Red Names
It wasn't just Joseph who was immersed in the game; fans from all over the world were diving into Legend of Pokémon: Breath of the Wild.
The content that Legend of Pokémon: Breath of the Wild had shown so far had surprised many game reviewers and veteran players. The production quality was incredibly high, with character models that rivaled those from companies with years of experience, perhaps even surpassing them by a bit. It was clear that Picca Comics, known for anime, had put its expertise to good use here.
While some players were deeply engrossed in advancing the game's main storyline, others had unlocked the open world and were already wandering off aimlessly.
"What? You say I need to challenge gyms and become the champion? What's that?"
For players who love open-world games, the main quest is just a side activity. The real fun lies in exploring the vast world, only occasionally tackling gyms when the mood strikes. They're more interested in roaming around on their Pokémon, messing with other players, and seeing what secrets the wilds hold.
One favorite pastime was fishing. After all, a game without a fishing minigame isn't complete. Even some mobile games had fishing, so a big game featuring Water-type Pokémon wouldn't skip out on it.
In addition to this, certain cities had game arcades where players could play mini-games. Collect enough game coins, and you could exchange them for Pokémon, items, or skills. Popular games included Poker, Blackjack, Old Maid, Mahjong, and even a mini version of Pokémon GO within the arcade.
Yes, you heard that right—Pokémon GO was included within the game itself. It was a clever way to drive traffic to the main game.
Of course, there were two types of prize pools in these game arcades: one for non-paying players who could earn coins just by playing, and another for those willing to spend real money to hit certain prize thresholds, similar to the exchange system in mobile games like Honor of Kings.
…
In the live streaming world, many streamers on Xianyu TV were racing through the main storyline of Legend of Pokémon: Breath of the Wild, hoping to attract more viewers by being among the first to showcase new content.
But in Daniel's stream, things were different. He was casually wandering through the western wilds of the game, with no intention of advancing the main story.
After all, Daniel was a manga reviewer by trade. He played games for fun, and Pokémon was a franchise he particularly enjoyed, which was why he was streaming it.
"Come on, why rush through the gyms? The essence of open-world games is exploring at your own pace, enjoying the scenery. You know, I haven't encountered any clipping issues so far. It's much better than some other games out there," Daniel commented to his viewers as he roamed through the game.
"Look at this! Just by wandering around, I found a Shiny Oddish! Sure, Oddish isn't rare, but anything with 'Shiny' in its name is a big deal!"
"Go, Pikachu!"
After a Thunder Shock, Daniel engaged the Shiny Oddish in battle. Just as he was about to weaken it enough to catch it, he noticed Pikachu's health dropping rapidly. A message popped up on his screen: You are being attacked by player '10086 Customer Service.' Your Pikachu was hit critically by player '10086 Customer Service's' Geodude. Your Pikachu fainted. Without any Pokémon left, you are now being attacked by the enraged Oddish.
???
Daniel stared at the screen in disbelief as his character died. He was silent for a moment before shouting, "What the heck just happened?"
The chat exploded with laughter:
'Haha, even the streamer got killed! There's a group of players doing this on purpose. They can't catch the Pokémon you're battling, but if they kill you, they don't have to worry about it.'
'No way! Should I start doing this too?'
'Don't! Doing that will make you a red name, and everyone will hunt you down!'
That's right. Legend of Pokémon: Breath of the Wild offered various ways to play. You could choose to be a villain, or you could choose to be a good person.
But being a villain came with consequences. In the game, you could attack other players' Pokémon, but only if they agreed to a duel. Attacking without permission would turn you into a red-name player.
Red-name players found that entering cities or public areas would cause NPCs to flee, and Officer Jennys would start hunting them down. Additionally, the game had a red-name leaderboard. The more malicious acts a player committed, the higher their red-name value, and the better the rewards for players who took them down.
If a red-name player was killed, they would be sent to a 'jail' in the game, receive a debuff, and their Pokémon would lose levels.
These penalties were meant to discourage players from exploiting the system. While it couldn't completely eliminate trolls, it significantly reduced their numbers.
On the other hand, doing good deeds could result in positive interactions with NPCs, leading to helpful rewards or even unlocking rare secondary professions.
In the game, every player started as a Trainer. But beyond that, they could unlock other professions.
For instance, after competing in the Pokémon Contest, a player could become a Coordinator.
By defeating a certain number of red-name players and accumulating enough good karma, a player could become a Pokémon Ranger or even an official Pokémon Officer in the game.
Gaining the favor of a Poké Ball maker could unlock the profession of Poké Ball Artisan.
Players could even join Team Rocket or other organizations and change their profession accordingly.
Additionally, the game had many ecosystem-based systems. For example, if a player ate too much, their character's weight would gradually increase.
Players also had to maintain their hygiene. If they went too long without a bath, their character would start attracting flies, and NPCs would avoid them.
This was the gaming experience for players who ignored the main storyline and just roamed around. For those who focused on advancing the plot, their experience was entirely different.
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