Casual games are also powerful. From "Journey" and "LittleBigPlanet 3" to look at the Chinese version of PS4 casual games

Opening the game download interface of the Chinese version of PS4, apart from "Dynasty Warriors", "Just Dance 2015" and "Wicked Gear" which can only be played with physical versions, your eyes are probably already covered by a lot of casual games.

Yes, for the die-hard fans of PS4, the Chinese version of PS4 can be said to be occupied by casual games, and "Journey" and "LittleBigPlanet 3", which have already been launched on PS3, also appeared in the game list. Perhaps, many players have also been disappointed with the Chinese version.

But do the casual games on the Chinese PS4 really disappoint players?

Is beautiful picture enough?

For console games, most players' first impression is that the graphics are beautiful and the CG is vivid. This seems to be applicable to casual games on the Chinese version of the PS4.

However, can the beautiful graphics alone be enough to explain all the casual games on the PS4 sold in China?

"Journey", the work of Chinese production master Chen Xinghan, was released on the PS3 console as early as 2012, and "Little Big Planet 3" was an exclusive game released on PS4 and PS3 at the end of 2014.

The two games are now available on the Chinese PS4, and it seems that they cannot satisfy players with just their beautiful graphics.

The internationally renowned rating agency IGN once selected Journey as the best PS3 game of 2012, and even gave it a high score of 9.0 on the PS4 platform two years later. Although another game LittleBigPlanet also received high praise from many IGN reviewers, it only received a realistic score of 6.8 due to the presence of many bugs in the game.

It seems that the casual games on the PS4 sold in China are not bad either.

What else is there to casual games besides just games?

Whether it is PC, mobile device or large-screen TV, most casual games nowadays are based on the theme of leisure and entertainment. The easy and simple gameplay makes many players equate casual games with mini-games.

Obviously, in Sony's understanding, casual games are not like this.

After some experience, "Journey" gives people the feeling that it is a slow-burning game. The game is constantly exploring in the desert and is a puzzle exploration game. In the first few minutes, due to the unclear scenes, the reviewers kept walking in the desert and did not know what the game meant. However, as the content of the game continued to be revealed and puzzles appeared, the game gradually became fuller.

During the exploration, the clues were not obvious, and the reviewers sometimes had to fail repeatedly before they could solve a puzzle. They enjoyed the fun of encountering and overcoming setbacks, and there was also a little bit of story to accompany it. All these made this independent game a success. It allows players to experience the wonderful feeling of exploring a vast unknown land, and feel a sense of liberation that goes with the wind and is unrestrained. This is why after playing this game, many players call Journey "one person, one world".

In comparison, LittleBigPlanet3 is much more fun. By controlling cute characters like Sackboy, you can collect various elements while moving forward in parkour. The creativity of Pegasus Meteor also allows reviewers to use the collected element parts to combine into the shape they want in their minds, and then participate in the subsequent games through the manufactured items.

The most important theme of this game is to always keep your imagination. At the beginning of the game, a philosophical introduction gives people a different perspective on imagination. The various combinations of creative toolboxes and props that appear in the game have also become a big fun point. Of course, the combination of philosophical meaning and cheerful games has also become the selling point of this game.

Compared to mobile games like "Battle Cat Planet" and "Magic Card Fantasy" that appeared on the Xbox One in China, PS4's choice of casual games made many players feel that Sony's ideas are indeed unfathomable.

Games are more than just feelings

As next-generation consoles enter China, domestic game manufacturers are rushing to produce games for them. Accepting all orders seems to be a concession made by Sony and Microsoft to cater to the domestic environment.

As a result, mobile games such as "Battle of Cat Planet" and "Magic Card Fantasy" appeared on the Chinese version of Xbox One, and the domestic game "Legend of Sword and Fairy 6" was also announced at ChinaJoy to be available on the Chinese version of PS4 console.

Different from games like Journey that are full of life sentiment, domestic games have been flooded with themes such as Xianxia since the Three Swords. Whether it is Chinese Paladin 6 or Hero Studio's comeback The Legend of Sword and Fairy, games have slowly transformed into a kind of sentiment.

How many rivers and lakes can be recreated? Players' demand for games can no longer be satisfied by domestic sentiments. "Journey" and "Little Big Planet 3" have shown us different ways of playing games. The combination of artistic conception and unique games is sometimes a good experience.

3A masterpieces are important, but casual games are sometimes indispensable. For players who come for Sony PS4 masterpieces, please note that the Chinese version actually has surprises that you may not expect.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.