Fools, Maniacs, and Liars Demo: A Much-Awaited Chinese Indie Game of Myth and Mida

While the official release date of Fools, Maniacs, and Liars is yet to be announced, its demo has already given players an unparalleled experience of its intriguing plots, suspenseful atmosphere, and immersive aesthetics. This Chinese indie game takes players to Wushan. It is a small town famous for its Mida china-making, but also overshadowed by the myth of the living Mida. Xiaonan, the main character who struggles with poverty but is eager to change his fate, faces the choice given by Mida. Will he kill for his wealth, as claimed by the prophecy? What secret is the living Mida keeping? This post takes you through the content of Fools, Maniacs, and Liars Demo, and explains why you should definitely look forward to the official release of the game!

What Is the Genre of Fools, Maniacs, and Liars?

Fools, Maniacs, and Liars Demo is a demonstration for a Chinese indie narrative game. The game tells the crime and myth of Wushan, a small town with its background set in the southern area of China. Players explore the secret of the living Mida as Xiaonan, as he strives to get rid of his poverty by becoming a china-making master.

The game is also a clicker game, so players do not need to conduct very complicated interactions. Most of the time, players only need to click to proceed with the dialogues and interact with the environment and NPCs. Sometimes, there are some interesting mini-games to engage with, such as cleaning windows, taking photos, and eavesdropping, but they are perfectly integrated with the narration. The mini-games do not seem to be out of place at all.

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Does the Game Support English?

The official version of Fools, Maniacs, and Liars supports English and will feature English subtitles. Players can also check out the official trailer here, which also supports English subtitles.

Unfortunately, the demo does not have English subtitles yet. Therefore, to make the demo more accessible to the English players, this post will further introduce the main story of Fools, Maniacs, and Liars Demo, to give you a rough idea about what the game will be about!

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What Story Does the Game Demo Tell?

Interestingly, Fools, Maniacs, and Liars tells a very intricate story with three main plots intertwined. The following paragraphs separate the story into three major sections:

1. Xiaonan’s efforts to become wealthy and powerful
2. The crime case of workers missing from the incense factory
3. Mida’s prophecy and its myth of bringing the deceased back to life

Xiaonan: Will He Become Rich and Powerful by Fulfilling the Prophecy?

Xiaonan is the main character of the game, and he is working as a china-maker. His family struggles in poverty for a long time, which is revealed by the location of his home, an illegally-built building under the bridge. Until one day, he gains the opportunity to ask about his fate through a strange man’s help. As prophecised, he can become rich and powerful if Chunbao Lin dies.

As the story gradually unfolds, Xiaonan receives a call from Morimasa (森正学), the head of Wushan China-Making Association. Morimasa invites Xiaonan to dinner as a test for him to become a member of the association. Xiaonan, of course, does not turn down this opportunity of becoming a real china-making master. However, the dinner turns out to reveal more dark secrets about Morimasa, who may be the serial killer, Chunbao Lin, in disguise.

With the help of a deaf girl, Xiaonan successfully escapes from Morimasa’s clutch at the dinner, and starts his investigation into Morimasa. As he realizes that Xiaonan has the prophecy of killing him (as Chunbao Lin), Morimasa tries to take the initiative and takes down Xiaonan first. What will Xiaonan find out as he furthers the investigation? Is Morimasa really Chunbao Lin? What is Morimasa’s relationship to the living Mida? All these can only be answered after the game’s official release!

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Missing Workers: Does Mida Consume Their Lives?

The myth about Mida is always at the center of the storytelling. People in Wushan believe that the prophecy given by the temple of Mida will always come true. However, Mida does not grant access to the temple to just everyone, so the opportunity of obtaining Mida’s prophecy becomes rare enough for people to offer bribes to the monks at the temple.

People in Wushan hold their respect towards Mida, but they also desire to obtain the prophecy and the blessing, same like the workers at the incense factory. In 2002, thirty-three workers from the incense factory found a hole in the Mida statue, believing that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to unveil the secret of Mida. Then, after they entered the statue, the factory was consumed by fire and explosion. All the workers who entered the statue had gone missing, with no bodies found.

Xiaonan’s father escapes his fate by not entering the statue, yet Morimasa seems to be suspected by the police of his entanglement with this accident. Where are these workers? Are they still alive? What is inside the Mida statue? This accident clouds over the Wushan people’s minds and adds more suspicion to Mida’s secrets.

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Living Mida’s Secret: Can It Bring the Deceased Back to Life?

People in Wushan hold the belief that the living Mida is somewhere in Wushan, and the living Mida can make people’s wishes come true. However, as explained from Morimasa’s perspective, the story is more complicated than a wish-granting fairytale.

Living Mida has four guardians who have been keeping the secret of living Mida from people. Living Mida brings these four guardians from demise back to life. According to the story, if the secret is leaked, people in Wushan will face an apocalyptic disaster. Morimasa is one of the guardians.

However, Mida wants to replace Morimasa because he does not live up to the expectations. To protect himself, Morimasa comes up with the idea of threatening to destroy the rest three guardians as well, if he manages to find them…

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What Is the Appeal of Fools, Maniacs, and Liars Demo?

The game demo presents a real historical background, combined with a suspenseful crime and cultish plot. Although Wushan is a fictional location, the Buddhist belief, idolatry, and statue-making culture have their roots in the southern region of China in real life. One can say that this part of the game is solidly grounded in real life and definitely reminds some mainland Chinese of what their hometowns looked like back in the 2000s.

The game demo combines crime, myth, and local culture, and presents a fascinating story about Wushan and living Mida. Overall, it is certainly an enthralling demo that makes players cannot wait for the official release!

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As a clicker game, Fools, Maniacs, and Liars Demo introduces many engaging mini-games that blend in well with the narration, increasing the immersiveness of the gaming experience greatly. The demo asks players to adjust the cup to eavesdrop on Morimasa in the adjacent room, to take photos when investigating Morimasa, and to clean the ads on the window when talking to the deaf girl, etc. All in all, there are plenty of interactions that shake the fourth wall between players and the game.

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Conclusion: Fools, Maniacs, and Liars Demo

Fools, Maniacs, and Liars is definitely a much-anticipated game on the list, especially after the release of the demo.

NanZhai Game, as a new game developer, shows its solid capability to build a story based on the local Chinese culture, to narrate a story with its clarity and complexity, and to make a clicker game fun, immersive, and interactive.

On the other hand, Gamirror Games, the publisher, has already released some well-known games of a similar style, such as Firework and Paranormal Hong Kong. If you enjoy clicker games like Firework or Detention, you should definitely try out Fools, Maniacs, and Liars after its official release. Right now, let’s look forward to how the story will unfold in the official release!