To be honest, posting game recommendations in the "Selfie Dating" section feels a bit inconsistent. But recently I saw the game "Challenge in Sand City", and I couldn't help but want to write something - this is probably a common problem among veteran players, they talk too much when they see a familiar flavor. 🤔
I have been playing all the way from the Saipan era, and I have witnessed the most brutal growth stages of mobile games: Snake, Arkanoid, and later the mobile version of the Java online game "Wulin Gaiden". At that time, the game was so simple that there were no textures, but it was really interesting for brothers to team up to fight monsters. Later, smart phones became popular and the graphics improved, but the pace became faster and faster. To be honest, I once thought that mobile games were going to become an era of "automatic hang-up + recharge window".
But "Battle in Sand City" surprised me a bit. On the surface, it is a typical retro legend type, but after playing carefully, it captures two key words: nostalgia and simplification. Instant upgrades at the start, equipment value preservation, and avatars to assist in battles. These designs are essentially designed to retain the legendary "the thrill of hunting treasures and the passion of PK" while removing those tedious daily tasks. To be fair, this "retro + super-change" route really hits the soft spot of some old players - it's not that we don't like new games, it's just that we don't have time to play. 😅
Talking about the development trend of mobile games, I think this "atavism" will become more and more obvious. You see, in the current market, except for the top brands of a few big manufacturers, small and medium-sized teams are all doing "sentiment" business. From "Challenge in Sand City", I saw a smart method: using high explosion rate, full attack speed, and quick server merging to create the illusion of "coolness", combined with guild socialization and cross-server combat capabilities, so that players are willing to invest fragmented time. This model is essentially a "miniature reconstruction" of the PC game legend of the year - removing the waiting and retaining the core.
Of course, the shortcomings are also obvious: serious homogeneity and too many reskinned games. I have played more than a dozen similar games, and I usually just change the name and adjust the values. This company is not the only company Hangzhou is interested in. I checked and found that it does have more than ten years of experience and is technically fine. However, whether it can break out of the fixed framework depends on subsequent updates.
But as an old player, I am quite willing to give "Challenge in Sand City" a chance. After all, it gives you V5 at the beginning, and the main line directly provides real recharge. At least it doesn't force you to spend money as soon as you enter like some games. This idea of "let players enjoy it first" is much better than those greedy manufacturers. 🤷♂️
Finally, it's still the same sentence: no matter how the game changes, the brothers who used to stay up all night in Internet cafes may now find their feelings on the mobile phone screen. "Battle in Sand City" may not be a masterpiece, but at least it gave me a sense of sincerity. Whether you want to play or not, just let it happen. 😌