dkrc Chapter 138 Game Development! Ultraman Fighting Evolution!
Chapter 138 Game Development! Ultraman Fighting Evolution!
Jinghai City, Headquarters of Chasing Light Pictures.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was quite lively, and one could even say it reeked of money.
With the phenomenal success of "Ultraman Tiga", the overwhelming praise for "Ultraman Seven: Project Origin", and the currently airing and ever-rising ratings of "Ultraman Dyna", the "Ultraman" IP that Gu Nan controls has grown into an astonishing behemoth.
Chen Bo is reviewing a business plan in his hand.
"Brother Nan! Yesterday, three more game companies came to me, saying they wanted to buy licenses to make mobile games."
I took a look at their proposals, and they're all about reskinned card games, there's even one about an "Ultraman Match-3" game! It sounds a bit...unpleasant, but the licensing fees they offer are seriously high! Should we...?"
"Candy Crush?"
Gu Nan twirled his pen in his hand, his lips twitching. "Old Chen, we've finally established the Ultraman IP, and you want viewers to play match-3 on their phones with Ultraman Tiga?"
"Then... what about cards? How about gacha? That game 'Thunder Princess' is so popular right now, let's make an SSR Tiga, an UR Shining Tiga. If we don't care about reputation, we'll make a killing!"
Chen Bo also cracked a joke.
However, after thinking for a while, Gu Nan spoke.
"Making money is necessary, but we can't overdraw the lifespan of the IP. Reskinned mobile games may be quick money, but that's short-sighted. What I want to make is a game that truly deserves the name 'Ultraman.' A game that allows fans to truly become light and fight within it."
Chen Bo was taken aback: "Huh? Brother Nan, are you really going to do it? You mean...?"
He was just joking around. Does Ultraman really have the power to change games?
"If I'm going to do something, I'll do it to the best of my ability, according to 3A standards."
Gu Nan made a startling statement: "And it's a buy-to-play fighting game."
In this parallel world of Xia Kingdom, although the game industry is developed, it is mostly concentrated in the fields of online games and mobile games, and there are very few single-player games that can truly be called AAA masterpieces.
Gu Nan's idea was simple: he thought of the "Ultraman Fighting Evolution" series, which was regarded as a masterpiece by countless Ultraman fans in the original world.
That game is considered amazing because it's not just a fighting game, but also a "tokusatsu simulator".
It perfectly recreates the plot, actions, and even the timing of the background music in the series.
"But...we don't have experience or a team for 3A games."
Chen Bo was somewhat worried, "And the development cycle is too long."
"Therefore, we need to find outside help."
Gu Nan was responsible for providing all the art resources, motion capture data, story scripts, and the "soul design" of the core gameplay.
All that's needed for Light Chaser is to connect with a suitable game development team and combine that with the powerful capabilities of the Unreal Engine 5 to create this masterpiece called "Ultraman Fighting Evolution".
……
Three months later, just as the plot of "Ultraman Dyna" was getting better and the whole internet was discussing just how cheating the "Miracle Type" really was, Light Chaser Animation released a major PV that directly ignited the entire gaming and tokusatsu community.
Without any warning, the video started.
A heavy footstep sounded from the dark screen.
"Thump—"
The screen lit up, and the ray tracing technology powered by Unreal Engine 5 made the scene look incredibly realistic.
It was a rainy night.
The muddy ground reflected the city's neon lights, and rainwater slid down the texture of Ultraman Tiga's red, purple, and silver suit, revealing the unique texture of the suit after being soaked in rainwater.
Opposite him, the second-generation Kirieloid roared ferociously, its muscle fibers trembling in the moonlight.
Without any unnecessary words, the two collided instantly.
The visceral impact of each punch, the dust kicked up as the massive body crashed into buildings, and that iconic battle cry.
Immediately afterwards, the scene switched rapidly.
Under the setting sun, Seven, whose leg was broken by the twin monsters, knelt painfully on one knee in flooded Tokyo, yet still managed to stand up.
On the surface of Mars, the powerful Dyna, like a red tank, caught the monster's fireball with one hand and sent it flying hundreds of meters with a powerful backhand punch.
The video ends with a freeze-frame showing the backs of Showa Ultraman and Tiga/Dyna standing side-by-side, with a large caption displayed on the screen:
Ultraman Fighting: Evolution
Login platform: Steam platform...
Digital version across all platforms: 199 yuan
Physical console version: 249 yuan (first-release bonus...)
At this moment, the entire internet was in an uproar.
"Holy crap! This graphics? Is this a game? I thought it was a new movie trailer!"
"199? Director Gu, are you running a charity? These days, which AAA game doesn't start at 300?"
"Am I the only one who noticed that it's using Unreal Engine 5? They really went all out this time; how can it run at this quality?"
"Wow, is there any hope that this will be a contender for Game of the Year?"
"That seems unlikely, since this kind of game is still considered a fan-made product."
"No matter what! I'm looking forward to it!"
……
A few months later,
Jinghai City, a high-end residential community.
Old Tang, a seasoned tokusatsu fan, is currently holding the newly arrived physical disc case with reverence.
The cover features a bust of Ultraman Tiga, creating a powerful and imposing presence.
"Old Tang, is this the... Ultraman game you were talking about?"
His girlfriend looked on curiously, "It's over two hundred yuan, is it fun?"
Old Tang chuckled and carefully tore open the plastic seal: "This isn't your average game, it's a man's romance! Come on, wife, today I'll show you what a 'Successor of Light' really is."
The disc was inserted into the console, and the logo of Chasing Light Pictures appeared on the huge TV screen.
Upon entering the main menu, the background music is a symphonic variation of the exhilarating "Miracle Again".
"Let's try a match in versus mode first to see how it goes."
Old Tang handed his girlfriend a controller. "This game supports local two-player co-op. You can choose your favorite character."
The character selection interface is very cool.
On the left is the Ultraman camp, and on the right is the monster camp.
The current selection of playable characters is extremely rich: the original, Seven, Omega, Ace, and Taro from the Showa era, Tiga and Dyna from the Light Chaser series, as well as dozens of classic monsters that appear in these three series.
"I want to choose this one!"
My girlfriend took a liking to the Dyna at first sight. "I think the letter bird is pretty funny, and the switchable red form looks really cool."
"That's a strong-type Dyna."
Old Tang explained, "Alright, then I'll choose... Golza! Let me show you the oppressive power of an ancient monster!"
Map selection: Jinghai City Center.
Loading complete.
The scene shifts to two enormous figures standing in the center of the city.
I must say, the details in this game are simply outrageous.
The surrounding buildings are not simple textures, but real models.
Cars on the street looked like toys at the giant's feet, and the giant's reflection could even be seen in the glass of buildings.
"Ready...fight!"
My girlfriend doesn't play fighting games much, but this game's controls are designed to be "easy to learn but difficult to master."
She randomly pressed the square and triangle buttons on the controller.
On the screen, the strong version of Dyna let out its signature rough battle cry, and its red fists rained down on Golza.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The vibration feedback from the controller is excellent; each strike is accompanied by a dull sound, as if a fist weighing hundreds of thousands of tons is hitting flesh.
With each effective attack, the stun value of the character above also increases.
In previous lessons, they also learned that both sides can only unleash their skills when the dizziness value reaches a certain level.
"Ouch! Don't hit my face!"
Old Tang let out a strange cry and tried to fight back while controlling Golza.
He pressed the defense button, then seized the opportunity during his girlfriend's attack recovery animation to launch a counterattack with a tail sweep.
But the game's physics engine is so realistic.
Instead of flying straight out like in traditional fighting games, the strong version of Dyna was swept backward by the enormous force, stomping on and crushing an overpass, sending debris flying everywhere.
"Wow! This building collapse looks so realistic!" my girlfriend exclaimed.
"Take this! Ultrasonic beam!"
Old Tang seized the opportunity when the dizziness was still flashing and cast a finishing move.
Golza's forehead glowed, and purple rays shot out.
"Quick! You can press R1+L1 to align the light beam!"
Old Tang shouted.
My girlfriend frantically pressed a bunch of buttons.
On the screen, Dyna suddenly squatted down, clenched his fists to gather energy, and then suddenly combined them into a cross.
Solgent Ray!
Blue and purple light collided violently in mid-air.
At this point, a "wrestling bar" appears at the bottom of the screen, which requires you to frantically press the buttons.
"It's time to test your speed!"
The two frantically pressed the controller buttons, the sound like popping beans.
Ultimately, even with Doflamingo holding back, Dyna's power level was still superior, and his blue beam, bypassing the purple beam, struck Golza directly in the chest.
It's just that... we couldn't achieve that historically unfortunate outcome where the left side of the ball loses, except for that pig XX's accomplishment.
Boom!
A massive explosion sent up a mushroom cloud, Golza collapsed to the ground with a scream, and the entire screen shook.
"KO!"
"I won! I won!" My girlfriend jumped up excitedly. "This game is so relaxing! The feeling of every punch landing is so satisfying!"
Old Tang chuckled and rubbed his wrist: "This is just the battle mode. The essence of this game is actually the 'story mode,' which is the 'tokusatsu simulator' gameplay."
Old Tang returned to the main menu and selected Story Mode - S-Rank Challenge.
He clicked on the famous scene level in the Ultraman Tiga chapter—"Dark Ruler".
In this level, players control Ultraman Tiga and face the final boss, Gatanothor.
In a typical fighting game, players would definitely be thinking about how to defeat the boss.
However, in this mode, the system's S-rank completion condition is: [Recreate the episode's plot: Survive the battle for 3 minutes, switch to Shining Hinata Power Type, and use the Powerful Zepellion Ray! Then be defeated by Gatanothor's ray, turn into a stone statue, and finally revive as Shining Tiga in the light of humanity to defeat the opponent.]
[After transforming into Shining Tiga, you must have at least 50% stamina remaining and at least 1 minute and 30 seconds of remaining time.]
[Special Condition: Clear the stage using the regular Tiga before transforming into Ultimate Tiga (This condition holds true independently)]
"If you just kill Gatanothor with your skills, you could also get an S-class rating."
Old Tang explained as he operated the equipment.
"However, the difficulty will definitely increase dramatically."
On the screen, Tiga struggles across the dark sea. Gatanothor's despairing black mist shrouds everything.
Old Tang controlled Ultraman Tiga to charge forward, one punch, two punches.
However, he could clearly sense that the BOSS's super armor was ridiculously high, and Tiga's attacks couldn't even cause a stun.
On the contrary, he also had to avoid the pervasive black fog.
If he's not careful, one of Gatanothor's tentacles will lash out, and Tiga's health bar will drop significantly.
"This is too difficult! I don't even have time to switch to the powerful type!"
"This is what despair feels like."
Old Tang sighed, "That's exactly the suffocating feeling I had when I watched the finale."
Finally, the plot was triggered.
Ultraman Tiga was pierced by the light and turned into a stone statue, sinking into the sea.
What followed was a replica of the original storyline.
During this period, you can also control the Victory Swallow EX-J to harass Gatanothor.
Then, the most classic scene unfolded.
Countless golden points of light converged from all over the world.
That familiar background music filled the living room.
Amidst golden light, Tiga bursts forth from the sea!
At this moment, Lao Tang felt that the vibration of the handle had become extremely subtle, as if it were the rhythm of a heartbeat.
At this moment, Tiga was radiating golden light, and all attacks turned into undefendable real damage.
Zeperion Ray!
The timer is flashing!
The massive golden stream of light instantly engulfed the dark evil god.
"So handsome..."
My girlfriend looked at the screen, her eyes welling up with tears. "It's just a game, why does it make me want to cry?"
Old Tang put down the controller, looked at the S-rank completion rating, and said with satisfaction, "That's what makes Gu Nan so amazing. He's not just selling a game, he's selling our memories, that feeling."
……
A few days later, the well-known gaming content creator "Old Persimmon" released a 40-minute in-depth review video with a simple and direct title:
[A 9-point masterpiece? No, for tokusatsu fans, it's a perfect 10-point love letter!]
In the video, Old Persimmon couldn't hide his excitement.
"Brothers, I originally thought Gu Nan was just making another cash grab for fans this time. After all, nine out of ten manga-to-game adaptations are terrible. But! We've got the one and only masterpiece out of those ten!"
"This isn't just a fighting game; it's an 'interactive tokusatsu drama' disguised as a fighting game!"
"First, let's talk about the graphics. Unreal Engine 5 was definitely used. Look at the spatial distortion effect when Dyna uses Miracle-type teleportation, and the texture of the cut surfaces when Seven's head-mounted crest slices through monsters—the detail is insane. Especially the feel of the monster suits; the game even recreates the wrinkles on the suits! What is this? This is craftsmanship!"
"Let's talk about the gameplay. The 'stun gauge' design in this game is very interesting. You can't just attack blindly; you have to use small skills to probe first, accumulate energy, and put the monster into a 'stunned' state before you can unleash your ultimate move, just like in the show. This perfectly eliminates mindless combo casting and forces you to experience that 'turn-based' combat rhythm."
"What surprised me the most was the Dyna part. As everyone knows, Dyna is currently very popular. The game perfectly recreates the characteristics of the three forms."
The screen switched to a live game session.
"Look here, I'm using Shiny Dyna. Against Specia chimeras, I can switch forms at will."
"Once you switch to Miracle type, the skill list is maxed out. Of course, the most classic move is 'Liporum Beam Wave'. If it hits, it will banish the monster to another dimension. The judgment is extremely domineering, but the wind-up is very long and it is easy to be interrupted."
"And look at the Strong type, it's practically a stat monster. That over-the-shoulder throw has an absurdly long hitbox; if you get close, you're dead. And this 'Ultra Barrier' can actually deflect beams of light!"
Old Persimmon paused, his tone becoming serious.
"But the most awesome thing about this game is the 'Story Mode.' Besides getting an S rank by recreating the story, there's also an 'IF route' gameplay. For example, in the first episode of 'Leo,' if you're skilled enough that Seven doesn't have his legs broken by the twin monsters and instead defeats the Magma alien without taking damage, the story will progress and some further deductions will occur!"
"Leo actually chose to fight alongside Seven later on!"
[666, does this mean my fighting skills are even better than Ultraman's?!]
[Leo: Is this for real? The battle's over right at the start?!?]
Good heavens! Did the Jeep training just disappear?!
"This butterfly effect design elevates the playability to a whole new level!"
"Finally, let's talk about ranked matches. I heard that the ladder is now dominated by 'Shin Asuka'. That teleportation grab from the Miracle type is too overpowered! I strongly suggest that the developers nerf Dyna in the next version and buff the hitbox of our Guiman's Spark Flash!"
At the end of the video, Lao Shizi gave a summary.
"In short, at 199 yuan, you won't lose out. This is currently the best tokusatsu game on the market, bar none. Gu Nan has proven with his performance that players will vote with their feet when a game is made with heart."
……
At the Light Chaser Animation studio, Gu Nan looked at the sales report for the first week, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Sales across all platforms exceeded one million units in the first week.
With a 98% positive rating on Steam, it is in the "overwhelmingly positive" category.
Major gaming forums are flooded with posts about "Ultraman Fighting Evolution." Players are enthusiastically discussing various combo development strategies and uncovering hidden easter eggs in the story mode.
Even Dyna fans who don't usually play games bought PS5 and other devices just for the "physical edition bonus".
Online discussions about the game continued at this time.
[Brothers! I found an Easter egg! In Dyna's story mode, if you choose to support Captain Hibiki on the Victory Eagle, there will be special voice lines!]
What audio?
[Captain Hibiki shouts, "Asuka! Don't give up! Get up!" And Xing Xingtian, every time he launches a missile, he shouts, "Watch this!" It's such a perfect recreation!]
[By the way, did anyone else think Shin Asuka's voice acting in the game was particularly captivating? That hot-blooded, goofy vibe was absolutely amazing.]
Absolutely, since it's the original voice cast. I'm already looking forward to the future DLC.
Looking at these comments, Gu Nan knew that this move was the right one again.
Games are not just a tool for monetization, but also an important vehicle for maintaining the popularity of IPs and expanding the audience.
Through this game, "Ultraman Fighting Evolution," countless players who had never watched the series were drawn in by the cool battles and went to catch up on the show; while longtime fans found a place for their nostalgia in the game.
This is a perfect closed loop.
"Alright, let's put the game aside for now."
Gu Nan stopped smiling and looked at the special effects team on the other side of the conference table.
"How's the script for Dyna coming along? Especially that... 'mobile fortress' storyline, is the special effects team ready?"
The special effects team leader had huge dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze remained fervent.
"Don't worry, Director Gu, the model of that huge thing is already built. It will definitely give the audience a little shock."
Gu Nan nodded.
The plot of "Dyna at This Time" has entered its middle stage, and those more grand and profound episodes are about to appear one after another.
The game's popularity served as a perfect prelude to the upcoming storyline.