Every time Ben finished a horror game, he felt a huge sense of relief.
The only exception was when he played Resident Evil Village.
After all, except for the creepy doll room, the game was pretty exciting with the battle against Lady Dimitrescu and the final mech fight. Ethan's sacrifice at the end was also very moving.
As for players who guessed Ethan wasn't dead and wrote tens of thousands of words of essays, Ben totally didn't buy it. He just assumed the game's protagonist was dead anyway.
That way, if there were a sequel later, it would be full of surprises. It was a win-win situation.
And playing "Firework" this time made Ben feel that same way again.
Ingots, paper figures, white lanterns, and other traditional funeral items, as well as folk horror tales like "Ghosts Walking in Circles" and "Summoning Spirits."
Apart from feeling a little scared at the beginning of the game due to the setting and atmosphere of Chinese funeral customs, the game wasn't scary at all.
There weren't even any ghosts; he was just scaring himself.
When he got to the part where Lin Lixun and Teacher Chen visited Zhao Xiaojuan's photo studio and learned about her past, Ben no longer felt much fear.
As the game progressed, the fear faded, replaced by a sense of sadness and heartache.
It was a horror game on the surface but, at its core, it depicted a sincere story reflecting social reality.
As players uncovered the game's truth step-by-step, understanding the full plot.
This sense of fear was replaced by a different kind of heaviness.
Especially the children's song at the end, "Outside the long pavilion, by the ancient road…", which completely broke him.
Because Nebula Games had another dead female protagonist.
Although Teacher Chen Qingsui's ending was open-ended, the game's various death hints, coupled with Nebula Games' notorious reputation for making players miserable.
Ben felt that Chen Qingsui was most likely gone for good.
Sighing, Ben exited the game pod and opened the Nebula Games app on his phone. He went to the trophy and achievement list and silently sent the "Firework" completion achievement he just got to Zack.
No extra words were needed; an achievement trophy said it all.
While Ben was provoking Zack, many players online who had also finished "Firework" were intensely discussing various topics in the game.
After all, this game had too many points worth debating.
"Ah! This story, stop the angsty stuff, stop it!"
"Finally understand the meaning of the 'Believe in science, break superstition' slogan at the beginning!"
"What the heck! I played a horror game, and it didn't scare me to death, but it made me cry!"
"It's clearly a horror game, it should just be scary, why make it so sad!"
"So is it all a world where Lin Lixun communicates with the dead? Only the beginning and end are real, and Teacher Chen, whom Lin Lixun investigated, was just a ghost and died drowned by newspaper people in the end?"
"Even though it's not explicitly stated in the game, it's hinted at through every part: the red umbrella, the resignation letter that wasn't sent, and Teacher Chen's phantom at the end."
"No way! Isn't the final photo booth picture from reality?"
"Exactly! Teacher Chen is definitely still alive, just like Ye Jingshan wanted to do at the end, to live on under another identity."
"On the surface, it's a horror game, but the plot behind it describes a tragedy set against a backdrop of poverty cycles."
"This is so heartbreaking!!"
"Damn, I thought it was a horror game, but it made me cry!"
"When the children's song played at the end, I was in tears!"
"May the other world be free of superstition and evil, only simple, beautiful, and happy fireworks."
"Superstition kills people!"
"My body will not rot in the mud; I will die in the sky like a bird."
The game itself, "Firework," wasn't very long.
Although there were some puzzles interspersed, it was generally straightforward to get through.
You didn't need to think much at all.
For most players, the entire game could be completed in just one night.
On Nebula Games' community platform, countless players were sharing their feelings on the forums.
Especially those who were scared and chose to watch the game through videos and streams, thinking they wouldn't get hurt. They never expected the game to hide a hidden blade for them.
At the end, it was thrust in front of them: Chen Qingsui in the game.
The main reason the sense of horror decreased during the game, besides the plot and lack of truly scary scenes, was that Chen Qingsui quickly joined Lin Lixun's side early on, accompanying him to investigate the massacre.
Having a companion, and a good-looking one at that, naturally diluted the fear quite a bit.
But that unexpected gut punch at the end truly chilled players to the bone.
Of course, it wasn't just Chen Qingsui; every key character in the game was given depth and evoked strong emotions.
Some characters were hated, some were loved, and some were pitied.
They were fictional in the story, but they allowed players to see real, vivid, and lifelike faces from everyday life.
The Tian Xiangrong couple, relying on superstition and ghosts, their thoughts gradually distorted and terrifying. To revive their son, they didn't hesitate to sacrifice their daughter-in-law, poisoning her sleeping pills. It was chilling to watch.
But these things exist in reality. The opening title of the game, "Believe in science, break superstition," yet even today, countless people still believe in ghosts and spirits.
Zhao Xiaojuan longed to escape her unhealthy in-laws and her bleak home. She came to this small town for love, but her feelings had long since been extinguished.
She was like a bird trapped for too long, longing to soar, to see the colorful world outside.
Ye Jingshan was trafficked to this mountain village. His adoptive parents treated him like their own, but hid the fact that he was bought. To repay their kindness, he gave up his dream of becoming a forensic doctor.
Only at the end did he learn the truth. However, his adoptive parents had never mistreated him while raising him. This internal conflict made it impossible for him to leave the mountain or depart as Ye Jingshan: Ye Jingshan, trapped in the mountain.
Chen Qingsui was initially undercover as a reporter searching for clues about artifact smuggling. However, her experience teaching and her own story made her want to genuinely help the children there who had never left.
But in the end, due to conflicts of interest, she disappeared. Although the game didn't clarify whether she was dead or alive, for many players, they actually hoped Teacher Chen had just left incognito rather than being harmed.
Bird trapped in a cage, Ye trapped in the mountain, Sui falling into clear water.
Kidnapping, superstition…
The story is fictional, but aren't the things that cause this story still existing in reality?
In fact, compared to the game, reality is even more bizarre and profound.
(End of this chapter)
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