TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – An online game “Detention” portraying Taiwan’s White Terror era in the 1960s has gone viral since it was released on Steam last Thursday, sparking discussion of its related historical happenings and political issues.
The Taiwanese-made survival horror video game has soon got into the top three on Steam — an online gaming platform in the worldwide rankings of the most popular video games, according to the Central News Agency.
The game incorporates religious elements based on Taiwanese/Chinese culture and mythology, as well as religious themes from Taoism and Buddhism.
In the scene-setting of the first 20 minutes, a boy falls asleep in class, waking up to find his school mysteriously abandoned. He came across another girl who's just as puzzled as he is about what happened. They decide to return home together, but the only bridge out of the school has collapsed. Players will explore the history of their environment to help them deal with supernatural dangers, according to the developers.
The game received many plaudits from critics and gaming channels, saying it effectively combined the elements of classic survival horror game and Taiwanese culture, such as religious practices, funeral rituals and historical events.