Chen Mo's expression, they couldn't shake the feeling that there was still some trick up his sleeve.
Chen Mo stepped back beside the big screen: "Alright, I've introduced enough. You all must be itching to see some actual gameplay footage, right? By the way, in this video, to demonstrate the unique charm of *Bloodborne*, I specifically chose a very fun weapon called the Whirligig Saw, or you can affectionately call it the 'Chainsaw' or 'Oreo.' Take a look."
All the reporters turned their eyes to the big screen.
Amidst a rousing background melody, the Hunter raised a flaming chainsaw and charged toward the Cleric Beast.
Clearly, this was "cinematic mode," allowing everyone to see the Hunter's attack animations.
This boss was a terrifying beast covered in fur, like a werewolf, standing four to five meters tall, taking up nearly half the screen, with its head even extending beyond the frame.
The Hunter walked right up to the monster, raised the flaming chainsaw with both hands, and swung it fiercely from top-left to bottom-right, slamming it heavily onto the beast's head.
Then came the best part.
The Hunter simply kept walking forward, the chainsaw spinning wildly, its teeth and flames relentlessly shredding the monster's health. Everyone watched as the boss's long health bar began to drop rapidly in chunks.
...19427.
Before the massive beast could even figure out what was happening, it had already turned into a cloud of dust, dissipating into a white light.
Everyone: "???"
The video didn't stop there; it quickly cut to the next victim.
Vicar Amelia, the Blood-Starved Beast, Darkbeast Paarl...
One after another, four or five bosses were taken down, and the reporters couldn't tell them apart. Instead, they found one commonality.
That commonality was... none of them seemed to fight back?
Every time, the Hunter just charged in with the chainsaw, took one swing, and then mindlessly pressed forward, moving while attacking, and the boss died.
The video ended, and the reporters exchanged glances.
Was this really in-game footage?
Chen Mo said, "Yes, this is real in-game footage. You can all pull off these moves, right? Look at this operation—as long as you're not disabled, you can do it. We also considered that new players suffer too much in the game, so we specially made an official cheat for everyone, letting you all have some fun..."
A reporter in the front row said, "I don't believe it!"
Chen Mo smiled: "When have I, Serent, ever lied to you?"
The crowd immediately erupted with a chorus of "Boo!" How dare you shamelessly claim you've never lied?
Although the boss fights in the video looked easy, everyone had learned their lesson and didn't buy it. Remember *Dark Souls*? Countless pros had posted videos of speed-killing bosses, making it look like a few hits would do the trick, but when you tried it yourself, you realized those were moves no human could pull off!
Chen Mo kept saying it was simple, but who knew how many playthroughs, how many stats and items were stacked to achieve that effect?
Still, everyone was relieved. It showed that *Bloodborne* retained some of the original flavor of *Dark Souls*.
As the press conference neared its end, a reporter raised his hand: "Mr. Chen, I'd like to ask one last question, if I may?"
Chen Mo nodded: "Go ahead."
The reporter asked: "How do you write item descriptions in the *Dark Souls* style? Can you give us a live demonstration?"
Chen Mo smiled: "Of course. But what to write about... Hmm, got it."
He pulled out his phone, tapped it a few times, and a holographic projector on the phone cast a full 3D image of a soccer ball.
Many in the front row had already recognized it—a World Cup match ball.
Chen Mo looked at the holographic soccer ball and said in a deep, low voice:
"A ball used in matches called the World Cup. It is said to harbor a terrible curse capable of plunging another nation into despair."
"In ancient times, people invented this competition as a substitute for war. They stitched this precious sphere from expensive genuine leather and daubed it with black paint to form specific runes. People became mesmerized by this competition and the divination activities derived from it, even triggering countless incomprehensible suicides, filling rooftops to capacity."
"Every four years, this terrifying sphere periodically gains immense power, influencing the consciousness of people worldwide, plunging them into brief fits of frenzy and intoxication. Its magic draws more and more people in, and research shows that beer and revelry further weaken the will of those under its control."
"To this day, people still remember every word of the curse embedded within it: 'The time left for [Team Name] is running out.'"
As he spoke the last line, the reporters burst into uproarious laughter, followed by thunderous applause.
Chen Mo gave a slight bow to the crowd: "Thank you all for coming to the press conference today. Be sure to buy *Bloodborne* when it launches! This time, it's really a hack-and-slash—I'm not lying to you!"
...
...
As the press conference was streamed live, *Bloodborne* didn't become a huge hit, but the "Black Soul Style" did.
Before *Bloodborne* launched, players flooded the official *Bloodborne* forums with comments, all written in "Black Soul Style."
For example:
"A mysterious black slab. When the side button is touched, it emits a light, displaying some meaningless runes."
"This strange artifact has somehow ended up here, so its true purpose remains unknown. It is said that three days later, it completely lost its magic, unable to emit any more light."
"Legend has it that it contains mysterious power and infinite knowledge, but prolonged use may turn one into a hollow, lost in obsession. However, since its magic only lasted three days, the truth of this claim can no longer be verified."
Yes, this item was a "phone."
Then there was: The Legendary Dog-Head Man.
"The treasure of the Nameless Lord of Cinder, Qin Chuan Derrick. It is a peculiar aquatic creature, with evidence suggesting it shares a strange symbiotic relationship with Quinn and Qin Chuan Derrick."
"The Dog-Head Man drifts through the water, and whenever it encounters a school of fish, it emits sounds like 'touched,' 'rua,' and 'already working on it.'"
"At the peak of the Archdragon, Qin Chuan Derrick touched it for the last time, leaving behind the Dark Sword 21, before vanishing without a trace."
And: Serent's Smile.
"A mysterious smile, its exact meaning still uninterpreted to this day."
"Legend has it that whenever Thunder Interactive Entertainment turns a profit, billions of players receive this enigmatic smile. The magic within the smile causes them to hallucinate, seeing mysterious numbers like %, and they raise their blades to cut off their own left hands, continuing Thunder Interactive's losses."
"Sometimes, this smile carries other meanings. For example, when players embarrass themselves in the virtual world, they always recall the malice hidden within this smile."
"According to reports, the influence of this mysterious smile spans the entire world, to the point where streets are filled with people missing their left hands. But soon, their hands grow back, waiting for the next smile..."