A Perfect Day Review
Many of us probably think about this in our spare time when we lie awake at night and wonder what we would do differently if we could do the day over again. What moment will it change for the better? What different paths can be taken? How does it affect life?
Bill Murray explored this in the excellent Groundhog Day, and now, thanks to the Chinese game A Perfect Day, we can too. Games set in China are very rare, so being able to play in another country and culture is a huge joy. Let's see how the day goes.
There are not many games in modern China. I say 'today', but the 'Perfect Day' was actually set in 1999 at the start of the new millennium. Political and cultural changes were taking place in China as domestic enterprises emerged as a powerhouse. .
But to come back to earth, on the eve of the New Year's holiday, play like school children in the classroom. Suddenly, for some reason, the principal cancels all classes early and you have the whole day off. They decide to create the perfect day. A student's first task is to deliver a romantic card to a girl in his class, and this task takes him all over town. During the game you will meet school friends, your father and other strange encounters.
A Perfect Day is a great visual novel, but there are some fun mini-games and little puzzles to solve along the way. The looping mechanics are great and I like the weirdness combined with the inherent realism. Sometimes I find it a quirky indie film with great dialogue and scenes. More importantly, it's fascinating to be able to explore a certain era in a foreign culture, but still encounter all-too-familiar human dilemmas; Love, family and youth.
As for the gameplay, it's a mix of the click-and-shoot adventure popular in China at the time and some mini-games. Sometimes the control system doesn't feel intuitive enough, and perhaps the switch from PC to console is to blame. However, everything works, and you move to different places, exploring objects and people to start some conversations and encounter situations. There's a well-functioning inventory system and some interesting items to collect along the way.
The mini games are good. There is a part of Perfect Day where you race a toy car. You can also build your own car and participate in races. There is also an arcade mode where you can collect cartridges and play this game on your Gamicon console. Some of them are really fun and will be enjoyed by players who remember their experiences from years ago.
Perfect Day is also a game that draws you in with its visual style; I felt strange yet familiar at the same time. The game looks like a picture book you'd find in a children's library, full of brightly drawn characters and locations with incredible attention to detail. I loved the visuals and the world really immersed me in the atmosphere of 90s China. The soundtrack is also very well done with nice effects. Some may point to the lack of voice work, but that's not necessary.
Perfect Day is a very original experience, especially in terms of gameplay and story structure. But it is also original, because it allows Westerners to play from a different cultural perspective. I really enjoyed exploring the world, locations and characters. But the mini-games are also worth noting, with some great old-school gameplay to explore.
There are some control issues and the pacing of A Perfect Day might not be for everyone, but mostly it's a nostalgic game. It was actually a lot of fun recreating "A Perfect Day."
