The Game of The Playful

About the name "The Game of The Playful"

Among our Chinese players, the word "playful" conveys a sense of being fun-loving. It can also suggest resilience and fearlessness in the face of hardship, much like when a martial artist is challenging a demon, and after being pushed back by a powerful strike, she might simply say, "Interesting" or "Fun," and charge in again.

However, I've since realized that the English connotation of "playful" is quite different. My understanding of the word as a native Chinese speaker was too subtle, to the point where it becomes confusing for native English speakers. Because of that, I created an English name for this game, Where Memories Bloom, which is the name currently used on itch.io for this game’s android version.

I reached out to the Steam Support Team to request a change to the game's English name. However, due to how long ago the game was released, Steam believed that altering the game's name on the store would be disorienting for longtime players. As a result, the request was denied, and the game's Steam name remains The Game of The Playful.

About the Game

Game Type: Visual Novel

Game Positioning: Single-player otome game

Worldview: The game is set in a modern fictional world, with different parallel universes featuring different time-space settings. Some routes contain mild fantasy elements.

Story Length: The current main version includes 16 romanceable characters. Each character route takes approximately 1–2 hours to complete. 

Perspective: Third-person (with one first-person route).

Atmosphere: A gentle, healing game about confronting past trauma.

Game Structure: 1v1 storylines, each character has an independent route. 

Six routes are set in a small town: The heroine loses her memory after waking up in a hospital and temporarily stays at a mountaintop villa. In the town, she can choose to stay at the villa and get to know the residents, or move out alone, which leads to a storyline with the town's police officer. The heroine's identity is initially presented as a mystery and is gradually revealed as the story progresses with the male lead. Therefore, each route may reveal different identities for the heroine.

The remaining ten routes unfold across parallel universes, each presenting a distinct world and a different background for the heroine. The heroine retains her memories, has different identities and default names, all of which can be customized.

Endings: Choices lead to friendship, romance, or bad endings (50+ endings in total).

Additional Features: You can rename the male love interests. 

Cons: the game has no voice acting, no CGs.

Language Selection Guide 

The default language is Simplified Chinese. If you'd like to switch to English, simply right-click the game in your Steam library, select Properties, go to the Language tab, choose English from the dropdown menu, and the update will download automatically.

Game Operation

Right-click: Opens up the settings menu. In the "General Settings" tab, you can switch to full-screen mode.

Enter key: Advances dialogue (same as left-click).

Ctrl key: Fast-forwards through text.

Esc key: Exits the game immediately.

Disclaimer

All characters in the game are over 18 years of age at the time of their introduction.

Routes introduction

Mo Ran's Route

The heroine, a university student majoring in painting in Country E, crosses paths one winter night with Mo Ran, a man who works for a mysterious multinational corporation. 

When he invites her to travel through Europe, she hesitantly accepts, stepping into a journey that will quietly change the course of her life. 

Note: Before officially entering this route, you will first play through a flashback sequence on the town, depicting the heroine having lost her memory and temporarily staying at a mountaintop villa.

Yin's Route

The heroine, having lost her memories, decides to move out on her own and settle into a quiet life in a small town, working as a waitress at a local diner. One early morning on her way through the park, she crosses paths with Yin, a police officer.

When she confides in him about her lost past, Yin offers to help her uncover the truth. What begins as an informal investigation slowly brings them closer. 

The more her memories return, the closer danger draws. The truth behind her forgotten past may be more than either of them expected. 

Lance's Route

The heroine, having lost her memories, finds herself staying at the mountaintop villa. One day, while exploring a historic manor on the outskirts of town, she and her friend happen upon a film shoot, and a chance encounter with Lance, an actor whose cold, distant demeanor hides something deeper.

Yi Yanbin's Route

This story takes place in the mountaintop villa.

Yanbin is a thoughtful and observant young man who always seems to have a book in hand. He is not the strongest, but his kindness is steady, and his mind is sharp. He notices the little things, when she’s cold, when she’s hesitant, when her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. (In this route, he shares a past connection with the heroine)

Si Chen's Route

This story takes place in the mountaintop villa. 

Chen is a man whose presence is as calm and distant as a winter morning. He is not one for idle words, but his actions speak of a quiet, unwavering care. (In this route, he shares a past connection with the heroine.)

Liu Xiao’s Route

This story takes place in the mountaintop villa where the heroine lives.

Xiao is a man whose warmth is as gentle and understated as the glow of a desk lamp at midnight. He carries a certain stillness about him, as if he has already learned to wait. He never pushes, never demands, as if he is simply grateful for whatever time she is willing to give.

Alpha’s route

The heroine, studying abroad in Country B, encounters a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes by the seaside. After chatting for a while, she discovers that they actually go to the same school...

Nio’s route

Nio's personality is like that of a lazy fox. He's clever and hardworking, but also loves to have fun. When he's tired, he often just lies around like a dead fish. In this story route, the heroine is a current graduate student majoring in English. While filling in for her advisor as a consecutive interpreter at a business banquet, she meets Nio...

Lawrence’s route

The heroine has just arrived in a small town and works as a librarian. One day, she encounters a mysterious silver-haired man in the old book section of the basement. According to her colleague, this silver-haired man lives a reclusive life alone in a villa deep in the forest. Since he barely interacts with anyone, the locals call him the "town eccentric"...

Lionel’s route

The heroine, a "Hong Kong drifter" working and living in Hong Kong, meets Lionel, a British man also settled in Hong Kong, during her trip to Phuket. They travel together in Thailand, and after returning to Hong Kong, they continue to stay in touch...

Xing Xuan’s route

Xuan is the CEO of a tech company in a first-tier city. The heroine, a nursing graduate, worked at a maternal and child health center for several years. Wanting a quieter job to prepare for the civil service exam, she applied for the administrative receptionist position at Xuan's company...

Brandt’s route

A heroine with depressive tendencies, whose parents divorced when she was young, lives alone in the house left to her by her grandfather after he passed away. One day, while sketching in the park, she meets Brandt...

Seth’s route

Seth is a Ph.D. student. When he first appears, he is suffering from depression, which is why he rarely speaks in the earlier scenes. The heroine is a psychological counselor.

Liam’s route

The heroine and Liam are high school classmates, and the story mostly takes place during their college years.

Jasper’s route

The heroine and Jasper are high school classmates, and the story takes place primarily during their high school years. The heroine comes from a single-parent family and lives with her father. Her father is an alcoholic, so she always comes home very late so she doesn’t have to deal with him when he's drunk. She waits until he falls asleep before returning home.

You can check the character personality introductions in the game manual.