Previously, GameLook had reported a domestic independent game that made countless netizens call "breaking defenses" with PV - "Most".
In the game, the player plays a very ordinary little person, experiencing brick moving, security guards, delivery workers and other work in a nearly real and strange city, and living a difficult life in a busy life... This series of settings with a strong realism style is almost like a true portrayal of countless 996 workers, which has aroused strong resonance among players early on.
On February 21, after Steam opened the limited-time Demo experience, the popularity of "Most" began to gradually rise, and the number of online players exceeded 30,000 on the 23rd. This number is also a rare high popularity in the commercial games released by Steam.
It can be seen that with the opening of the developer's live broadcast on the 22nd and the help of the anchors of major live broadcasting platforms, the popularity of the game continues to ferment. And there was the first small climax of the day, and the number of online people once exceeded 20,000. Popularity continued to rise the following day, and as of press time, the number of Steam online players for Most had exceeded the 30,000 mark.
In GameLook's view, whether it comes from empathy, seeing yourself beaten by life, or experiencing a new perspective of ordinary workers, the unexpected performance of the Demo of "Most" proves that most players, especially young players, have a high acceptance of the blue-collar struggle theme. This also means that in addition to the two-dimensional element of immortal fantasy, the realism theme in domestic games also has no lack of potential.
"This game is too realistic, I want to thank my parents for not letting me suffer"
In fact, since the "Most" Demo opened the limited-time experience, the game has also triggered a wave of not small heat, such as Douyu, Huya, B station and other platforms have appeared a lot of live broadcasts related to "Most". Among them, the popularity of the Douyu live broadcast room reached the highest 278,000; and on the B station, the single video playback of the Demo trial was up to more than 320,000.
It is worth mentioning that although the game supports 9 languages such as Japanese and French, and provides English pronunciation, the current game Demo is not highly discussed overseas. That is to say, the game's unexpected performance is more due to the support of domestic players who are extremely empathetic.
For example, the first script faced with loan sharks and going out to work to pay off debts has made some players who have been repeatedly "ravaged" by reality feel very kind. As soon as I saw the title of the script, I shouted, "Start simulating yourself." ”
The process of the protagonist's confusion and difficult survival for the future in the game has also awakened the memories of many players who have just entered society. "I remembered that after the collapse of the first company I worked for after graduation, I wandered for four months until I came to work at the current unit."
Some people also directly expressed their sincere gratitude to their parents for providing a comfortable environment after the experience: "In the game, they play the role of repaying loan sharks for the gambler's father, doing a character similar to the three gods in Shenzhen, and working hard to move bricks and being squeezed by the foreman for 30 oceans of unspoken rule fees." I was so uncomfortable, I didn't have any money to see a doctor when I was injured, and in the end I either fell ill and died, or my mentality exploded. This game is so realistic, I want to thank my mom and dad for not making me suffer. ”
Some players also pointed out that this design that is closely in line with reality is even reflected in the fact that just after the plot, the next second of the plot, the sky fell into disaster, tragically died in a car accident, and the sense of reality was full.
In addition, some players think that the game is "both guilty and addictive", she said: "And boyfriend in the game to roll each other, work is very tired, after work in the game to move bricks, but still look forward to the official version." ”
Of course, no shortage of players said that the game has a high degree of freedom, shared their own "get rich" experience, and said that they have basically walked through all the interactions in the demo. "Every day when I get up for breakfast, I start to move bricks, dance a square dance after work and steal a battery, and I have entered a well-off life."
More players quickly indulged in it, and completed the multi-week experience in only one day after going online: "Liver for three weeks, the experience has been experienced once, looking forward to the official version." ”
Acura reality, restore the most real appearance of laborers
Honestly, it's not hard to understand that this indie game Demo can gain a rare high popularity.
True to the game's title, Most wants to show as realistically and systematically as possible the lives of the "majority" of the city, the blue-collar community. This includes the growth process from pure physical work to technical work, as well as the real problems they face, such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
Because of this, as stated in the trailer: this game takes place at this moment, this moment, it may happen downstairs in your house, around you. And this near-replica reality of the real experience is the core factor that the game can gain the recognition of players.
In the game, there are both bustling urban areas and alleys full of market flavor. In terms of details, whether it is a five-dollar round of balloons, chess games, or a big mother who dances square dance on the basketball court, these elements of great life can make players quickly empathize. In addition, the unemployed vagrants who play cards and chess, and the fortune tellers who set up street stalls, have restored the urban village streets that are indispensable in every city.
Not only that, but the scene is full of vendors and vendors, and they can all interact, coupled with the grounded dialect dubbing, the sense of reality is directly full.
Of course, the portrayal of real life in "Most" does not stop at scene design, and the game is not a simple "farming and health" simulation business gameplay, but the real state of most people carrying weight forward is refined and reproduced.
In the first story, the player will face his father who ran away after a huge debt, his mother who fell ill, and his sister who is still in school, and in order to support the family, he has to go to the city to work to pay off the debt. At the same time, not only do you need to raise 10,000 yuan within 30 days, but you also have to pay 100 yuan of interest every day.
In addition to the heavy plot, players will still encounter a lot of unfair treatment in the process of working. For example, on the first day of moving bricks, not only will the foreman be deducted from his salary, but he will also be beaten by many of them. In addition, the weather in the game is mostly dull and dark tones. It is understandable that some players even said that they were "playing depression".
But in fact, the original intention of the game is not to blindly "sell misery and sadness", as one of the producers, Weed, said, he just wants to show the objective and true side of reality to the player. The game sets the script mode, in fact, to show the process of young people in adversity who are unwilling to give up hope and gradually get out of the predicament.
As Romain Rolland wrote in michelangelo's biography: There is only one kind of heroism in the world, that is, to love life after seeing the truth of life. What's more, "Most" is not unsatisfactory everywhere, the so-called "reflecting the real life of ordinary working people", naturally there is no lack of small warmth that can be seen everywhere in the real world.
For example, at the beginning of the game, the general friend's hotel aunt will receive you for a night for free; after that, the sister will also choose to work with her brother to face difficulties. The small but careful design of the place, like a beam of light in this dim world, is both dreamy and extraordinarily real, which is where the game really impresses the player.
Multi-week program + multiple story lines to continuously enrich the game experience
It is undeniable that urban blue-collar groups are the closest people to our lives, but they are also one of the least concerned groups. For a long time, the current situation of real workers has been a field rarely touched in cultural and entertainment works, and the game circle is a relatively unpopular subject. Today's popularity of "Most" proves that this genre is not unacceptable to players.
In GameLook's view, there is also no lack of hidden dangers behind the high popularity of "Most". After all, as a content-driven game, the current game demo process is relatively short, and it can be completed in about 2 hours. It is inevitable to worry about whether players will quickly lose their enthusiasm for the game after the main line content is consumed.
In this regard, the game has chosen a cost-effective approach, that is, adding a multi-week experience, and will accumulate a certain amount of experience after passing the weekly eye to facilitate the work and life of the next week.
In addition, "Most" also has a rich game content. For example, after the main line of the first chapter is completed, the game will also provide several other plots, and even enter the emotional line. Not only that, in the free mode of the game, in addition to the free addition of points at the beginning, the exploration area will also be fully open. Players receive a system rating after reaching their goal, and then retain some talent to advance to the next script.
For now, there will be three scripts open after the game, and the full version should have enough volume for players to experience.
It is worth mentioning that the game will continue to increase the game content after that. Weed, one of the producers, revealed in an interview that there are about 40 characters in the game at present, and the development team will design an independent story line for each character in the future, "flesh and blood and ending". However, he also mentioned: "This workload is very large, at the current rate, about 3 to 4 days can add a character plot line, according to 40 people, it takes almost 120 days to complete." ”
From "Ghost Valley Eight Wilds" to "Dyson Ball Project", "The Country of the Wind", and then to "Most", more and more different types of domestic independent games have become popular, with small and broad, to achieve commercial and word-of-mouth blossoms. Obviously, in this era when content is king, the player's aesthetic is becoming more and more diverse, and perhaps the spring of independent games has really arrived.
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