Chinese developer ACE Game Studio developed a non-profit indie game, Nixingzhe, also known as Retrograde in English, honoring the doctors and victims of the Coronavirus outbreak. Retrograde aims to credit those who risk their lives to contain a disease that’s spreading all around the world. Coronavirus has killed more than 2 thousand victims. Additionally, mid-February reports from the Chinese government revealed more than 1.7 thousand healthcare workers were diagnosed by the virus via patient interactions. Six professionals have lost their lives, including one of the first doctors to alert the world about the dangerous disease and a Wuhan hospital director.
Asia, particularly China and Japan, are home to a significant portion of gaming companies and events. The video game industry has been highly affected by the virus. Not only are events and gaming products being canceled or delayed, but auxiliary companies such as YouTube have felt the effect of the pandemic. Sony recently announced it is no longer attending PAX East in North America due to increasing fears regarding the coronavirus. To The Last of Us 2 fans, its announcement meant that gameplay was no longer available at the convention.
According to Tap, the game was a work of love for the developers. Retrograde contains no paid content such as ads and their only goal is to tell a tale:
Retrograde is an interactive game, with multi-perspective narration. Retrograde depicts the trials and tribulations of those most affected by the recent pandemic. Players have the opportunity to experience the game from a variety of perspectives to complete the full story. There are three playable characters throughout the game: a patient, father, and a daughter.
“We are just a group of gamers who want to do what they can. This is a game without any paid content (no ads). I gathered a lot of friends from all over the world. We may be far worse than those doctors and soldiers. But this is one of the little things we can do as gamers.”
At the start of the game, players are thrown into the world of a young girl who’s parents are medical professionals. Their father is a frontline doctor, diligently working to diagnose the illness. As the story continues, the vantage points of the father and patient become available, deepening the narrative impact of the game on its players.
Retrograde is an impressive example of how video games can be used to represent modern concerns and events. Multiple games in 2019 depicted violent anti-government protests in Hong Kong, for example.
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Nixingzhe/Retrograde is currently available for download for Apple and Android users through the game’s official page on Tap.
Source: Tap
