Video games get a lot of negative criticisms and one reason is an empty storyline. Independent video game developer ODEUM hopes to change that with Hua Mulan: A Chinese Learning Adventure. From the title alone, it should be clear that this is about learning Chinese. It’s expected to arrive on Steam Early Access sometime this year.
In the game, players are part of a group called the Clockwork Time Authority. It turns out that the Shadows of the Past have gone back in time intending to prevent Hua Mulan from becoming a folk hero. So, players need to go back to the past and prevent this evil plot.
The upcoming immersive 3D quest-driven game is both an adventure and episodic Chinese learning medium. In the game, players read, write pinyin, and speak Chinese as they hunt the time bandits before the deviations become permanent.
So far, there are a total of four episodes that everyone can go through. Episode I starts with a time bubble detected in ancient China and players need to go back in time and find the origins of the anomaly. In this episode, players get to practice Chinese greetings by interacting with villagers. They also need to complete quests to find Hua Mulan and learn more about the Shadows of the Past.
For Episodes II to IV, players need to help Hua Mulan infiltrate the Snow Leopards, gain an ally, and learn that the emperor is not the beloved ruler being portrayed in modern stories.
Features of the game are:
- Enjoy the immersive open-world 3D environments where players can explore and interact with characters in Chinese.
- A tachyonic radio provides translation help giving players just enough help to master the vocabulary and sentence patterns.
- Quest-driven AI adjusts the content to make sure players get the help they need to be successful in the game and in learning Chinese.
- Voice recognition allows players to speak their responses in Chinese.
There are two more things to know about this game. The first is that the episodes follow the curriculum for HSK 1 exam, the leading proficiency exam for Chinese. The second is the Closed Beta is now accepting testers, and you can sign-up here.
Learn more about the game here. What are your thoughts on this game?
