Chinese Childhood

Try the demo first

This is still an early playable prototype. The activities, animation, visuals, and sound need work, and you may run into bugs. Try the free demo first. When Early Access opens, consider buying if you enjoy what is already there and it fits your budget—not just for features that may come later. I’d love to hear what was fun and what felt awkward.

School’s out. One more game?

It’s around 1998 in a fictional small town in central Anhui, China. Choose a boy or girl, put a few marbles in your pocket, and meet your friends. There’s time for a game and a snack from the corner shop before Mum calls you home for dinner.

Aim your marble and choose how hard to flick it. Practice for a while, or play for keeps: win a few, or hand over some of your own. Try paper planes, card games, and other childhood pastimes. Join in when you feel like it, and put things down when it’s time to go.

Have dinner at home, wrap a schoolbook, then head to class the next day. Neighbors have their own routines, and friends remember things you’ve done—whether you returned a borrowed toy, invited them to your birthday, or said goodbye before they left. Check the map if you get lost, or take your time wandering.

The full game also includes New Year visits, making dumplings, staying up with family, village visits, summer trips, and moments of meeting old friends as an adult.

What’s in the demo?

Play through an afternoon after school, the next school day, and an optional Mid-Autumn evening. Some celebrations, trips, and adult memories shown in the trailer are part of the full game and are not included in the demo.

A single-player Windows game for keyboard and mouse. Simplified Chinese and English interfaces, subtitles, and voices. Progress is saved locally.