Afterward, they eagerly sought the true ending.
Upon discovering the method to unlock the true ending and witnessing the final scene, they all felt a chilling shiver down their spines and an overwhelming sense of dread.
Fear, anguish, and suffering...
Yet, after enduring these negative emotions, they couldn't help but exclaim:
"What an incredible game!"
"This plot twist is insane!"
"If I hadn't found the true ending, I would've been completely fooled by the fake one!"
"This is outrageous! Are all new creators this monstrous nowadays?!"
After looking at these comments, the players enthusiastically began tackling the hard mode.
It wasn't that they were unaffected by the ending, but these players were pure at heart only want to play the game.
For them, the plot was just one aspect of the game.
So, despite the dark storyline, they quickly recovered and dove back in.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, while some players enjoy solving puzzles, others are more focused on the story.
Take Goko Ruri, an ordinary high school girl from Chiba. However, online, she was known as the infamous "Fallen Saint Black Cat (Kuroneko) of Chiba."
Ruri was well-versed in all things ACG (anime, comics, and games) and excelled at gaming.
For her, a truly great game must excel in both gameplay and storytelling.
However, achieving a balance between the two is extremely difficult.
When she discovered that her favorite creator had suddenly developed a game, Ruri was thrilled. But after the excitement faded, anxiety crept in.
Sure, the creator had an exceptional talent for storytelling and had achieved great success in various fields. But could they replicate that success in a completely different medium?
After all, venturing into a new field meant starting from scratch.
So, when the game was released, Ruri immediately purchased and played it.
From last night until today, after repeatedly reaching fake endings and finally discovering the true ending, she was in complete awe of "The Witch's House."
"As expected from the master. This soul-crushing feeling is just as familiar as always."
In fact, the emotional impact of this game surpassed any of their previous works.
As for the ending, Ruri found it utterly unbearable.
As someone with two younger sisters, she couldn't help but imagine if one of her sisters were replaced by the witch and, without knowing the truth, she...
The sheer thought of that heart-wrenching pain overwhelmed her.
Dark emotions swirled within her heart.
"Viola is too beautiful! New waifu +1!"
"This game isn't even that long, yet I've been playing for five hours. Has anyone unlocked the true ending yet?"
"As a puzzle game, it's excellent. As a horror game, it's brilliant. But as for the story... it's nothing but a clich."
"Although the creator is a newbie in the gaming world, I have to say the story fell short of expectations."
Particularly when Ruri saw these shallow comments on Steam during the day, her gloomy emotions exploded.
Viola is too beautiful?
Sure, she's beautiful, but what if her soul is actually Ellen?
Five hours and still no true ending?
How can you be this bad at the game?!
Clich story, lacking depth?
Heh... Heh heh heh...
You idiots still haven't figured out the truth, and you're blaming the creator!?
"Foolish mortals!"
"You can't even comprehend the creator's final act of mercy. Fine, then. Experience this pain to your heart's content!!"
Goko Ruri's face lit up with a radiant smile.
But her eyes... were filled with pure darkness!
However...
"Before that, I need to beat this game first!"
Her eyes gleamed as she stared at Steam's rarest achievement: clearing hard mode without saving.
And so began several hours of relentless challenge!
By the time the sun set and darkness blanketed the sky...
"Finally!"
Ruri let out a long breath as she stood before the familiar door.
Compared to normal mode, hard mode had significant changes like you can't save the game while playing but those change were trivial to a pro gamer like her.
After clearing it once in normal mode, she began her true challenge in hard mode.
After two failed attempts, she finally reached the familiar door on her third run without a single mistake.
Yet, as she stood before the door, something felt off.
According to the previous progression, the black cat should've died by now. But this time, the black cat was still alive, standing in front of the door.
"Did I just accidentally unlock another hidden ending?!"
Ruri immediately recognized the significance of this anomaly.
Her heart pounded with excitement.
[193] Clich Story? No Depth? Experience the Pain of "The Witch's House"!!
[Black Cat: Yo! You never asked me for any help, huh? How boring. No wonder. This house is filled with all kinds of notes...]
So that's the trick.
The save files were actually the black cat's assistance.
The use of its power to assist the player had drained the black cat's strength.
So, when the player arrived at this point with save data, the cat, having exhausted all its power, would depart early, leaving behind only a lifeless corpse.
Come to think of it
"This is so frustrating." Why did it have to be called "Black Cat" of all things?!
Even if it had a different name, she might have accepted it better. Damn it!
With these thoughts swirling in her head, Goko Ruri continued reading.
[Black Cat: She wants to use the magic of this house to reclaim her original body.]
[If that happens, the magic of the house will disappear, right? If I stay here, I might get consumed too.]
[Heh, we may not have physical forms, but that doesn't mean we're immortal.]
As the dialogue ended, the screen changed.
A faint, sinister black aura surrounded the black cat.
Crimson droplets appeared on its upper body, and even though the image was blurry, an overwhelming sense of malice radiated from the screen.
Then, to the her shock, the subtitle that reappeared showed the black cat's title had changed.
[Demon: Alright, that's it. Good luck, Ellen, the witch who keeps her promises.]
As the black aura faded, the black cat slowly collapsed.
"This ending... it's even more complete than the true ending!"
Ruri's eyes lit up with excitement.
She had planned to use the true ending as content, but this no-save, one-life-clear ending was undeniably superior.
All the mysteries were laid bare without any deception.
In the true ending, there was no way to confirm the black cat was actually a demon. But in this ending, the game spelled it out directly.
For Ruri, this was an unexpected treasure.
As she pushed the door open and explored the house, she noticed the details had changed compared to the true ending.
The information was even more complete.
In front of a blood-stained bedsheet:
[I used to lie on this bed.]
Next to a broken chair with shattered legs, seemingly a silent testament to the past:
[The chair is overturned. Viola used to sit here and chat with me.]
A bookshelf:
[There are several books on magic. It feels quite amusing to experience the world as a powerless human.]
Approaching the witch's diary, Ruri held her breath.
Would the story change this time?
With this thought in mind, she clicked to read.
[The Witch's Diary]
[I knew she would agree.]
The very first line was already drastically different from before!
Ruri felt both excitement and dread.
Dread that this new plot would plunge her further into despair.
But her curiosity to see what kind of storytelling the creator had woven won out.
With a click of her mouse:
[Because she's so kind.]
[Because she's so pure.]
[When we swap bodies, Viola will be shocked, won't she?]
[My body is falling apart, and I'm in constant pain.]
[I've gotten used to it, but she won't be able to endure it.]
[She'll probably cry out in agony.]
[So, I'll give her some medicine.]
A burning, throat-scorching medicine.
[With this, she'll be quiet.]
!!
[I don't want to hear my own screams.]
[If I tell her it's for the pain, she'll drink it without question.]
[Then, I can finally leave this house.]
[I can step into the garden and feel the breeze on my body. It must feel wonderful.]
[Oh, right.]
[Before she arrives, I need to gouge out my eyes and break my legs.]
[That way, Viola will be left to die in despair.]
[Ahh, Viola, my dear... "friend," so kind, so lovely... so naive.]
[My dear "friend."]
As the final word faded, the screen trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
Dragging her bloodied body, Ellen, the witch possessing Viola's soul, emerged on screen.
Ruri's heart trembled with rage.
"This... this wretch!"
"This scum!!"
"No... this thing is no longer human!!"
This was a true witch.
Not the kind of cutesy, marketable witch for fanservice, but a true, detestable, loathsome villain who evoked pure hatred.
Her actions had completely abandoned the morality of humanity.
Ruri's fury burned uncontrollably.
In the previous two endings, even after learning about the body swap, she subconsciously thought that Ellen had always been like thatborn into suffering, tortured endlessly.
In a twisted way, she even felt satisfaction at Ellen's suffering.
But this diary revealed the truth.
Ellen wasn't born that way.
She became this monster by her own hands.
The moment the body swap magic was complete, Viola was subjected to unimaginable suffering.
Such a kind and pure girl, treated so cruelly
"Damn it! This is unforgivable!!"
"Why does such a monster even exist?!"
Ruri slammed her desk in rage, her hands stinging from the impact, but she didn't care.
The physical pain was nothing compared to the helpless agony welling up inside her.
After all, the moment Viola woke up in the garden, the story's fate was sealed.
The body swap magic had already succeeded.
From the very start, this was a hopeless scenario.
The player couldn't save the real Viola.
All they could do was aid the witch Ellen's escape.
"Huff... huff..."
Ruri gritted her teeth, breathing heavily.
And then...
"No depth to the story, huh?"
"Clich, huh?!"
"Alright then... I'll make you all feel true despair!!"
With eyes burning with darkness, Ruri launched her video editing software.
In this moment, she had become a machine devoid of emotion, ready to deliver unparalleled anguish to those foolish viewers still reveling in the joy of Steins;Gate.
[194] The Players' Spontaneous Recommendations! [300 PS]
"Long time no see! What has everyone been up to lately? Any favorite works?"
"If not, why not try out a game called The Witch's Housea great puzzle game!"
"In my opinion, this game is definitely among the best in the mystery and horror genre!"
"Especially the plotit's incredibly interesting, even surpassing all other similar works!"
"Trust me, in this game, you'll experience emotions that no other game can offer!"
"I'll be making a walkthrough video for it tonight, so stay tuned!"
"That's all."
While Chiba's "Fallen Saint Black Cat" account didn't have the same level of followers as Akifumi's SNS, there was a notable overlap between their fanbases.
This had the added effect of promoting the game.
After the post, a lot of comments started appearing quickly.
"The Witch's House? I think I heard about this game today."
"Since it's recommended by Black Cat-sama, I'll give it a try!"
"A mystery, horror game? That's my favorite genre! With Black Cat-sama's recommendation, I feel safe trying it out!!"
Even though there was some overlap between the fans, more than half of them were shared.
After all, Akifumi worked in so many different fields, which naturally expanded their fanbase.
"I thought the long review of Your Lie In April was just a coincidence, but now I see itBlack Cat-sama is also a fan of sensei!"
"I just saw The Witch's House recommended by sensei yesterday, and now Black Cat-sama is recommending it too. Guess I have to buy it!"
"Isn't this the first time sensei has made a game? Is it really as good as Black Cat-sama says?"
"The Witch's House is definitely a solid game, but is Black Cat-sama serious about the plot being outstanding?"
"I've cleared it multiple times, and I still don't see anything in the story that's worth praising!"
"This is such an ordinary story, it really doesn't meet the standards I expect from the original creator!"
"Even if it's sensei's work, it should be viewed critically, right?"
"Could it be that Black Cat-sama's been paid for this?"
""
The comments continued to pour in, with many expressing doubt or confusion. But then, a new post appeared.
"Seeing a lot of players commenting that The Witch's House doesn't have any standout story moments, and they think I'm just blindly praising itsome even suggesting I've been paid..."
"To the last point, I'd like to ask: If Warrior of Love and Hope-sensei sees this, could you share your LINE ID with me?"
"Ahem, back to the main topic."
"For those saying the story has no highlights, I can only say, is it a bit too soon to judge without reaching the true ending?"
"If you're stuck, here's a hint: during the final chase, find Ellen's knife, and you'll see a completely different story."
"Just to avoid any argument, here's the badge I earned. Screenshot.jpg (click to view)"
The screenshot showed Chiba's Fallen Saint Black Cat's playtime in The Witch's House and the achievements unlocked, with the most eye-catching being the unique gold achievement.
After the new post, responses began flooding in quickly.
"Black Cat-sama, you've already reached the true ending so fast!!"
"I thought the other endings were a scam, but it turns out I was just too dumb to figure it out!"
"Wait, it's not a change in the middle of the game, but rather an item affecting the final outcome? Isn't that a bit too childish?"
"What's so different about the true ending?"
"Well, if it's so easy to get the true ending, I guess I'll go back and check it out."
""
About 2 hours after this post went up, the comments started to shift dramatically.
"Ahhh! My eyes! My eyes!!"
"Why did I have to go and watch the so-called true ending?!"
"It's fake! It's definitely fake!! I refuse to accept that all my efforts led to this outcome!!"
"In my rage, I punched my monitor! Ugh, my BDIFUBADSIBQ SW321C!!"
