After Elysia's vlog, Bronie stopped releasing new information about the game online.
However, since Elysia had exposed the progress of the New Folder, players speculated how long it would take Bronie to create a AAA game.
The final answer was revealed when Haxxor Bunny Studio released the new game trailer: 53 days in total.
From creating the New Folder, to voice acting, to the final testing phase, and then to promotion, it took just 53 days!
Like an author accustomed to voice input who can write tens of thousands of words a day, Bronie, with her Genesis system, was also extremely efficient in game development.
Elysia experienced it, and Bronie participated too.
During the testing phase, Bronie discovered that Elysia had hidden Easter eggs in every corner of the city, but for some reason, these Easter eggs always consumed a lot of memory when triggered. Maybe it was because of too many special effects?
Bronie couldn't find the cause of the memory usage issue and eventually gave up. She decided it might be best not to let Elysia participate next time since the elements she added drastically consumed memory.
Fortunately, these small issues didn't affect the overall game performance or significantly impact the gaming experience. However, during testing and optimization, Bronie always felt something was off.
As usual, Bronie would release the game three days after the trailer, a promotional attitude players had gotten used to.
This time, the trailer had the feel of a blockbuster, featuring countless zombies, cool parkour actions, and a view of the city from a high tower.
The trailer conveyed that this game was not a small game like Danganronpa or a uniquely styled game like Puella Magi Madoka Magica. It was a true AAA title!
But how much time had passed since the game started development?
Given Bronie's previous record, everyone was already used to her high efficiency. People were impressed by the speed but immediately started discussing what kind of advanced technology allowed such a game to be developed in such a short time.
From AI to consciousness projection, they guessed everything they could think of, and they were pretty close to the right answer.
Bronie had used every possible method to improve efficiency, and the results were self-evident.
The moment the game was released, Welt pre-downloaded it and waited for the final unlock. He skillfully downloaded it, started his stream, and introduced the game.
"This time, Haxxor Bunny has again created a first-person open-world game, but they've added first-person parkour elements and a zombie theme, making it a good attempt. The zombie theme often involves depictions of humanity, and Bronie's writing ability needs no further praise."
The livestream chat was flooded with comments and gifts.
[Judging by the trailer, the zombie theme and the Musou-like gameplay must be very satisfying, right?]
[Will it be another classic like Left 4 Dead?]
Left 4 Dead was also a game by Haxxor Bunny Studio, created by employees as a self-initiated project. They wanted to create a fast-paced, competitive game, and Bronie provided the concept for Left 4 Dead. It was a similar but uniquely different take on the zombie shooter genre, with melee weapons, custom DIY weapons, and extensive maps, including a creative workshop still producing new content. It became a classic, and Bronie awarded the team with honors and bonuses.
Seeing someone mention Left 4 Dead in the chat made Bronie happy.
[Although Left 4 Dead has many melee weapons, Dying Light's DIY weapon combos are a big selling point, right? Games made by Haxxor won't disappoint.]
"That's right, Haxxor Bunny 's games always surprise players. Let's see what surprises this game has in store for us this time."
This game doesn't start with a character customization part, but you can choose to play as either the male or female protagonist. Both models look great.
The male protagonist is a typical American tough guy, and if he shaves, he even has a bit of a pretty-boy look. The female protagonist, on the other hand, has a heroic vibe, reminiscent of Black Widow from the Avengers, with red hair, a striking figure, and outfits designed by Elysia.
However, the main story won't diverge based on your character choice, which is a significant difference from Cyberpunk 2077. If Cyberpunk 2077 is a highly immersive, large-scale role-playing game, then Dying Light is more like a first-person perspective movie. The ending might differ slightly, but there are no critical branching points in the main storyline that require player decisions. Hence, the ending is somewhat less variable compared to Cyberpunk 2077.
Welt naturally chose the male protagonist. Having experienced Cyberpunk 2077 in first-person, he knew there wasn't much difference between playing as a male or female, except for some NPC interactions. This time was no different.
Dying Light's story takes place in a city called Harlan. One day, an unknown virus outbreak occurs, and the local government decides to isolate the entire city from the outside world while continuously delivering supplies and researching the virus. The virus is said to be a variant of rabies, causing infected individuals to quickly exhibit rabies-like symptoms and eventually transform into zombies or other more dangerous entities upon death.
The outbreak mode of the virus is somewhat reminiscent of Honkai, especially with the evolving zombies.
But talking about Honkai on the internet? Certainly not!
"Honestly, I didn't expect the government in the story to be so ruthless, locking down the entire city without rescuing the many survivors still inside..."
As the plot unfolds, it's revealed that the government's plan was to completely cleanse the city, leaving no traces behind. They cut off the city's connection to the outside world and then announced that there were no survivors to prevent the spread of infection, thus justifying the city's purification.
Welt could only say that this was very typical of Schicksal's style. Why? Because they were trying to hide the existence of the Honkai.
This was a joint decision by governments worldwide.
The second major Honkai Eruption had inflicted too much pain on the world, and recklessly confronting it would only lead to death. Ordinary people knowing about the Honkai wouldn't help fight it and would only spread panic. But how much longer could they hide the Honkai?
Welt wanted to believe in humanity's goodness, thinking that if people knew about the Honkai, they would unite to fight it. But, realistically, Welt could only shake his head.
Unless the Honkai disaster spread to the point where it could no longer be concealed, the leaders of various countries would certainly not agree to reveal such information.
If a Honkai outbreak occurred, the affected city might be even worse off than Harlan.
"Okay, so our protagonist is an agent who was ordered to enter Harlan, and upon landing, immediately encounters the hospitality of enthusiastic residents. It seems that the city is divided into two factions on the surface."
The game's tutorial unfolds along with the plot, making it smoother than Cyberpunk's introductory tutorial. The latter, while well-suited to its world, felt stiffer. In the apocalyptic Harlan, the protagonist, saved by another group of survivors, needs to prove their worth to integrate into the team. A group of relatively kind survivors, led by a parkour coach, established a survivor organization called the Tower. The protagonist successfully blends into this organization with their skills.
Unfortunately, the Tower isn't the protagonist's main mission. Instead, they are after critical information held by the leader of another group. Bitten by a zombie and carrying the virus, the protagonist needs a suppressant to avoid turning into a zombie. Meanwhile, the Tower is exhausted and struggling, but they still help the protagonist rather than abandoning them, who reciprocates by doing tasks for the Tower.
After completing some simple tasks, Welt finally receives an outdoor assignment.
"It seems these people have lived here for a long time, setting up simple traps using streetlights and abandoned cars. Sounds and movements can lure zombies into one area, and UV light is highly effective against them, which is why they call it a variant of rabies."
In first-person view, Dying Light is shakier than Cyberpunk, likely to simulate real parkour.
"The parkour moves are smooth, the combat design is reasonable, and the visuals are realistic. This game is certainly up to standard in terms of quality and scale."
After leaving the Tower's base, Welt opens the in-game map. Many areas remain unexplored, but zooming out reveals the city's size. Bronie recreated the city on a 1:1 scale, but the real-life model remains unknown. The protagonist's task is to repair zombie traps outside. During the day, zombies seem clumsy, but as dusk falls, there's a sense of impending storm.
"The city's terrain is complex, with many survivor markings guiding safer routes. Honestly, I'm getting curious about parkour itself; who knew Haxxor Bunny would be interested in this sport?"
Watching the protagonist traverse the city, passing traps set for zombies, Welt imagines how cool it would be to parkour using his Herrscher powers. But holding a makeshift pipe as a weapon, Welt feels too weak to experience the thrill of wielding powerful weapons.
As the main mission progresses, taking too long results in limited daylight for Welt. By the third trap, night falls.
"The night system in Cyberpunk exists, but day and night are almost indistinguishable for players. In this game, however, zombies become more aggressive after dark, revealing Harlan's true nature at night."
On the dark streets, zombies move more nimbly. Though not as agile as those in Left 4 Dead, getting hit is still painful. The street is dark, with zombie growls echoing from all directions, and the protagonist's bitten arm throbs from the memory of the initial zombie encounter.
"Honestly, I'm getting scared..."
[If you don't finish the task before nightfall, the Night Hunters will chase you!]
"Night Hunters? Are there dangerous creatures at night... this sounds bad..."
Normally, the first task doesn't involve Night Hunters. These tasks should be completed during the day. But Welt, being thorough in map exploration, never skips a rooftop, prompting Bronie to unleash the Night Hunters' enthusiasm on players.
The background music intensifies like a horror movie chase scene, making Welt's heart race as he hastily maneuvers the protagonist. He stops looking at the mini-map, focusing only on climbing higher to evade the Night Hunters.
But... Bronie wouldn't make the Night Hunters so easy to escape. Just as Welt's protagonist reaches a rooftop, they encounter a Night Hunter head-on. The creature's grotesque face, bloody body, and gaping jawbone are terrifying.
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
A sound of a mouse hitting the floor echoes in the livestream. Under the intense horror atmosphere, Welt was so scared he dropped his mouse!