On March 8, a wind called "Jianghu" blew across his cheeks. Half a bottle of fairy vinegar returned with his new work - "The Legend of the Great Hero". After many years, can this answer sheet become part of many players' dreams of martial arts like the classics of the FLASH era more than ten years ago?
The sword chases dreams
The Legend of the Great Heroes is a 2D retro open-world game. Players play as a little shrimp who has just entered the rivers and lakes, and through making various choices, experiencing battles, and managing interpersonal relationships, he eventually becomes a different person and leads to different endings.
Players initially consist of 15 points, which need to be assigned to five items. Then select the initial item, initial trait (Buff), and weapon (attack method). Different base values bring different advantages and disadvantages, and also unlock some new features. The game also includes various elements such as conduct, talent, ability (skill proficiency such as forging), martial arts (active and passive skills), martial arts (talent tree) and so on.
Completing some achievements will unlock more initial points, and you can also choose several abilities to inherit to the next week, which is quite a bit of reincarnation.
On this basis, there are various cities, factions, and forces in the game. Players need to connect with different people according to their own ideas, regardless of good or bad, or even invite them to join the team. These relationships also affect the appearance of elements such as hidden plots.
This ancient and complex system brings a very high sense of substitution, making people feel like they are in it. The open world design gives players more freedom. Not only can you seize every opportunity to improve yourself, cultivate breakthroughs, but also mine and fish, and enjoy life. Or join a sect, or practice martial arts, or rob the rich and help the poor, or do all evil, and finally point to more than ten different futures.
In terms of combat, the game adopts the traditional wargame mode. Players can work together with up to five teammates to defeat enemies. By feeding the animals, you can also get your pets into battle. The stealth feature allows players to easily evade enemy detection, making it possible to steal and poison special actions.
The game's graphics are retro and detailed in a pixel style. Quaint towns, sparsely populated villages, woods where pit vipers hide, dark caves... Plus the vendors hawking along the street, the sparrows pecking at the rice, the old women who deliberately touched porcelain, the road chiefs who were sitting in danger... Together, they form a delicate and pyrotechnic painting.
The music of the game is mainly oriental ancient strings. In addition to highlighting the "ancient" characteristic, it is also easy to associate with the elements of "chivalry". The soundtrack as a whole does a good job of setting the atmosphere of everyday life, emergencies and battles without overwhelming the crowd.
The game is currently available in Early Access mode, with version around 0.6. The 100-day timeframe can provide more than 25 hours of gameplay. Admittedly, the current work is not complete, but the framework is clear, and the direction of future updates can be seen, which makes people look forward to it. The speed with which the production team processed EA feedback was amazing. In just 3 days of launch, several updates have been made. Each time is adjusted in time to the feedback of players, and it is full of sincerity.
Drunken dreams
Rather than thinking that this story is about how the protagonist becomes a "hero", it is a "dream of rivers and lakes" with a strong market atmosphere.
There is no dogmatic "good" and "evil" in the game. From the beginning of the game, players need to choose to help the so-called "thief" "catch fast" or go straight away. With the butterfly effect, the protagonist's life trajectory also changes.
Wandering between different characters and even opposing sides, whether to make friends or destroy the door is all a thought. Competitions, night markets, surprises everywhere. Noble conduct, passers-by are welcome; If the quality is low, you can pursue the side door. On the occasion of the 100 days, the Yan people attacked, or rose up to resist, or betrayed and defected to the enemy, and finally became heroes or traitors.
The heaviest part of the scene is always what the protagonist takes the initiative to do to others, rather than being dragged into what to do. In the choice after choice, find your own "Tao" and influence the surrounding area.
As for whether the behavior is understood, whether it conforms to the three views of a certain part of the people, and whether it makes oneself feel at ease, it reflects the complexity of human nature. There can never be only one way to handle something.
Such rivers and lakes have flesh and blood. If you can implement yourself, why is it not a chivalrous spirit?
Just like those martial arts classics, what is really wonderful is not only the tricks of the sect, but also the interweaving of good and evil, the day and night, and the love of children. "The Legend of the Great Hero" is under its limited plot framework, which shows the wonderfulness of human nature and the uncertainty of life to a large extent.
Float like a dream
"The Legend of the Great Heroes" is placed at a time when independent games are blooming everywhere, and it cannot be said to be the most cutting-edge work. But its sense of the times is difficult for players to bring to players today.
Whether it is art or dialogue style, it carries the unique atmosphere of that era. For those who have experienced it, this experience is precious.
At present, the game is still in the EA stage, the game volume is still slightly insufficient, as the official expressed before, players who want to directly experience the full version, please don't worry, you may wish to wait for the EA to turn positive before getting on the car.
The game itself has a strong personal color, and it is also the place where fans of "half a bottle of fairy vinegar" can best experience "Yeqing Hui". We can think of "The Legend of the Great Heroes" as an attempt for fans and Y2K teenagers. If you can attract some new players in the middle, that's great.
Overall, this game is a game with the theme of "life in rivers and lakes", which is highly targeted and emotional. It's not perfect, but it resonates.
It turned out that the dream did not wake up, but you and I walked into different "rivers and lakes". The taste, bitter and spicy sweet and sour...