[Actually, it was a world of monsters, with only the protagonist and Junjun being normal. However, the monsters diagnosed them as mentally ill, locked them up, and tormented them with nightmares until they truly became mentally unstable. The true ending is that the protagonist is tormented to the point of delusions, believing that the monsters are all ordinary humans, and that he himself has become a monster, truly assimilated into the monster society… And their calling their daughter to see the protagonist is just waiting for the last normal person, Junjun, to be assimilated as well…]
The plot of "Inside" is so unpredictable throughout, but in the end, everyone can have their own understanding and analysis, which is the most incredible thing.
This was mentioned in an io report.
The editor wrote:
The designers on Blue Star have once again boldly adopted a fragmented story collection mode. Every note a player encounters may hide important plot points or introduce a significant plot twist. These numerous twists and turns form the world of *Inside*. However, we still don't know whose mental world "inside" refers to, or whether such an "inner world" truly exists.
Some people even took advantage of the release of "Inside" to promote their own game theory books.
These days, any news involving Earth or a dragon-slaying sword will generate a certain amount of buzz.
Game development has always been a popular major, or rather, it attracts a lot of young people, which is why a textbook on the subject can become a bestseller.
They proposed a "donut" theory.
This means that when players haven't played a game yet, it's like seeing a donut; they can only judge whether it's delicious based on the coating and smell. This is essentially the pre-release advertising campaign for a game.
When a player takes their first bite of the donut, they slowly eat their way in, gradually experiencing the game's content, and only then will they know what the inside of the donut tastes like.
As players delve deeper into the game, the donut shrinks, and the player base becomes smaller and more hardcore. The game content is gradually consumed in this process.
Finally, the most hardcore players experienced the entire game, essentially eating the donut all the way to the very bottom—
Then they fell out through the hole in the middle.
Commonly known as "getting out of the pit".
For Inside players, what they initially saw was a horror game, the kind that could scare people to tears.
But as they delved deeper into the game, they became engrossed in uncovering the truth behind the story, unable to extricate themselves.
Usually, after the third playthrough, they will collect all the elements in no time, just like in a mystery film where all the clues are obtained, and they will eventually come up with their own truth.
In this way, they were able to get out of the trap.
You can sit on a bench, eat watermelon, and watch as other players are scared to tears.
Meanwhile, the horror game "Inside" is a blend of horror and heartbreak, with a touch of warmth added to its mystery plot. Upon its release, it essentially established a new genre.
Many game developers drew inspiration directly from this, and they suddenly realized that there was still a large market to be explored in the horror game genre.
Designers: 0.0 In the past, having the protagonist carry a knife to fight bloody monsters... was just too merciful!
Horror movies should cleanse both the mind and spirit to the same degree!
Look at the games made by Earth!
The protagonist doesn't even have a knife, let alone any weapons; he survives entirely by scavenging scraps on the roadside.
Forget about killing monsters; I basically avoid them altogether. The only way to stop them is with traps and environmental elements, but sooner or later they'll break in anyway…
Resistance, monster slaying, leveling up, health bars, health regeneration... none of that exists!
You die the moment a monster touches you.
Killing the monster will default to the NG (bad ending).
The goal is to make you be chased by monsters the whole time, with absolutely no way to fight back, and to experience the feeling of being terrified when having a nightmare.
That's how hardcore it is.
If this design had been presented to other game companies a few months ago, the producer, executive producer, chief designer... everyone would have said you were crazy.
No one dares to do this because this mode places too high demands on the players.
Or perhaps the requirements for designers are too high—
How confident must a company be in its game to ensure that players aren't scared away?
But as it turns out, Blue Star's design was successful.
It's not just ordinary success; it's groundbreaking, the kind that makes players feel incredibly satisfied even after being tortured to the point of near death.
Some people even shouted on the forum:
This is a real horror game!! The games we used to play were action RPGs where you fight monsters, level up, and gather herbs, with maybe a few horror elements added!
Meanwhile, on the Blue Star backend, we've also seen a lot of feedback and appeals from players.
Frankly speaking, Inside's sales performance wasn't the best, especially compared to a giant like Blue Star Studios; its sales were only passable.
But the players' response was second to none.
This may be due to the inherent virality of horror games.
Many players are too afraid to play themselves, but they dare to recommend it to their friends and streamers, and then get the feeling of playing the game online through other people's live streams and videos.
"Inside" is highly entertaining and thought-provoking, clearly possessing all the elements necessary for widespread dissemination on social media.
To put it simply: He deserves to be famous.
The beginning of the year for the gaming industry was basically spent in discussions from all sides.
Meanwhile, on Earth, a very special piece of good news was released before Lunar New Year's Eve—
The official version of "Blue Star Apocalypse 2" is complete!!