Ru Lin Wai Shi Fan Jin (2024)

Developer: 小矩工作室
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Adventure, Casual, Indie, RPG
Rating: 4.7 of 5, 148 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 5.5 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A bleakly humorous historical drama about relentless academic failure and social scorn, driven by text and choices in a retro 2D style.

text-drivenhistoricalstory richchoices matterdramaticretro2dinteractive fiction

What players say

Players praise the writing and emotional depth of this visual novel adaptation of a classic Chinese short story, finding it resonates with modern exam culture. However, many note it is more of an interactive novel than a game, with repetitive walking and simple minigames. Opinions split on the political content in later chapters, and some criticize the lack of gameplay after becoming an official.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.