Why I want to create this game

I wish to use this game to weave together my past, present, and future. It is a personal creative endeavor that encapsulates my identity as a Taiwanese man in his 30s—the influences that shaped me (games, manga, novels, cinema, world-building, art styles, music, etc.), the life experiences I have gathered (designing board games in college, working on mobile game projects after graduation, and moving to Sweden in 2020 to build a family), and ultimately, my visions for the future and what I hope to leave behind.

The outer layer of this game centers on surviving within a cozy shelter, playing strategy games to pass the time while awaiting the reconstruction of civilization and the end of a nuclear winter. This theme is, in fact, a reflection of my own life. When I first moved to Sweden from Taiwan in 2020, the pandemic was sweeping across the globe. Between remote work, limited mobility, and the brutal, endless Swedish winter, I spent a great deal of time playing Civilization. Often, I would look up to realize it was already dawn. I knew heroes were out there working to develop vaccines and save the world, but other than finding ways to stay optimistic and comfortable, there felt like nothing I could do. I often struggled with a profound sense of helplessness.

Within this, the strategy game itself tells the story of an official exiled to the frontier, striving to build influence and find their way back to the heart of the empire. This mirrors my current stage of life. After being laid off at the end of 2025, I felt as though I had been pushed out of the industry I had dedicated over a decade to. Now, I find myself lost regarding the next chapter of my life. Is making this indie game the answer? I suppose I will only know once it is finished.

我希望透過這款遊戲，將我的過去、現在與未來串聯起來。這是我給自己的一份創作，記錄了身為一名 30 多歲台灣男性，一路走來所積累的喜好——無論是遊戲、漫畫、小說、電影，還是那些形塑我審美觀的世界觀、美術風格與音樂。同時，這也是對我人生經歷的梳理：從大學時期的桌遊設計、畢業後投入的手機遊戲開發，到 2020 年遠赴瑞典工作、成家，最後延伸至我對未來的想像，以及我渴望在這個世界上留下的印記。

遊戲的「外層」主題，設定在一個舒適的避難所裡。玩家透過遊玩策略遊戲來打發時間，靜候文明重建與核子冬天的結束。這其實是我生活的寫照：2020 年，當我剛從台灣移居瑞典，全球正籠罩在疫情的陰影下。居家辦公、行動受限，再加上瑞典漫長且壓抑的冬天，我花了大把時間沉浸在《文明帝國》中，時常一抬頭，天就亮了。當時我知道世上有無數英雄正努力研發疫苗、試圖拯救世界；但我除了在封閉的環境中保持樂觀，似乎什麼也做不了，心中常有一種難以言喻的無力感。

而遊戲內部的「策略遊戲」主題，則描述了一名被帝國放逐到邊疆的官員，嘗試建立聲望並重返權力核心的過程。這正映照著我當下的人生狀態：2025 年底的一場裁員，讓我感覺自己被硬生生推離了深耕十餘年的遊戲產業。站在人生的十字路口，我對下一步感到迷惘。製作這款獨立遊戲，會是人生難題的解答嗎？我想，只有當我真正完成它的那一刻，答案才會揭曉。