After taking a moment to compose himself, Pei Qian clicked on the promotional CG for “Ink Cloud Smoke.”
The entire CG featured traditional Chinese ink and wash style. A drop of ink spread across pale yellow rice paper, transforming into black mist. Between gatherings and dispersals, a ferocious-looking mythical beast was born, circling in the sky with bared fangs and claws, as dark clouds enveloped the distant ancient Chinese city…
Simultaneously, an aged, deep-voiced narrator began speaking.
“Legend has it that in ancient times, in China, there was an evil beast called Yan, formed from resentment. It was said that the Yan beast could weave dreams, feeding on people’s negative emotions such as fear, hatred, despair, and malice, growing stronger day by day…”
With the narration, the game CG’s scenes constantly changed. The Yan beast hid among clouds in the sky, while countless strange and bizarre monsters spawned, wreaking havoc on the human world.
A scholar realized he was trapped within a dream. Holding a scroll in his left hand and brush and ink in his right, he began using his calligraphy and painting powers to defeat the monsters in the dream, seeking to expose the Yan beast hidden within the dreamscape. Meanwhile, the Yan beast continued breeding demons to obstruct the scholar.
Countless demons rushed toward the scholar. He wielded his brush vigorously, drawing a giant boulder on the scroll, then lightly flicked the brush. The boulder immediately appeared above the monsters, crashing down thunderously and crushing them into wisps of smoke.
The monsters also threw falling rocks and massive trees from mountain cliffs at the scholar, but he waved his brush, erasing these foreign objects out of thin air.
Brush strokes crisscrossed, black mist scattered, as the scholar and monsters engaged in fierce combat. The narrator gradually revealed the game’s story background…
This promotional CG wasn’t particularly complex – not the kind with intricate details down to each strand of hair or pore, and certainly couldn’t compare to the GPL Spring Season promotional video.
However, this video’s brilliance lay in its perfect harmony with the game itself.
“Ink Cloud Smoke” was a horizontal 2D game, not a major investment 3A title. Since it was a Chinese-themed game related to calligraphy and painting elements, using this ink and wash style CG was perfectly appropriate.
Not only did it highlight the game’s own characteristics, but it also reduced production difficulty.
In the updated demo version, although it only included two small levels from the game with about ten minutes of gameplay, it showcased the game’s core mechanics.
Building on traditional 2D horizontal platformer controls as the foundation – movement, jumping, double-jumping, attacks, defense, and more – it also featured calligraphy and painting skills.
When clicking the painting skill, the game screen entered a state of stasis. Time flowed at an extremely slow pace, allowing players to select and erase elements from the game scene or create props by drawing specific shapes. For example, drawing circles created large boulders, while drawing zigzag lines could create lightning, and so on.
However, this meant the game couldn’t be played with a controller – only keyboard and mouse or touchscreen.
The official team was clearly planning to focus on computer and mobile platforms, promising players they’d release the PC version first, followed by the mobile version.
While logically the mobile version would be more comfortable to control, since PC had more independent game players and was easier to develop, they prioritized the PC version release.
…
After watching the promotional video and trying out the game content, Pei Qian’s expression was serious, as if facing a formidable enemy.
No wonder so many people were pre-ordering – this actually looked quite reliable!
Domestic independent game players were already one of the most supportive groups for domestic games, and “Ink Cloud Smoke” was a Chinese-themed game that combined traditional cultural elements like calligraphy and painting with gaming – clearly making it even more appealing.
But… could just the game’s demo achieve such an effective promotional effect?
This doesn’t seem right?
With some confusion, Pei Qian clicked on the Destitution Plan promotional video on the game’s details page.
…
The video began in a dimly lit room.
A child wearing shorts and a white tank top was hiding under blankets using a flashlight’s faint light to read a gaming magazine.
Suddenly, footsteps approached from outside. The child quickly turned off the flashlight, immediately lay down, hid the magazine under the pillow, and pretended to be asleep.
The scene shifted to daytime.
With parents away from home, the child cautiously opened the computer. The screen displayed heavily pixelated domestic single-player games.
The child placed the gaming magazine beside them and earnestly started playing, referencing the strategy guide on the pages.
Suddenly, the wall clock began chiming. The child hurriedly shut down the computer, grabbed a wet towel to place on the computer monitor’s bulky screen, then quickly returned to their room, pulled out homework from their bag, and finally put away the wet towel.
Some time later, the security door opened as the child’s father returned home. He touched the computer monitor, glanced at the child who was diligently studying, then turned to mind his own business.
The scene shifted again – the elementary student had become a high schooler. Though played by different actors, you could recognize it was the same person through the clothing.
In the smoke-filled internet café, nearby peers played various online games, but he still played domestic single-player games – the same one he’d played in elementary school, unchanged.
When someone mocked him for still playing such outdated games, he merely smiled without speaking.
The scene transitioned once more – the high schooler had become an adult. Late at night in his shabby, cluttered rental apartment, he faced the computer screen, earnestly creating games using a game editor.
The messy room and scattered belongings hinted at his impoverished state, yet he remained enthusiastically busy at the computer.
However, when morning came, violent knocking woke him up.
After returning to his room with overdue rent and utility bills, he fell silent for a long while.
Finally, he reluctantly glanced at his computer screen, closed the unfinished game project in the editor, then opened his job application resume.
After sending job applications to several companies, he habitually moved his cursor toward the game editor, but hesitated repeatedly before ultimately not clicking it.
The scene shifted as he opened his closet, finding the suit he hadn’t worn for a while, then stood before a mirror examining himself.
In front of the camera, he wore a neat suit with tidy hair, but his eyes seemed lifeless, only gazing blankly at his reflection.
In the mirror reflection, he still wore white tank top shorts and flip-flops, his hair disheveled, but his face beamed with smiles and his eyes were full of hope.
The two images formed a stark contrast, suggesting his heart still wanted to be an independent game developer.
Finally, he sighed softly, picked up his printed resume from the desk, preparing to leave for job interviews.
But just then, he discovered a golden invitation in his mailbox at the door, bearing the words “Destitution Plan.”
His face finally showed a hopeful smile.
…
The promotional video ended there. Though it didn’t detail the Destitution Plan, it had conveyed its significance.
As for the video’s later story, most people could fill in the blanks: this independent game developer received funding, could continue pursuing his dream, complete his unfinished game project, and contribute to the development of domestic independent games.
This game promotional video was shot and edited in a very short time.
In the capital city, there were many old buildings with last century’s style. Many small alleys’ gaming shops still preserved arcade machines and bulky computers. Combined with nostalgic filters, it directly evoked many people’s childhood memories.
The video’s content was also packed with details.
During the era when home computers first became widespread, domestic single-player games also rapidly developed.
Newsstands near schools sold many gaming magazines. For many students without much time for gaming, buying a gaming magazine meant reading it repeatedly. Even without playing or purchasing the games inside, they still found it fascinating.
Sneaking to play computer games when parents weren’t home from work, but remembering to cool down the monitor with wet towels first – otherwise, parents would discover the truth upon return and a storm of scolding would follow.
With the rise of internet cafés, online games developed rapidly, but domestic single-player games went into decline.
The video’s protagonist loved domestic single-player games, but domestic single-player games faced a generational gap. While other classmates played online games, he stubbornly continued playing decade-old domestic single-player games.
Finally, he became an independent game developer, wanting to fulfill his dream. But due to financial constraints, he had to make difficult choices between ideals and reality…
This content strongly resonated with those watching the video!
After a quick online search, Pei Qian instantly understood why “Ink Cloud Smoke” had gained so much attention in such a short time.
Its good and appealing demo was only part of the reason. More importantly, the promotional videos for “Ink Cloud Smoke” and the Destitution Plan had been uploaded to AiLiDao website, sparking heated discussion!
On AiLiDao and several other video platforms, the Destitution Plan’s promotional video had been pushed to the top of the gaming section, with heat still rising.
In barrage comments and comment sections, many lurking independent game players were all drawn out.
“This video brought tears to my eyes! This kid is me! Except I’ve already given up on the path of making games…”
“Parents checking the computer first thing when coming home is too real! So this was nationwide?”
“Ah, that internet café scene truly heartbreaking. Those of us who love single-player games became oddities. When we were young, domestic single-player games were flourishing, but soon only online games remained on the market, sigh.”
“Actually it’s better now, slightly recovering. Independent games are becoming more diverse again.”
“Compared to foreign countries, we’re still far behind!”
“Is this ‘Destitution Plan’ specifically for supporting domestic independent games? That’s truly a meritorious deed! For this alone, must give proper support!”