Autumnal Equinox

Director and Producer: Tang Chen

The game story of " Autumn Equinox" is set in a small town in southern China at the beginning of the new millennium. The protagonist, Li Pingping's parents, desiring a son, discovered that their first child was a girl and chose to abort. However, when Li Pingping was born as their second child, mistaken for a boy, they kept her. Due to China's one-child policy, any further births would result in fines. Consequently, they blamed all their misfortunes on their daughter, subjecting Li Pingping to emotional abuse for years.

Under the weight of this suppression, Li Pingping gradually develops psychological issues. A chance overhearing of her parents discussing leads her to discover she once had an elder sister. A seed of thought germinates within her, creating a vivid imaginary role of an omnipotent sister, eternally protecting her. When her teachers notice her unusual behavior and her parents take her to a psychologist, they dismiss her condition as shameful and refuse to address it.

On the day of the Autumn Equinox when Li Pingping is 13, she meets with an accident and falls into a coma. Unwilling to face reality subconsciously, Li Pingping remains unconscious. The player embodies a doll representing Li Pingping's inner persona, navigating through her memory maze, unraveling the truth behind Li Pingping's life in various stages. Guiding through these levels, players will delve into the warmest memories in Li Pingping's mind, particularly the scenes with her grandmother during her childhood.

In the first stage, players enter Li Pingping's imagined room with her sister and uncover inconsistencies. Moving to the second stage, players explore Li Pingping's classroom, understanding how outsiders perceive her. The third stage takes players into her parents' bedroom, revealing the nature of their arguments. The fourth stage leads back to Li Pingping's real room, where players gather insights from her diary.

Eventually, by connecting all the clues, players will discover the true cause behind Li Pingping's coma.