California, Sacramento.
Bill held a bowl of soaked cereal, silently watching the television program.
It's been some time since I was released from prison.
He has finally adapted to the fast-paced life of modern society.
Although his criminal record of 20 years in prison caused him to face obstacles in his job search.
But at least he could manage some odd jobs at slave prices.
Fortunately, he met a kind person, Benjamin, who arranged a relatively inexpensive rental for him, which solved his immediate problem and prevented him from fast-forwarding directly to homelessness.
Praise Jay Chou!
Of course... besides the kind people who have helped him in his life, there is another person for whom he is equally grateful.
Video games.
The fall of Atari, the once-familiar emperor of video games, was undoubtedly a huge blow to Bill, a man from the old era.
But now, he has completely moved on from the shadow of this incident. The reason is simple.
Gamenova... it's fucking amazing!
With the first money he earned from working, aside from the necessary rent and food, he used the rest to buy a second-hand game console, a copy of Disco Elysium, and a new CD player.
Since he bought it, he has played it non-stop for over 30 hours.
A full 30 hours!
Starting as a naked man who drank himself into oblivion, he grew into the Tequila Sunset that Revachol most regrets.
The whole story completely captivated him, leaving him utterly engrossed.
Even though he has already completed the first playthrough, he still savors the experience and plans to play it again when he has some free time these next few days.
After all, I missed out on so much the first time I played it because I wasn't familiar with it.
He also wanted to try a different style, to make Harry Duboa a complete madman! A doomsday prophet!
Only when playing video games can he briefly escape the shocks of reality and enjoy a moment of peace.
For Bill, it was a kind of salvation. If he hadn't happened to come across this game, he probably wouldn't have had the courage to face the world 20 years in the future.
However, it seems his plan to play Disco Elysium a second time will have to be postponed for a few days.
"Gamenova..."
He watched the promotional video that had already finished playing on TV and muttered a word he had heard countless times over the past few days.
Bill now understands why the convenience store clerk was so surprised when he didn't know Gamenova.
Gamenova is practically a symbol of California.
You could even say it's its country.
It is a holy site for video games, a place that gamers from all over the world should come to worship.
Although this time the other party was only responsible for "issuance".
But isn't Lucas Arts, the development team, the same team that developed Disco Elysium?
"I'm going to be broke again this month..."
Bill sighed helplessly and quickly shoveled down his cereal. On the bright side, at least his current device was compatible with the new game.
Things have come to this...
Heading to the game store!
[ Tower of Babel Hymn ]
The game's title is carved on the stone wall.
Next to the title is an image resembling the Tower of Babel, consistent with the one on the game's cover.
This is probably the game's concept logo icon.
[Press any key]
Following the instructions, Bill created a save file and waited for the game to begin.
Its music, just like in the promotional video, is filled with a unique Ancient Babylon atmosphere.
The image focuses on a coffin. The floor beneath the coffin is engraved with intricate patterns, resembling some kind of peculiar ritual.
Hmm... perhaps it's just a ritual.
Because what is being depicted is bursting with dazzling light!
Am I about to come back to life?
He came back to life.
The scene flashes, and the game's protagonist is already standing next to the coffin.
The missing piece on the coffin clearly represents the main character.
Moving the stick is nothing new.
Modern video games have long since achieved a unified operating paradigm.
Whether it's Gamenova, Nintendo, Sega, or any other manufacturer.
In terms of operation design, they are generally similar.
While there may be differences in the detailed button layout, the unified concept is that movement is done using a joystick or directional keys.
This is a rocky cliff.
The broken stone pillars and carved walls clearly indicate that this is some kind of religious site.
Layer by layer.
As you spiral up the stairs, the entire scene maintains a completely uniform visual style.
Apart from the vermilion-red robe worn by the protagonist, the entire world was enveloped in a warm yellow.
This was a deliberate design.
This is used to significantly reduce the performance overhead of texture mapping, as well as the memory overhead caused by color.
However, the simplicity of the colors does not diminish the exquisiteness of the image in the slightest.
On the contrary, it adds a unique aesthetic to it.
Its strong stylistic features make it instantly recognizable, reminiscent of places found in Ancient Egypt or Ancient Babylon.
Or rather, it evokes a desert feel. The character's movement speed isn't particularly fast.
Nothing happened on the first few flights of stairs.
There was nothing interactive, and no unexpected events.
We really did move forward step by step in a down-to-earth manner.
However, Bill was not annoyed by this; instead, he looked around at everything with great interest.
That's the beauty of video games—creating a fantastical otherworld.
It makes players feel as if they are actually there.
He kept walking until he came to a broken wall.
Bricks and stones were scattered all over the ground, leaving an opening for people to pass through.
As soon as you get close, the interactive buttons appear.
It looks like the game will officially begin once we get past this point.
To be honest, even up to this point, Bill still didn't understand what the game was about. The packaging only said it was a puzzle game.
"Is this some kind of... irrigation canal? It seems to have sluice gates as well."
Bill looked at the new scene before him.
Unlike the previous completely uniform designs that lacked any highlights, this place features a ditch.
It flows out from a gate at one end of the map, passes through an open gate, and flows to the other end of the map.
There was a bridge over the canal, but unfortunately it was submerged, and the protagonist couldn't cross it.
Even though the water isn't actually that deep.
But as you know, in the world of video games, rules are rules.
Perhaps the main ingredient is easily soluble in water?
Soon, new clues appeared before him.
A locked door, a lever that can be pulled.
And of course, there's the sign hanging next to the lever. "This is probably the mechanism to open the door, let me see... huh?"
Suddenly, four characters appeared before him that he could not recognize at all.