Chapter 8: Philosophical Mode, Initiated.
"Hmm, this interface looks beautiful!"
Ryan's eyes lit up as he entered the game. Although he was a relatively inexperienced newcomer to this kind of game, Ryan did have some experience with this genre. While they were all created with the official engine, most of the ones he had played had messy interfaces. But this Mirror, at least in terms of the interface, was quite good.
"I can only choose one character?"
After accessing the game, Ryan looked at the diamond in the center. It contained several characters, but only one was selectable: a dark-skinned elf. The others were locked.
"So many characters to choose from? It seems... a bit exaggerated!"
Ryan's face lit up with surprise, and at the same time, he felt a little excited. Unconsciously, Ryan glanced at the bedroom door. It was still closed; his roommates had gone to work. Upon reaching the door, Ryan locked it.
Sitting back down in front of the computer, he took a deep breath, with a solemn and sacred expression as he looked at the game screen. Of course, deep down, he had a different thought. 'Did a character like the Dark Elf appear from the beginning? It was exciting!'.
With his heart full of emotion, Ryan followed the instructions and clicked on an icon that looked like a battle.
"On this dark night, the isolated Blackwater Castle unexpectedly welcomed an unexpected guest." "That almost invisible shadow gradually emerged."
Looking at the game screen and the subsequent options, Ryan was stunned. 'Isn't this an adult game? Why does it look like a text game? And does it have a story?'.
Ryan scratched his head, but he didn't give it much importance and clicked several times. Seeing the game enter a battle, Ryan was stunned again. 'Is this a match-3 game?'. He had seen someone on the forum say it was the best match-3 game, and Ryan thought it was fake. But now, 'is this game really a match-3 game?'.
"Well, the orange ball increases physical attack, the sword icon is physical, the star is a spell, and potions add health." "Connect four to get a stronger ball and five to create a magic diamond that deals massive damage." "There are also special items and skills to use, but for now there is only one that adds health."
Following the beginner's guide, Ryan quickly understood the game's combat. Then he was a little surprised. 'Was I playing an adult game or a simple match-3? Why were there so many unexpected twists?'. Ryan was stunned. The adult games he had played before were not that sophisticated. Some simply involved clicking and then the character illustrations would appear. And others were low-quality and superficial.
'But this Mirror was something special! The combat system was too complex! Well, for an adult game. And there was even a story! And this element... there was something, and a lot!'.
Pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes, Ryan leaned forward slightly, temporarily turning off the small speakers on his desk. He took out headphones from a drawer, connected them to his computer, and put them on one ear. After successfully defeating the opponent, he attacked. The dark-skinned elf even had a sound effect when attacked. And then there's this clothing after her health reaches a certain level.
'Ah! Exactly! Based on the previous plot, this should be the Middle Ages, right? No wonder the clothes are so poor! The living conditions of the people back then were really harsh. Just look at how torn the clothes are and how tanned the skin is.'.
Connect five identical grids and you'll find diamonds, and the damage is incredible! You can also use unique skills and buy the corresponding items to boost your attacks. There's even a turn limit: only 13. How can this elf keep so much health? After a brief test, Ryan stopped paying attention to the elf's clothes and focused on the match-3 game. 'The truth is that this match-3 game seems hilarious!'.
"The quality is simply incredible!"
After two consecutive battles, he entered game mode. Ryan felt that all the adult games he had played before had been in vain. What is an adult game? This is an adult game! What were all those things before? Just adult content, no gameplay. Of course, if that were the case, it would be acceptable, after all, without practical gameplay. But there are still some poor quality products. Do they really think their money isn't money? Look at Mirror. Not only is it practical, but it also has a lot of content. This is what an adult game should be like. This is what a truly adult game should be like!
'And there were even lesbian elements? And two endings?'.
Ryan, who had gotten a pure love ending in his first playthrough, reflected on the different options. Seeing that the Dark Elf character only showed 50% completion, he was filled with excitement. He never expected to find the book he was looking for. He had found a fantastic game!
"Well, let's not play with the new character yet, let's see the other story first." "According to the normal game mechanics, this second ending should see the Dark Elf turn evil, right?".
Ryan, curious, with a touch of excitement and nervousness, clicked again.
Ten minutes later—
"Why?".
Ryan, sitting in front of the computer, felt excited and deeply moved. She was born into the aristocracy, but she cared deeply for the poor, even going so far as to steal to help them. And yet, those poor people she had helped were ugly, shameless, and repaid kindness with revenge.
Faced with the Dark Elf captured by the devil, these poor people only had their own evil thoughts. While the illustrations in the game were still as explosive as ever, the voice acting was simply explosive compared to other adult games. Even so, Ryan still felt a mixture of emotions. Especially afterwards, he saw a young guard enter the room, seemingly well-intentioned, but who did not adhere to moral principles and resorted to evil. This was like the last straw. Along with the final scene of the demon chuckling outside the wall, Ryan felt a deep emotion.
Perhaps he could understand why the forum players had such a different reaction to this game. This was not a simple adult game. It questioned human nature and explored the concepts of good and evil. This immediately sparked some philosophical questions and reflections in Ryan.
Is human nature inherently good or inherently evil? Why would these people repay the spirits who had helped them with resentment? Why, in the end, while good intentions were preserved, did evil prevail?
Ryan, absorbed in his philosophical thoughts, pondered deeply about this.
But this was only the beginning.
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