The Game Director Who Returned from Hell - Chapter 2 (Part 2):

 

It wasn’t about compromising quality, but rather about compromising volume.

 

Certain types of games could be created with limited resources.

 

Indie games, comparable to low-budget independent films.

 

Thankfully, that was my expertise.

 

‘In fact, it’s advantageous.’

 

I had previously won awards as a solo indie developer.

 

Although there was a significant technological gap between then and now, my expertise hadn’t disappeared.

 

In fact, I could still utilize techniques and technologies that hadn’t even been introduced yet, which put me in an advantageous position.

 

Moreover, the year was 2008, a time when indies were starting to gain attention in the market.

 

The direction of development was clear.

 

Now, I needed to choose a genre.

 

Once I started considering options, ideas began flowing like a fountain.

 

‘We can’t expand volume through indie games. We need to present the game intuitively within limited backgrounds and systems.’

 

To achieve that, I had to decide on a genre.

 

Using the concept of incompleteness to create horror.

 

Emotions that could compensate for low budget and limited resources.

 

Clear mechanics, in other words, gameplay.

 

The concept was forming.

 

‘Pixel art horror.

 

It was a proven format.

 

The human brain has a tendency to complete incomplete information internally.

 

From that perspective, the imperfections and lack of completeness in pixel art were enough to stimulate the brain.

 

In fact, some horror games were created based on this idea, gaining significant recognition and accolades, decorating a corner of the era.

However, it wouldn’t be successful as a typical horror game.

 

Horror games were fundamentally a niche genre.

 

After all, how many people actively sought out things that scared them?

 

Creating a game solely focused on fear would likely only cater to enthusiasts for a short time.

 

Originally, my goal was distant from merely scaring others.

 

What I wanted to achieve was not fear, but hell itself.

 

A change in approach was needed.

 

For quite some time, a few prominent games had been leading this field.

 

‘Combination of genres.’

 

A new horror that extended beyond fear.

 

The fusion of different genres was the answer.

 

‘Successful cases already exist.’

 

From the romantic 90s to the present day, there were beloved horror IPs worldwide.

 

There were horror IPs that would gain love in the future.

 

Each of these IPs had significant impact, whether as movies, TV shows, or social phenomena. They all attempted to combine horror with other genres, and the most successful combination was none other than this.

 

‘Survival horror.’

 

‘It’s action.’

 

Not just experiencing fear, but confronting and overcoming it head-on.

 

A genre that could provide catharsis through facing challenges.

 

Survival horror action was one of the most popular horror styles in the 21st century.

 

‘There’s something suitable.’

 

I immediately sifted through my gathered material and extracted a single file.

 

The idea for a setting suitable for this genre came to me instantly.

 

It was a realm with straightforward rules.

 

A smile crept onto my face.

 

‘This is it.’

 

The backdrop for my first game in this life would be the “Hell of the Self-Destructive.”

 

***

 

There was a realization as I walked through hell.

 

It was the fact that the sins referred to in that land had different standards than those of the present world’s laws.

 

Among the various hells, ‘Hell of Self-Destruction’ was a world that vividly showcased such otherworldly sensations.

 

”What did I do wrong―!”

 

It was the most common phrase spoken by the prisoners there.

 

And it was, in fact, not entirely incorrect.

 

Due to the intricacies of human legal systems, there were aspects of their sins that were difficult to define as sins.

 

The sins attributed to them in this realm called hell were one.

 

Neglecting one’s own body.

 

Thus, plunging oneself into death.

 

… That place could have been the hell I fell into.

 

“I’ve never harmed anyone else! Aaaargh!!!”

 

One of the sinners had perished due to excessive drinking.

 

Another had rotted their lungs to death through smoking.

 

That level of suffering was on the milder side.

 

There were addicts to various substances.

 

Masochists, self-destructive individuals.

 

But the gravest of them all was a man named Baek Mi.

 

He always said,

 

“It’s my own body! I should be able to do what I want with it!”

 

He questioned why he should suffer so much from others just because he treated his own body as he pleased.

 

Yet, the jailer never responded to the man’s plea.

 

To be precise, he was in no condition to respond.

 

Blue skin without a hint of hair, a lean frame, and black, scarred flesh.

 

Those were the noticeable features of the jailer; a closer look revealed the reason for his insensitivity.

 

His eyes and mouth were stitched shut.

 

His nose appeared to have been sliced off with a knife, leaving only scars, and huge nails were driven into his ears.

 

They symbolized the absence of communication.

 

Blocking all senses, they mechanically executed torture.

 

Even amid excruciating pain and ceaseless screams, they didn’t stop inflicting suffering, pushing the prisoners into such a position.

 

Perhaps they were saying, “Feel the despair that your bodies felt.” Who knows?

 

Anyway, what I drew from that game as a motif was none other than this.

 

”How long did you think you’d last! Everyone! Let’s kill those blue monsters!”

 

One day, a man planned the prisoners’ liberation.

 

He was the one who had committed the gravest sin in this hell, as he had proclaimed before.

 

I witnessed the man’s coup from start to finish.

 

Prisoners and jailers darted through the rooms, playing a fierce game of hide-and-seek and pursuing each other.

 

Numerous individuals shed blood and fell, yet none could claim victory.

 

Because hell was where those who had already become deceased came.

 

“Aaaargh!!!”

 

Naturally, the prisoners’ defeat was the conclusion.

 

It was a given.

 

No matter how they struggled, there was no escape from this hell.

 

Anyway, what mattered was that I gained ample inspiration from that incident.

 

The coup that unfolded in the Hell of Self-Destruction.

 

That day’s rebellion gave birth to the genre known as ‘Survival Horror Action.’