This started on Tuesday so I'm a bit late, but Steam China is hosting this event to showcase games with "Eastern charm" as well as games from (mostly indie) developers/studios in Asia. It's...
This started on Tuesday so I'm a bit late, but Steam China is hosting this event to showcase games with "Eastern charm" as well as games from (mostly indie) developers/studios in Asia. It's interesting to see what's bubbling on the other side of the world, and I've found a couple titles I'll be keeping tabs on. It ends this coming Tuesday, so check it out while you can.
I looked through a few, unfortunately the ones that looked interesting are either Mixed review score or Early Access. Are there any that you feel worth calling out in particular? Shanghai Office...
I looked through a few, unfortunately the ones that looked interesting are either Mixed review score or Early Access. Are there any that you feel worth calling out in particular?
Shanghai Office Simulator sounds funny, a card battler set in a typical stressful and abusive office environment in China. Too bad it sounds like the translation is subpar and it's early access.
Cyber Manhunt about "big data, hacking, citizen privacy" sounds like an interesting and surprising topic for China given their reputation for Big Brother type surveillance.
Depersonalization might be up my alley with narrative investigation... and also RNG-based tactics RPG??? This could be incredible if it somehow meets the dev's ambitious high bar. Early access.
I can't give any real recommendations because almost all the stuff that caught my eye is in Early Access, and I probably won't actually end up playing any of them anyway. I was more or less just...
I can't give any real recommendations because almost all the stuff that caught my eye is in Early Access, and I probably won't actually end up playing any of them anyway. I was more or less just following my curiosity and shared here mainly for awareness.
That said, the ones that caught my eye for whatever reason are below, followed by requisite promotional copy:
an action-adventure game with RPG elements set in a cyberpunk world, featuring a unique mix of pixelated 2D & 3D graphic style with a rich, dark and bizarre plot.
"You were framed and incarcerated. Learn to survive in prison. Explore every inch and exploit any weakness. Manipulate and scheme. Make friends (or foes) with fellow inmates and with their help, break out of prison."
a charming adventure game wrapped around a unique, world-altering puzzle mechanic. Use this power to explore mysterious lands, help a quirky cast of characters, and guide Carto on her journey back to her family.
Eastern Exorcist is a stunning 2D side-scrolling action RPG set in a fantasy eastern world with the vicious spirits and monsters. Play as a skilled exorcist against chaotic evil to fight your way through the brutal world, and experience different stories of joy and sorrow.
This is a pixel-style puzzle game. It tells about a white-collar worker in his thirties who is doing well in a big city. His career is on the rise, and he has a house, a cat, and a lovely wife. But one night, his wife started pretending to be dead…
a roguelike game in which players must square off against bizarre fruits all across the world. The line between the animal and the plant world has become blurred, and the food chain has been completely disrupted.
The Legend of Tianding is a sidescrolling action game about Liao Tianding, the legendary Taiwanese Folk Hero. Explore the dazzling streets of Colonial Japanese Taiwan in the early 20th century.
Zhao Sheng, a retired postman, has been suffering from dementia over the past years. He insists that his partner Qi Mei is waiting for him under a peach tree. Zhao Sheng’s family didn't want him to leave with any regrets and decided to go and find that peach tree he had been talking about...
Minds Beneath Us is a story-rich Sci-Fi thriller adventure game set in a futuristic Asian city. In a society that has become fully automated with AI, you will be trapped into a body that doesn't belong to yourself, making choices for him and facing the coming fate together.
Retro action "save-them-all" platformer including advanced physics combined with an unique retro feel. Complete rescue missions leading your colleagues to the closest base station. Fight enemies using your laser gun, jet pack, destroy terrain and even make new paths with the ground maker.
This is an RPG about corporate life as an ordinary insect. Our protagonist, Moth Kubit, has just been promoted, and all of a sudden embarks on a weird adventure in a megacorp to redeem (or eradicate) himself, his bug-ddies and the company before the mysterious "Final Process" arrives.
"Murders on Yangtze River" is an Ace Attorney-like detective game that takes you on a journey through early 20th century China as you solve a series of intriguing cases. Use your logical reasoning and deduction skills to uncover clues, interrogate suspects, and solve the mysteries.
Olija is a game about Faraday's quest, a man shipwrecked then trapped in the mysterious country of Terraphage. Armed with a legendary harpoon, he and other castaways try to leave this hostile country to return to their homelands.
Make up for lost time with Once Again. If you could travel through time, who’s the first person you’d meet? An interactive story about a boy who spends his summers wandering between past and present... After meeting her, summer will never be the same again...Who is she, and what journey awaits you?
The Rewinder is an adventure puzzle game based on Chinese mythology. You play as Yun, the last known Rewinder, who can communicate with spirits and explore other people's memories to alter the past.
Look at the world around you, and see that left long forgotten. Room 301 is a narrative game portraying the lived experience of those with Alzheimer's. Progress through similar puzzles time and again. Each day, you must sort through your belongings to see your past.
From the creators of The Messenger. Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by the classics. It tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer.
Soda Crisis is a fast-paced side-scrolling shooter game. You play a mysterious character of unknown origin, equipped with advanced high-tech gears and fierce combating skills - definitely the chosen one for this rescue mission!
After being discharged from the army and starting to write novels, nico embarks on a trip to the world with the roar of a train, encountering all kinds of people and events on the way, and experiencing the new world after the war, and the real purpose of nico's trip gradually emerges ......
Welcome to a world of intrigue and suspicion. Where humans and robots contend with escalating tensions and mutual distrust. And where gangster felines scheme their way to the top of the food chain. Welcome to the Tales of the Neon Sea!
As a vow to his dying Master, the young swordsman Hiroki is sworn to protect his town and the people he loves against all threats. Faced with tragedy and bound to duty, the lone samurai must voyage beyond life and death to confront himself and decide his path forward.
a physics-based fighting game that can put you back into the classic Kung Fu films.
Also, there's Nine Sols, which is not a part of the games fest for some reason but doubly qualifies, coming from a Taiwanese studio and featuring heavy Eastern/Taoist charm. This has been on my radar for a minute and I'll definitely play this one on release.
Nine Sols is a lore rich, hand-drawn 2D action-platformer featuring Sekiro-inspired deflection focused combat. Embark on a journey of eastern fantasy, explore the land once home to an ancient alien race, and follow a vengeful hero’s quest to slay the 9 Sols, formidable rulers of this forsaken realm.
Probably due to one or several of the below: China isn't shy about reporting on hacking and espionage stories, so long as it can be spun against the United States. If this saw domestic release, I...
Cyber Manhunt about "big data, hacking, citizen privacy" sounds like an interesting and surprising topic for China given their reputation for Big Brother type surveillance.
Probably due to one or several of the below:
China isn't shy about reporting on hacking and espionage stories, so long as it can be spun against the United States. If this saw domestic release, I would not be surprised if the original script was more critical of the West, with this cut in localization.
This could be a Western-focused release which isn't being released domestically in China.
A separate team based in Hong Kong or Macau may have developed this to get around the state censorship issues that would've popped up. Aluba Studio are based in China but it's not clear exactly where in China they're based.
This could be part of a greater psyop intended to make Western gamers distrustful of technology.
Sands of Salzaar looks interesting, almost like a hand-drawn cross between Diablo, Dynasty Warriors and those dime-a-dozen crappy mobile base building strategy games. It feels like the game takes...
Sands of Salzaar looks interesting, almost like a hand-drawn cross between Diablo, Dynasty Warriors and those dime-a-dozen crappy mobile base building strategy games.
It feels like the game takes heavy inspiration from other series in terms of its features and presentation. The reputation system looks like it was ripped straight out of World of Warcraft. Skill trees look like they've also been borrowed from WoW's talent trees with icons looking like they've been traced from WoW's assets almost verbatim, while the talent system (not gonna rag on a system that's been used in some way or another as early as Final Fantasy X) seems a bit more generic.
Talent trees and icons were almost certainly derived from LoL, so... yeah from WoW. But it's the journey that matters! Edit: And I can't really fault anyone for using someone else's style for...
Talent trees and icons were almost certainly derived from LoL, so... yeah from WoW. But it's the journey that matters!
Edit: And I can't really fault anyone for using someone else's style for icons. The only purpose is to inform users, and leaning on existing and recognizable iconography is a straight up good way to do it. I believe UI is also less legally protected, though I don't know specifics.
This started on Tuesday so I'm a bit late, but Steam China is hosting this event to showcase games with "Eastern charm" as well as games from (mostly indie) developers/studios in Asia. It's interesting to see what's bubbling on the other side of the world, and I've found a couple titles I'll be keeping tabs on. It ends this coming Tuesday, so check it out while you can.
I looked through a few, unfortunately the ones that looked interesting are either Mixed review score or Early Access. Are there any that you feel worth calling out in particular?
Shanghai Office Simulator sounds funny, a card battler set in a typical stressful and abusive office environment in China. Too bad it sounds like the translation is subpar and it's early access.
Cyber Manhunt about "big data, hacking, citizen privacy" sounds like an interesting and surprising topic for China given their reputation for Big Brother type surveillance.
Depersonalization might be up my alley with narrative investigation... and also RNG-based tactics RPG??? This could be incredible if it somehow meets the dev's ambitious high bar. Early access.
I can't give any real recommendations because almost all the stuff that caught my eye is in Early Access, and I probably won't actually end up playing any of them anyway. I was more or less just following my curiosity and shared here mainly for awareness.
That said, the ones that caught my eye for whatever reason are below, followed by requisite promotional copy:
Anno: Mutationem
Back To The Dawn
Carto
Eastern Exorcist
If only I could go home early
Juicy Realm
The Legend of Tianding
Long Dream
Minds Beneath Us
Moons of Darsalon
Moth Kubit
Murders on the Yangtze River
Olija
Once Again
The Rewinder
Room 301 NO.6
Sea of Stars
Soda Crisis
Sunset Hills
Tales of the Neon Sea
Trek to Yomi
WuJiDaoRen,
Also, there's Nine Sols, which is not a part of the games fest for some reason but doubly qualifies, coming from a Taiwanese studio and featuring heavy Eastern/Taoist charm. This has been on my radar for a minute and I'll definitely play this one on release.
Probably due to one or several of the below:
China isn't shy about reporting on hacking and espionage stories, so long as it can be spun against the United States. If this saw domestic release, I would not be surprised if the original script was more critical of the West, with this cut in localization.
This could be a Western-focused release which isn't being released domestically in China.
A separate team based in Hong Kong or Macau may have developed this to get around the state censorship issues that would've popped up. Aluba Studio are based in China but it's not clear exactly where in China they're based.
This could be part of a greater psyop intended to make Western gamers distrustful of technology.
Sands of Salzaar looks interesting, almost like a hand-drawn cross between Diablo, Dynasty Warriors and those dime-a-dozen crappy mobile base building strategy games.
It feels like the game takes heavy inspiration from other series in terms of its features and presentation. The reputation system looks like it was ripped straight out of World of Warcraft. Skill trees look like they've also been borrowed from WoW's talent trees with icons looking like they've been traced from WoW's assets almost verbatim, while the talent system (not gonna rag on a system that's been used in some way or another as early as Final Fantasy X) seems a bit more generic.
Talent trees and icons were almost certainly derived from LoL, so... yeah from WoW. But it's the journey that matters!
Edit: And I can't really fault anyone for using someone else's style for icons. The only purpose is to inform users, and leaning on existing and recognizable iconography is a straight up good way to do it. I believe UI is also less legally protected, though I don't know specifics.