Publisher Playism and developer Coconut Island have just announced that their sleeper hit life simulator title Chinese Parents will soon be coming to the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop on August 20. The game will support English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language options.
Chinese Parents has a very simple premise for a life simulator title: play as a child born into an ordinary Chinese family and build up your skills and traits until the end of your high school days. What makes the game captivating is in the title itself: acknowledging the stereotypical strictness and extremely high expectations of Chinese parents (or even Asian parents as a whole). The challenge lies in balancing everything in your life, from social to academic responsibilities, until you reach the “Gaokao”, which is one of the most critical examinations in a Chinese teen’s life. Getting a high grade, merely passing, or failing the Gaokao dictates what kind of future one will have as its results are what prestigious universities in China look at when admitting a student.
With all that being said, players must still strike a delicate balance in Chinese Parents by learning new skills through the Fragment mini-game, scheduling time for studying and time for recreation, dealing with bullies, forming romantic relationships that may carry over into the endgame, and finally, getting one result from over 100 career endings. Depending on what the players prioritized, their characters can either end up as an average Wei or reach the very top of their respective field. It is also very important to note that each of the decisions the players makes in their first playthrough dictate the benefits their child receives in their next game, so players should not only strategize for themselves, but also their future selves.
Released in 2018, Chinese Parents has since received positive acclaim, with reviewers noting its funny and refreshing take on the stereotype that are Asian parents. It is also currently boasting a Very Positive Rating on its Steam Page out of almost 19,000 reviews.
Chinese Parents will launch for the Nintendo Switch on August 20 for 1280 Yen, which is a little over $12.
