Author: 孤筝(lvbowen040427@163.com)

With ample funding and impeccable special effects—particularly the breathtaking long take of the space elevator, paired with the visceral impact of “Space Elevator”—this film fulfilled the dream of a megastructure enthusiast like me.

The themes are manifold, and I can’t quite pinpoint the central one. Perhaps it’s unity? The speech by Old Man Zhou struck a deep chord, and his resemblance to Premier Zhou Enlai is uncanny—so very uncanny.

We’ve never disliked patriotic narratives; what we dislike is hollow preaching and the forced feeding of so-called “positive energy.”

The countdowns at key moments and the concept of digital life carry strong echoes of Interstellar and Asimov’s Foundation.

The lyrics from the theme song Humans Are_—“Farewell, my moonlight, my blue, my love. The steel behemoths roar, as we refuse to go gentle into the night”—clearly reflect the influence of Interstellar on this work.

The first half of the line comes from Old Man Zhou’s dialogue in The Wandering Earth 2, while “the night” references Dylan Thomas’s poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, famously quoted in Interstellar. The “steel behemoths” likely symbolize the planetary engines, emblems of human technology and Earth’s hope for survival.

It’s fair to say this film fully meets the caliber of Interstellar.

Even more delightful is the second end-credit song, Flowing Water, whose folk style feels utterly “out of place” in a sci-fi setting, yet ignites a humanistic warmth in the cold vastness of space. This is something rarely achieved in Liu Cixin’s grand sci-fi universe, highlighting the distinct artistic strengths of literature versus film.

I lingered until the very last note of Flowing Water faded, leaving the theater as the final viewer, my mind echoing with the refrain: “Like flowing water, rushing la-la-la-la-la…”

— GuZheng
January 27, 2023

Published on 2023-01-27 at 孤筝の温暖小家, last modified on 2023-01-27

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Author: 孤筝(lvbowen040427@163.com)

Better to see once than hear a hundred times.

In 2021, I watched a full playthrough livestream by a content creator on Bilibili and was immediately captivated by its ethereal art style. Two years later, when I finally played it myself, the visual splendor struck me just as profoundly, while the emotional resonance felt freshly poignant.

On January 12, 2023, I embarked on this journey with two anonymous travelers. The first accompanied me through the desert, the second through the snow-capped mountains—neither left their names, mirroring how we meet, connect, and part ways like ships passing in the vast sea of humanity. Together we raced across dunes, climbed through blizzards, and soared above clouds, only to separate at the summit. Perhaps they tried to share contact details through Morse-coded chirps, but alas, I couldn’t decipher them.

Perhaps an encounter without full connection is the perfect ending—
My heart brims with regret, yet overflows with tenderness and love.

Though predating Sky: Children of the Light (2019), the 2012 Journey achieves superior visual artistry through platform advantages—every grain of sand, snowflake, dune, gust of wind, and wisp of cloud beckons beauty-seeking eyes. Its level design maintains remarkable freshness throughout.

In short: If you haven’t bought it yet, do so now. I paid full price (¥55 on Steam) with zero regrets.

Over its 11-year lifespan, Journey has garnered constellations of praise, so I’ll refrain from adding clumsy strokes. Below is an excerpt from user Baiyewlaef’s review on HEYBOX:

“What’s truly astonishing is its multiplayer system and unique player interaction—no text communication, only ambiguous concepts conveyed through chirps of varying length and pitch. This strips away all externalities, leaving only the essence of human connection. Completing the journey mirrors life itself: meeting strangers in solitary travels, walking together, then parting. Though brief in playtime, its afterglow lingers.

Having played ABZU and Sky beforehand, Journey clearly operates on a higher plane. ABZU falters narratively and mechanically, while Sky—constrained by free-to-play mechanics—expands communication systems and emphasizes cosmetic differentiation to boost social engagement, daily activity, and monetization. But these very mechanics introduce comparison metrics: ‘My hairstyle is exclusive,’ ‘My instrument is rare,’ ‘This veteran has epic gear—I must cling to them.’ Such competitive mindsets inevitably proliferate, shifting focus from spiritual fulfillment to vanity metrics.

Journey eliminates all such reference points. Your companion has no unique appearance or special colors—their gender, age, or skill level remain unknown. Each player becomes a pure human symbol. This intentional obscurity purifies motivations: You may abandon this stranger or selflessly collaborate. Your warmth may go unreciprocated; your indifference won’t be judged. Everything becomes fleeting moments preserved only in memory.

Playing Journey, I felt that beneath all exteriors, people are inherently kind. A single chirp exchanged in circles could fill me with contentment. Yet most modern games increasingly emphasize differentiation, opposition, and competition. When designers incentivize hierarchy and combat, how can players cultivate kindness within such frameworks? Over time, these adversarial systems became the norm, making Journey’s approach feel revolutionary—a marvel that praises the game while lamenting industry trends. Competitive games have merit, but when they dominate the landscape, it feels like a waste of gaming’s artistic potential.”

Published on 2023-01-12 at 孤筝の温暖小家, last modified on 2023-01-12

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Author: 孤筝(lvbowen040427@163.com)

If you’re a player primarily interested in the art style and have lower expectations for other aspects, I’d currently still recommend this game.

The biggest draw is undoubtedly the art style by the talented artist Cici. Personally, I’m not a fan of overly dark aesthetics in similar games.

As for the story… it’s quite confusing, especially in the first two chapters. Many events feel “convenient” – you fight monsters inexplicably, experience sudden emotional moments and reconciliations, yet even after two chapters, the background story remains unclear. The opening narrative needs significant improvement to properly introduce the world-building and the anomalies in the Mirror World.

The transitions are just black screens with white text or static images with text overlays, which feels embarrassingly low-budget. Even without comparing it to Ori, this falls short. Considering it’s a three-person studio with Cici still working at miHoYo, production capacity is clearly strained, so I’ll cut them some slack for now. Hopefully, after TT Games secures funding from the game’s release, they can hire more talent to boost production and refine the early chapters.

Regarding the combat system, TT mentioned they prioritized a smaller scope, so the combat isn’t overly complex. However, the Mirror Element Spirits mechanic gives off strong “4399 mini-game” vibes (laughs). I hope they can reduce the player character’s hit reactions while enhancing enemy feedback. Currently, enemies don’t even budge when hit, whereas attacks on the player cause stun locks and knockbacks – it feels frustrating.

Map design is decent in terms of guidance, preventing players from getting lost. But this is mainly because the maps lack depth, with very few explorable areas. For a deliberately small-scale game, this is forgivable. Judging by the TAB map design, TT doesn’t seem to be aiming for the intricate maps of Ori or Hollow Knight, opting instead for discrete room-based levels rather than maze-like structures. If they want to justify the price point without deepening map complexity, I’d hope they compensate with length – longer storylines, more varied scenes, and additional levels.

Overall, recommended for players who love the art style. Others might want to wait and see.
Five years in the making – here’s hoping Glimmer in the Mirror continues to improve and that we see more great indie games in the future.

Published on 2023-01-11 at 孤筝の温暖小家, last modified on 2023-01-11

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Author: 孤筝(lvbowen040427@163.com)

After watching too many thesis defenses, I went back for a second viewing of The Legend of Zhang Beihai to cleanse my eyes.

Personally, I don’t recommend starting the animation of sci-fi novels with The Three-Body Problem—the IP is too massive to handle. Right now, the domestic sci-fi scene seems fixated on milking Liu Cixin dry. In my opinion, the domestic film and TV industry, with its mature experience in romance productions, could start with authors like He Xi instead.
Top-tier funding, an ultra-long production period, and yet they delivered this—what a brutal blow to China’s sci-fi industry.
The team behind My Three-Body practically wore out their copies of The Three-Body Problem while making it, just like how the crew of the 87 Dream of the Red Chamber adaptation had all read the novel, even bringing in Redology scholars as consultants. I wonder how many people at Yixu Kaitian have actually read The Three-Body Problem cover to cover, even once?
Give sci-fi the means to thrive commercially, not the other way around. It’s hard to say whether the influx of capital has been a net positive or negative for the industry’s development.
Chinese sci-fi still has a long, arduous road ahead.

Farewell, the sunrise I once gazed upon, the guiding light now a dying ember on a stranger’s path.

Heh heh, Dongfang Yanxu, my Dongfang Yanxu, heh heh (even getting excited over blocky characters—impressive, huh? That’s me for you.)

Published on 2023-01-02 at 孤筝の温暖小家, last modified on 2023-01-02

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