Chinese Frontiers is an indie first-person game that combines construction survival with the slow, almost meditative pace of life on the Chinese frontier during the Middle Ages. The game comes from the SolidGames workshop, known for realistic but somewhat clumsy attempts to simulate life in the past. This time they take us to a time when the Great Wall of China was still under construction, and villages and guard stations were just embryos of civilization in the middle of natural wilderness. Zvuči idilično – i u mnogočemu jest – ali iza atmosfere krije se igra koja balansira između opuštajuće izgradnje i tehnički frustrirajuće izvedbe.
U Chinese Frontiers, the player assumes the role of a survivor who, together with other characters, tries to build and maintain a life in a remote Chinese valley. Core mechanics include gathering raw materials such as wood, stone, clay, and food, as well as building structures that are critical to community survival. Sve to se odvija kroz first-person perspektivu, što daje dodatni osjećaj uronjenosti. However, in contrast to more modern survival games that enable the automation of tasks or at least the speeding up of repetitive actions, Chinese Frontiers requires the player to lift each stone by hand, place each beam personally and pour each brick himself. It's charming at first, but as the game progresses, the slow pace and repetitive nature of these quests can become tiresome.
The game takes place in beautifully designed environments. Snowy mountains, vast steppes and thick bamboo groves look really impressive, especially in combination with ambient music that relies on traditional Chinese instruments. In moments when you're walking through a misty forest picking mushrooms or building a bridge over a river, the game manages to create a sense of calm that's rarely seen in the genre. However, this atmosphere is marred by technical problems. The game had numerous bugs when it was released - from stuck quests and non-functional NPCs, to problems with pathfinding and imprecise collision. Although the developers have already released several patches, the problems have not completely disappeared.
Special attention is paid to the main characters, Jun and Mei, whose story is slowly revealed through dialogues, missions and everyday interactions. Their emotional dynamics bring a dose of narrative depth, even though they are not over-elaborated. Still, it's nice to see an attempt to bring humanity to a game that could easily remain a cold building simulation.
For fans of games like Medieval Dynasty or Banished, Chinese Frontiers can be a real find, but only if they have patience for her slow pace and current technical pains. It is a game that requires time, attention and a certain tolerance for frustration, but offers an authentic atmosphere and an unpretentious, almost therapeutic experience of life on the edge of civilization. It's not for everyone, but those who approach it with the right expectations might find it a hidden gem.
A copy of the game was provided by the publisher Big Cheese Studio for review purposes
