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The Winter Sale on STOVE is full of deals, and when I saw a game go EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT OFF on STOVE, then I could not pass up on such a deal. Besides, it was one of the Indie Games from China that was talked about a lot back in 2019, and I have yet to try it out.

ABOUT TALES OF THE NEON SEA

A Puzzle and Adventure game set in a sci-fi world in the far future. Developed by YiTi Games, you get to be a retired dectective who stumbles upon one mystery after the other. Walk through the purple sci-fi aesthestic popularized by the 2010s in a modern Chinese city, as conflicts between humans and robots are a constant presence.


MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The pixel art comes to my attention first. I really enjoy how my characters look, his name is Detective Rex, and how the environments are animated. My companion, a cute little cat named William, has big bright eyes in his pixelated sprite.

The world looks bright and dirty, perfectly in-line with how these far-future settings tend to be for the city enviroments. Implied substance abuse is rampant outside, and pictures of unpopular political candidates are heavily vandalized.

The world is sectioned off into multiple puzzles and you explore the world for clues to progress. Being the hard boiled detective with the typical heart of gold, you grumble at everything that displeases you (and there is lots to be displeased about), but you do everything you can to the people around you.

I do enjoy how the puzzles work, they are not brain dead easy but not too hard for someone who enjoys solving puzzles like me.

!!!!Now, what do I think now that I have had some time to try out the game?


THE ARTSTYLE:

I find the environments very well made and charming. Everything has a slight purplish tint, commonly found in cyberpunk/urban sci-fi stories. Pixel art is usually the go-to for indie games because it is easier and cheaper for your first project, but that does not mean the art is made cheaply.

One thing I personally enjoy is how the Chinese characters are very stylized. The last time I see sci-fi with Chinese was in Firefly (2002 American space Western), so it has been quite a while.

I like how vandalized the world looks sometimes. Alleys are trash filled and walls are drawn over. It gives the world quite a bit of charm. The sprite does not show what an Old Model is, so that is quite a downside of the environment building.


THE SOUND DESIGN:

I do enjoy how the world respond to my inputs – from the footsteps to the hidden clues. The music adds to the adventure, though there are not that many different tracks. I do enjoy the menu music, that one slaps.

The way the detective finds clues have an added chime or ding, and when he uses them to solve puzzles it has such a satisfying click, which I enjoy a lot.


THE GAMEPLAY:

The game can be played point and click style, which I prefer compared to the keyboard. I love love love all the puzzles I have come across. Early in the game, so I am unsure if it keeps up, however every single puzzle has a nice bit of thinking and retrying, and nothing is too hard or overwhelmingly difficult. Puzzle games are my favourite kind of game, and honestly everytime there is a puzzle I beam with joy. Each of them are well made, and tie into the world that you are walking in.

My favourite recurring puzzle so far is trying to fit (metaphorically) all the pieces of evidence together into a working time-rewind. The mechanic works nicely with what is established in universe. Sometimes what the dectective finds feels like an ass-pull, though.

Sometimes, the POV changes and you get to play as William. Puzzles involving William tends to be a bit different, focusing on how you move and interact with the world rather than static puzzles compared to Detective Rex, which spices thing up once in a while, and make you feel that everyone involved here is a part of a team working together.


THE STORY:

Lots of world building happening in the background. The distrust between humans and (sentient) robots, as well as the disparity between different the rich and poor – your character can barely afford anything and does not have a stable source of income. He pulls stuff from his apartment to get the right chip to fix his friend. You can clearly see society sorta went to rags as substance abuse was casual on the streets.

Oh and also the murder. Few seconds in the police are already involved. So really, right from the get go, everything has gone to the dumps. This world is cruel and horrible and Detective Rex is just trying to get by, however it seems like life finds a way to bring him back to the crime scenes.

And then what is happening with the gods? The game hints and opening talks about conflicts and gods and you are just standing there trying to afford food for tomorrow.

Sometimes. The loading tips gives you some absolutely batshit spoilers. I do not know what to expect.

All in all, quite an experience in the sci-fi land. I am intriguied and excited to see where this leads us, with all the conflict that has been set up. If you are further into the game, feel free to tell me how you feel!