China: Mao's legacy

About

"China: Mao's Legacy" is a simulation game that lets you lead the People's Republic of China from 1976 to 1985. Make crucial decisions on the country's economic and political future, from restoring relations with the USSR or aligning with the USA, to implementing market reforms or adhering to communist ideals. Your actions will determine China's role in the Cold War and its influence in the world. Maintain party control and navigate political intrigue to secure your legacy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 512 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game offers a deep and complex political simulation of China during a pivotal historical period, allowing for various outcomes based on player decisions.
It has improved mechanics and a more user-friendly interface compared to previous titles from the developer, making it more accessible while still challenging.
The developers are actively updating the game, addressing issues, and adding content, which enhances the overall experience.

The tutorial is poorly executed, leaving players confused about game mechanics and how to progress effectively.
There are frequent translation errors and a lack of clarity in the UI, making it difficult for players to understand the implications of their choices.
The game can feel unbalanced, with many players reporting that they struggle to maintain stability and avoid bankruptcy due to opaque mechanics.

gameplay
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
79%
8%
The gameplay of this title is a significant improvement over its predecessors, featuring a more intuitive UI and real-time mechanics that enhance engagement. However, players often find the mechanics opaque and challenging to grasp, requiring extensive trial and error, community support, and patience to fully understand the game's intricacies. While the game offers a rich political simulation and replayability, it could benefit from clearer tutorials and better explanations of its systems to enhance the overall experience.
- “This game is much less cryptic; you see the effects of increasing or decreasing the budget (unlike in Crisis in the Kremlin where you just had to guess). The UI is much better, and I love the new real-time mechanics instead of just pressing on a book to progress the game.”
- “The game takes into account these complex variables and induces gameplay, which is almost perfectly implemented.”
- “Its UI is more intuitive and its mechanics are more polished and constantly being improved (seriously, there have been like 4 updates in the first month since release). Everything just works how it should; you are given enough freedom to do what you want that you can bend history, but not so much that you can break it.”
- “If you are going to play this game, expect confusion to be a pretty regular feeling, as a lot of game mechanics will be explained through a mix of trial and error, looking for Steam community threads that don't actually answer your question, and intuition-based guesses.”
- “I really wanted to like this game, but my main complaint with it is that the gameplay is very 'opaque', in the sense that the player doesn't really understand the repercussions of their actions or what is going on with the modifiers.”
- “Though, I suppose I should offer a warning to players unfamiliar with kremlingames: the tutorial only explains so much, the tooltips are not in-depth like Paradox games, and a lot of the game mechanics are hidden in a 'black-box' style of gameplay where you have to puzzle out and discuss with others what exactly does what and why a game-over came so suddenly when I played one time vs. smooth sailing to a victory the next.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The game's music features a rich selection of popular melodies from Mao's era, evoking nostalgia for players familiar with the period's cultural context. While the soundtracks enhance the gameplay experience, some users express disappointment over the lack of a tutorial and user interface improvements, as well as the absence of certain iconic songs like "Red Sun in the Sky." Overall, the historical music adds depth, but players seek better guidance on how to engage with it.
- “This game also has amazing soundtracks consisting of popular melodies from Mao's time.”
- “It sort of brings me back to the days when I've rehearsed many of the songs in the school choir and sang some others weekly in flag-raising ceremonies.”
- “The original soundtracks are also thrilling when played in the correct scenarios.”
- “However, there is absolutely zero help on how the game works, what you're supposed to do, heck even how to get the songs on shuffle.”
- “They have all these Chinese propaganda music but they didn't include 'Red Sun in the Sky.'”
- “If there's one thing, I do hope Kremlingames can revamp their GUI, provide a tutorial, and the overall aesthetic other than just period music and gameplay.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The graphics have received mixed reviews, with many users finding them mediocre and somewhat unpolished, particularly in the GUI, which can appear cartoonish. However, the unique gameplay and setting from the late Cold War era provide enough appeal to offset the graphical shortcomings for some players. Overall, while the visuals may not impress, they do not detract significantly from the overall experience.
- “While the map graphics from Ostalgie are nice, some elements of the GUI can still appear a bit unpolished and cartoonish.”
- “Pretty decent - the graphics may not be impressive, but the gameplay elements are pretty cool.”
- “Whilst the graphics are an immediate turn-off for most, the time period and gameplay is unique in offering tons of replayability if you're into the late Cold War era.”
- “You aren't going to impress anyone with the 'graphics', either.”
- “Pretty decent - graphics are meh, but that's fine because the gameplay elements are pretty cool.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The game offers significant replayability, particularly for fans of the late Cold War era, despite its short length and repetitive event mechanics. Players appreciate the challenge of navigating political dynamics, which enhances the overall replay value, even if the graphics may not appeal to everyone. Overall, it is considered to have a high replayability score.
- “Whilst the graphics are an immediate turn-off for most, the time period and gameplay is unique in offering tons of replayability if you're into the late Cold War era.”
- “The game is quite difficult - the party or popular opinion can throw you out of office quickly if you displease them - but has strong replay value despite the repetitive event mechanic.”
- “1.3 billion/10 for replayability value.”
- “Pretty short and with a lot of replay value.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively tedious, often feeling that it requires an unrealistic time commitment. While some appreciate the historical events, the overall presentation and execution of grinding detracts from the enjoyment.
- “Way too tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I do enjoy the historical events, but the way they are presented is tedious.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's storytelling format limits player agency, resulting in a lack of meaningful involvement in the narrative. Many users noted that this configuration detracts from the overall experience, leading to a perception of minimal story engagement.
- “The storytelling-type game configuration prevents players from playing a leading role in the game.”
- “☐ no story”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report encountering several glitches in the game, which, while indicative of stability issues, have been perceived as beneficial by some players for providing a safety net during exploration.
- “There are also a few glitches I've found, which have actually been kind of helpful as exploiting them gave me a safety net to explore how things work without killing myself immediately.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional responses by immersing players in the poignant realities of 1976, a year marked by grief and disaster, while challenging them to make impactful decisions that could shape the nation's future. This blend of personal reflection and historical significance creates a deeply engaging and thought-provoking experience.
- “While they have recalled their heartbreaking lives and fading faith in 1976—a year of grief, news, and natural disaster—at dinner tables occasionally, this game reveals the scheme behind that pivotal year and pushes the player into the position to decide the nation's future: shall we reform?”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the reviews, but the developers' unique style and charm, despite language barriers, contribute positively to the overall enjoyment.

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