Chapter 773 - 773: First Experience with the Game

As more and more information about "Xenoblade Chronicles" was revealed to players, the focus of their discussions quickly shifted away from the plot shown in promotional videos or the game's characters.

Nebula Games' new work, regardless of whether it would ultimately betray them and make them understand the cruelty of Boss Lucas, or if the game looked a bit niche.

The only certainty was that if it came out, they would buy it, even if it meant complaining while buying.

After all, one thing was universally acknowledged by all players: Nebula Games' new works were guaranteed to be of high quality.

However, on Lucas's official social media later, the announced game genre attracted a lot of player attention.

Because many tags and content indicated that this was a traditional RPG game.

And if you think about it, for many players, it made sense.

"Holy crap, traditional RPG? I never saw that coming!"

"But if you think about it, the promotional trailers already explained a lot. The protagonist group and the main villain, the protagonist suffering setbacks and then awakening to fight the villain – these are all common RPG tropes!"

"Let's see how it plays out. That's quite important for traditional RPGs."

"Are you talking nonsense! For any story-driven game, isn't presentation important?"

"Stop arguing. I'm more concerned about the gameplay. I really hope it's not that kind of game with maze-like maps and random encounters with turn-based combat."

"Hahahaha, I think Nebula Games definitely wouldn't combine random encounters, turn-based combat, and mazes. At most, they'll make random encounters visible."

"Honestly, if the combat system is fun, random or visible encounters don't matter. The most important thing is the combat system."

Players online were discussing more details about "Xenoblade Chronicles," but that was as far as it went.

Because there was no more information for them to speculate about.

Lucas hadn't planned to reveal too much about the combat system and other gameplay elements of "Xenoblade Chronicles" during the promotional phase, only telling players that its complexity and fun were hard to grasp through words or videos.

Only players who truly got into the game could feel its charm.

As for the surface level, for most players, they were already captivated by the characters before even playing the game.

Especially the "Challenger of the Holy Grail," Homura, who appeared in the promotional trailer, made countless players' eyes light up.

Many players who had previously been traumatized by "Silent Hill" were completely smitten by the appeal of "Xenoblade Chronicles" after seeing it.

Regarding "Xenoblade Chronicles," Lucas was releasing it on all platforms.

Of course, for most players, they would primarily choose the VR platform, especially since they couldn't waste the previously purchased vouchers.

For the Switch and PC platforms, the control methods weren't significantly different from previous-generation controllers, with only some button adaptations.

The only difference was the larger changes in VR mode. The control method itself wasn't a big issue, combining consciousness and controllers.

The main difference was in the visual presentation. The game offered a close-up over-the-shoulder view and a distant overhead view, allowing players to choose freely.

In addition, for sub-menus like the mercenary system, inventory, and blade system, transparent screens were used to maximize player immersion in the game.

This mode wouldn't be very suitable for a first-person perspective, but "Xenoblade Chronicles" was clearly not suited for a first-person view, so this setup was actually a good choice.

.........

On the day "Xenoblade Chronicles" was released, it took just a few dozen minutes to claim the top spot on Nebula Games' bestseller list.

Countless long-awaited players were already ready. Those with VR would blindly go for VR.

Those without VR would consider portable or other versions.

In a room, Zack and Hannah were also preparing to dive into "Xenoblade Chronicles." As two older gamers,

they actually had a certain nostalgia for traditional RPGs, especially since Nebula Games' "Xenoblade Chronicles" seemed to be going for a traditional RPG approach this time. They wanted to see if the game would bring any surprises.

"For traditional RPGs, Boss Lucas can definitely create some unique features. It's just the character art… it's too weeb-bait!" Zack sighed, sitting next to the VR game pod.

"You don't like it?" Hannah gave Zack a sideways glance.

"Of course I don't. I'm not really interested in two-dimensional paper cutouts. But Ben would probably like it." Zack said matter-of-factly.

The moment he finished speaking, Ben's voice came from the voice channel: "Zack, I've pre-ordered the Homura figurine you asked me to get for you, but it won't ship for three months."

"Heh heh!" Hannah responded with a chuckle.

"You! Ben, when did you join the voice channel!" Zack's expression was one of pure exasperation.

"I've been here the whole time! Why are you pretending? And why do you have to drag me into it! Every time you pre-order a figurine, you pretend you're giving it to me as a gift! You're a hardcore otaku, and you say you don't like paper people? And before you say anything, change your profile picture, alright!" Ben's voice came through the headset.

"The game's unlocked. I'm going in to try it!" Seeing the clock in the room hit the right time, Zack quickly changed the subject and entered the game.

Clearly, playing dead was the most effective method at this moment.

Upon entering the game, Zack was faced with a diver in a diving suit in a deep sea. The diver used a grappling hook to latch onto an ironwood chest in the depths and then returned to the surface.

But as he left the deep water, Zack's eyes widened in astonishment.

It wasn't the blue sea and sky he'd expected, but an endless sea of clouds.

The diver was the "soft and cute shota" named Rex from the promotional trailer. And the place he was in wasn't a ferry as expected, but a giant, strange creature. Rex even called it Grandpa.

Judging by the house and other items, it seemed Rex lived on this strange creature.

Next, as Rex opened the large iron chest he had just retrieved, a large lobster jumped out, followed by a simple tutorial system.

Three stages of auto-attacks, accumulating martial arts through auto-attacks, and then releasing martial arts with different effects.

Compared to the simplicity of the original, Lucas's description was more detailed. If you read the text carefully, you would get a general understanding.

Furthermore, unlike the past where you couldn't rewatch things, Lucas, similar to the system in the DLC "The Golden Country Ira," added a small tips section in the system interface.

Players could enter it separately to learn, and corresponding videos would further explain things for players.

After all, it was just a tutorial for basic attacks and martial arts, which wasn't difficult for veteran players like Zack.

Instead, he was now more focused on the world-building that "Xenoblade Chronicles" presented.

The Cloud Sea, this is the world in the game. In the distant past, at the beginning of the world, it is said that humans lived alongside gods on the World Tree. It was a prosperous land built on the sky, a utopia that could turn day into night and rain into clear skies. People called it: Paradise.

But one day, humanity was expelled from Paradise, for reasons unknown. Those expelled from Paradise migrated to the Cloud Sea. However, the Cloud Sea was a world made of clouds where humans could not survive. So, the gods, unable to bear it, dispatched their servant colossal beasts to the Cloud Sea.

Tens of thousands of humans migrated onto these colossal beasts. There were massive beasts as large as continents, as well as smaller ones that could only accommodate a few people. But now, the colossal beasts are also on the verge of extinction.

(End of this chapter)

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