Baoxiao Duobiqiu

Want to know what a computer game looks like from an era when nobody really worried much about return on investment or whether anyone would actually want to play it? Baoxiao Duobiqiu is exactly that kind of thing — a mysterious artifact from early Chinese DOS gaming that nobody really wants to claim.

I'm not even sure what's actually happening here. I look at the screen and see colored squares, some Chinese characters, and I'm asking myself what on earth this is supposed to be. The game probably revolves around matching or dragging something from one place to another — a classic puzzle or match-three mechanic that anyone understands without explanation. That's good. The controls are primitive, you click, things move, that's it.

The graphics are that do-it-yourself DOS style — pixelated, without much effort, more like visual wallpaper you see five times and then don't want to look at anymore. Sound? When you do hear something, it's a blip or a low beep. Nothing that grabs your heart. The game runs smoothly if your machine is old and powerful enough, but it holds your interest for about ten minutes before you realize we're just repeating the same principle over and over again, with no story, no reason why any of it should matter.

This game is a ticket to history — proof that in 90s China, they tried everything, including things that should've stayed unwritten. It's not a disaster, but it's not a game anyone would remember either. It's more like something that happened because it was technically possible.

Play it today? If you're curious about an obscure piece of DOS history, fire it up in an emulator and poke around. It'll tickle your brain for a bit, but then you understand why game historians prefer to skip over it. It's like looking at a photo of someone you've never met — the technique is there, but the soul is missing.