A fascinating, compelling, thrilling dive into a niche subject I'm entirely too white for.
This is a story about Hong Kong and its revolutions, a story about diasporas and perpetuated cycles of violence arising from not being able to fit in. A story creating your personal hell, a story about being unable to forget and forgive. A story about a wound that hasn't been even allowed to scab. A story about having to learn to live with the mistakes you've made.
The game is built out of micro- and macrocosmic representations of the relationship between HK and China and the consequences of them. Iris and Jiao, Orchard and Old Town, a certain couple of characters in the last chapters, the way this little broken society functions and perpetuates -- everything that the game has to show and say cannot reasonably be discussed without also discussing that.
It's really not subtle about it either, at some point the imagery of 2019 protests is entirely in your face; which also makes the game fascinating, since rarely you see a videogame that processes and reflects on events so recent.
However that might make the game somewhat tough to truly resonate with. My general knowledge of Hong Kong protests is limited; before playing this game I didn't even know about the Umbrella Revolution of 2014, and I have only cursory knowledge of major events surrounding it, so actually piecing certain events together required talking to more knowledgeable people and those who actually lived in Hong Kong.
I think the game doesn't do that good of a job of actually connecting its past with its present for audience that is not already intimately familiar with the matter; the imagery is in your face but often enough contextless, leaving the outsiders either to do the research on the matter on their own, try to ground themselves in some other recent conflict (as some do with certain events in the middle east) or, as many do, disregard the imagery outright as something that doesn't interest them. Ultimately, though, I've heard people who are connected to the matter at hand praise the angle this game takes on HK diaspora and how it's weaved into the narrative, so maybe it does do a good job for those it's aimed for.
And yet even if you're Unaware, an attempt should be made.
Dismissing this aspect of the game outright, as some are wont to do, is simply reductive and deeply disrespectful.
While interacting with the game without interacting with its cultural message is entirely possible -- it's a striking, vibrant, compelling narrative in its own right which gives a lot to think about and which can easily be talked about in the lens of its many obvious influences -- one must not dismiss the game's roots.
As a Game™ that is interactable piece of media it's nothing much; there aren't many verbs to it other than Walking and Reading, with a tinge of Flying since the game has bizarre segments which feel like the last chapter of Neon White on sedatives. The meaning of those still eludes me lol they're just not very good.
Yet it's insanely striking visually. Sure, the character models don't really have Fidelity™, but the very distinct atmosphere, choices of colors, choices of camera angles are an unforgettable, deeply enthralling complement to the game's narrative.
The soundtrack also deserves a mention; while it doesn't have many outliers, it fits the mood nicely and has a good leitmotif going throughout the game.
This is a story about Hong Kong and its revolutions, a story about diasporas and perpetuated cycles of violence arising from not being able to fit in. A story creating your personal hell, a story about being unable to forget and forgive. A story about a wound that hasn't been even allowed to scab. A story about having to learn to live with the mistakes you've made.
The game is built out of micro- and macrocosmic representations of the relationship between HK and China and the consequences of them. Iris and Jiao, Orchard and Old Town, a certain couple of characters in the last chapters, the way this little broken society functions and perpetuates -- everything that the game has to show and say cannot reasonably be discussed without also discussing that.
It's really not subtle about it either, at some point the imagery of 2019 protests is entirely in your face; which also makes the game fascinating, since rarely you see a videogame that processes and reflects on events so recent.
However that might make the game somewhat tough to truly resonate with. My general knowledge of Hong Kong protests is limited; before playing this game I didn't even know about the Umbrella Revolution of 2014, and I have only cursory knowledge of major events surrounding it, so actually piecing certain events together required talking to more knowledgeable people and those who actually lived in Hong Kong.
I think the game doesn't do that good of a job of actually connecting its past with its present for audience that is not already intimately familiar with the matter; the imagery is in your face but often enough contextless, leaving the outsiders either to do the research on the matter on their own, try to ground themselves in some other recent conflict (as some do with certain events in the middle east) or, as many do, disregard the imagery outright as something that doesn't interest them. Ultimately, though, I've heard people who are connected to the matter at hand praise the angle this game takes on HK diaspora and how it's weaved into the narrative, so maybe it does do a good job for those it's aimed for.
And yet even if you're Unaware, an attempt should be made.
Dismissing this aspect of the game outright, as some are wont to do, is simply reductive and deeply disrespectful.
While interacting with the game without interacting with its cultural message is entirely possible -- it's a striking, vibrant, compelling narrative in its own right which gives a lot to think about and which can easily be talked about in the lens of its many obvious influences -- one must not dismiss the game's roots.
As a Game™ that is interactable piece of media it's nothing much; there aren't many verbs to it other than Walking and Reading, with a tinge of Flying since the game has bizarre segments which feel like the last chapter of Neon White on sedatives. The meaning of those still eludes me lol they're just not very good.
Yet it's insanely striking visually. Sure, the character models don't really have Fidelity™, but the very distinct atmosphere, choices of colors, choices of camera angles are an unforgettable, deeply enthralling complement to the game's narrative.
The soundtrack also deserves a mention; while it doesn't have many outliers, it fits the mood nicely and has a good leitmotif going throughout the game.