China (中國)

When you launch China, you're probably expecting something completely different than what you imagine. It's not a strategy about conquering the Middle Kingdom, it's not an animated textbook, and it's certainly not a classic domestic arcade game. This game simply hasn't been properly described by anyone, and among DOS titles it's more like a white raven — mentioned in passing, barely played by anyone, and then forgotten.

It's a kind of logic puzzle game with an Oriental flair, where you move around a grid and solve tasks that remind you of Tetris or Boulder Dash. Chinese graphics, fluid animation of individual elements, sounds like metallic percussion — everything has its own specific charm from those days when creators tried to squeeze maximum atmosphere out of minimal space. The game boards themselves are straightforward and won't shock you with anything, but there's no wonder why when a title didn't get a bigger budget.

Playing itself is more meditative than adrenaline-fueled. You push blocks, wait for pieces falling, try to figure out what the game wants from you. The controls are simple — just menu orientation and a few keys. The problem is that after twenty minutes you already know whether the game will keep pulling you forward, or if you'd rather launch something else. There's no that mysterious layer that would give you a reason to keep playing over and over.

China belongs more in the category of historical curiosities than recommended experiences. Something like this was born in the late eighties, when every developer thought that exoticism and minimalism were enough to make a game have an impact. Sometimes yes, sometimes no — and here it's more the latter. Nothing about it is wrong, it's just simply nothing that would make you finish it.

If you have a weakness for trips into the dark corners of DOS history and you're curious what all was trying to captivate audiences, you can give it a shot. An emulator, a few minutes, and then you'll return to things that know how to hold your attention. It's enough for nostalgia archiving, but not for serious entertainment.