Ishihara's Memory

White Stone Village Memories

Game Introduction

A simulation, narrative-driven, fully 3D perspective local culture game

Title: White Stone Village Memories

Genre: Adventure, Casual, Indie, RPG, Simulation

Developer: DRILL Games

Publisher: DRILL Games

Release Date: July 18, 2019

Minimum System Requirements:

- OS: Windows 7
- Processor: Intel i5 or above
- Memory: 2000 MB RAM
- Graphics: GTX450
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 500 MB available space

White Stone Village Memories is an indie game I developed at home over the course of more than a year, created entirely by a single person. Unlike most indie developers who prefer to purchase marketplace assets, I created all the resources myself. The initial inspiration came from playing simulation games and always wondering why the characters couldn't have their own stories. This led to the idea of creating a game that combines narrative with simulation gameplay. As for why the setting was chosen as White Stone Village in Shenzhen, it's because I, the developer, once lived there. I felt it better represented the local culture of ordinary Chinese people and would resonate more deeply.

Time Setting: Around the year 2000 to the present.

Location Setting: White Stone Village is a famous urban village in Shenzhen, China. Located in Shenzhen's Nanshan District, between Window of the World and the Science & Technology Park, it is divided by Shennan Boulevard into Upper White Stone and Lower White Stone. The game is set in Lower White Stone. The real Lower White Stone consists of just one street. Despite its small size, White Stone Village is densely packed with all kinds of shops, has everything one might need, and boasts an extremely high population density, housing around 150,000 people! The game's location is set along the street that runs from Shizhou Middle Road into the urban village towards Meilu Jinyuan.

Almost every migrant worker coming to Shenzhen starts their journey of pursuing urban dreams in a place similar to this. As a player, you will experience the scenario of just arriving in the urban village of White Stone Village. You, and your story, will begin from this humble rented room.

Game Culture:

The game tells the story of the protagonist, who graduates around the turn of the millennium in the year 2000, travels to various cities—primarily working in Shenzhen—and rents a place to live in White Stone Village, reminiscing about past events there.

The protagonist will receive tasks, meet people, and experience various stories. This game has no fixed ending; the protagonist may even die. The final outcome varies, determined by the protagonist's abilities, emotions, and randomly occurring events.

Game Style:

Overall, the game's style is slightly melancholic and not overly aggressive in its presentation, nor does it excessively pursue graphical perfection. Instead, the focus is on narrative expression and the depiction of life's details. The game progresses based more on actions that align with the player's character, leading to moments of climax or periods of quietude.

Game Features

- Open World, Multiple Storylines
- Particularly suitable for trying things you wouldn't dare in real life.
- Local Cultural Resonance
- Set against the backdrop of Shenzhen's White Stone Village urban village, closely reflecting the lives of ordinary Chinese people.
- Compact Map Design
- Drawing inspiration from The Sims style, it authentically recreates the scene of a single street in White Stone Village.
- Full 3D Perspective Mode
- Play the game in a fully 3D perspective mode.
- Life Detail Representation
- Focuses energy on expressing narrative and the details of daily life.
- No Fixed Ending
- The ending is determined by the protagonist's abilities, emotions, and randomly occurring events.
- Solo Independent Development
- All assets were created solely by the developer.

Gameplay

In the game, you can do many things: work jobs, deliver food, buy things to eat, pack meals, rent or buy property—all sorts of life's small tasks. You can also trigger various storylines to achieve unexpected accomplishments, or descend into a state of depravity where you no longer recognize yourself. You can even idle away your days doing nothing. In short, this is an open world combining simulation and narrative.

About the Game Map:

The game is not an open world with a vast map but features a compact map design. The real White Stone Village indeed consists of just one street. Although White Stone Village is small in area, it is densely packed with all kinds of shops, has everything one might need, and boasts an extremely high population density.