To be honest, when I saw the name "Dream Town", I was stunned for a few seconds. When I clicked in, I discovered that it was an old business simulation game. The developer was Shanghai Touch Technology, and I was a little confused for a moment. I'm not going to brag about it, but this game was indeed a well-thought-out game back then. The various elements of farms, factories, shops, and mini-games are blended together without making people feel cluttered. The rhythm is also comfortable, and it won't force you to spend money or become bald.
Speaking of the development trend of mobile games, I am actually quite emotional. From Snake in the Saipan era to the current open world mobile games, the changes in just a dozen years have been greater than in the past thirty years. There was no such thing as 3A or card drawing at that time. The game was purely about gameplay. I still remember the days when I played "Doodle Jump" on Nokia. The screen was small and the graphics were simple, but the joy was pure.
Games like "Dream Town" are ultimately "gameplay-driven" old-school designs. You farm, process, manage, and slowly build an empty town. You can see the fruits of your labor at every step. This sense of achievement cannot be given by many popular games nowadays. Those games require you to make a first deposit, draw cards, and hit the rankings as soon as they are released. After playing for a few days, you will feel empty after the novelty wears off.
Simulation business games have actually picked up a lot in recent years, but most of them have become a "placement + plot" routine. There are fewer games like "Dream Town" that allow players to operate slowly and interact with each other in real ways. To be honest, it's not easy to make an old game without any regrets, especially in today's market environment where people are eager for quick success and quick profit.
I personally think that the future trend of mobile games may still return to the content itself. Players have become more and more sophisticated, and those games that change skins, pile up values, and cheat on krypton won't last long. Although a work like "Dream Town" does not have special effects of light pollution or cool movements, it has warmth and a sense of life. It allows you to turn on your phone after a busy day to see if the crops on your farm are ripe, or go to your neighbor's house to help water the crops. This kind of simple emotional connection is what the game should be like.
Occasionally, I also think about how great it would be if today's new games could slow down and polish the core gameplay as carefully as they did back then. However, if you think about it, you will know that it is not realistic. Traffic is king, capital pursues profits, and feelings are ultimately a luxury for a few people.
Okay, no more emotion. When I saw this old game today, I felt a little warm in my heart, so I couldn't help but write a few more sentences. Are there any old friends we can chat with about the past of "Dream Town"? I remember that when I played version 2.0, I spent two months grinding ores to collect the animals in the zoo. I can no longer find that sense of satisfaction. 😊