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China: The Forbidden City
China: The Forbidden City
Developer(s)	Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Cryo Interactive Entertainment ; Canal+ Multimedia ; Réunion des Musées Nationaux
Producer(s)	Alain Le Diberder ;
Platform(s)	Windows, PlayStation
Release	1998
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

China: The Forbidden City (French: Chine: Intrigue dans la Cité interdite) is a 1998 adventure video game developed by Cryo Interactive Entertainment and jointly-published by Cryo, Canal+ Multimedia and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux.

Gameplay

China: The Forbidden City is a first person point-and-click adventure game. The player is often tasked with solving puzzles, commonly with the assistance of the in-game encyclopedia. [1]

Plot

The game is set in 1775 in the Forbidden City. Superintendent Anjing is summoned by the Qianlong Emperor in the early hours to investigate the death of chief eunuch Wang. He retrieves a letter from the Empress dowager, in which Wang reveals a conspiracy where he was forcedly implicated in the illegal copying of documents and imperial seals, part of a vast plot to kill and replace the emperor. To unravel the plot and expose the culprits, Wang has carefully dissimulated clues and confessions throughout different parts of the city, including offices, palaces, the Imperial Gardens and more.

The game features an encyclopedic mode and an interactive guide to the city.

Development

Cryo Interactive's 1998 suite of historical adventure games (including "Egypt", "China", and "Venice") achieved a net profit up 121% to 12.6 million francs while turnover grew by 54% to 239 million francs.^[1]

Voice actors

Character	Voice actor
Superintendent An	David Gasman
Lady Shouxiu	Karen Strassman
Great Councillor Yu	Jerry Di Giacomo
Superintendent Da	Leslie Clack
Prince Yong	Gay Marshall
Master Wei	Allan Wenger
Director Li	Steve Gadler
Assessor Yang	Christian Erickson
Lady Fu	Sharon Mann
Chief Ma	Ian Marshall
Chief Wen	James Shuman
Chief Jin	Michael Morris
Emperor Qianlong	Leslie Clack
Chao	Christian Erickson
Hua Bao	Gay Marshall
Chief Wang	Ian Marshall
August Empress Douairiere	Gay Marshall
Chief Lu	Jerry Di Giacomo
Keeper of the August Seals	Michael Morris
Meilin	Gay Marshall
Guards	Allan Wenger
Officials	Steve Gadler

Reception

According to Cryo Interactive's marketing manager Mattieu Saint-Dennis, China: The Forbidden City sold 210,000 units in Europe alone by December 2000. Of this number, France accounted for 60,000 copies. Michel Richard of the Réunion des Musées Nationaux noted that China ultimately "lost money", which the team blamed on the game's setting.^[3]

Jeux video argued that the encyclopedia featured within the title is more valuable than the game itself.^[4] Adventure Gamers described the game as "calm, languid, elegant, oriental".^[5] Les Echose praised the game's technical prowess and breathtaking 3D.^[6] Metzomagic found it off that some of the character spoke with a Scottish accent.^[7] La Nacion felt the title could have an application for parents to help their kids study.^[8] MeriStation felt it was an adequate game while not pushing any boundaries, and that it was identical in gameplay to Cryo Interactive's Versailles 1685 which had been released a month earlier.^[9] Just Adventure praised the title for being "entertainingly immersive and educational".^[10]

References

^ "Cryo introduira sa filiale Internet en Bourse avant la fin de l'année". lesechos.fr (in French). 13 April 2000. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
^ Houghton, Gordon (April 19, 1999). "Forbidden City Review". PC Gaming World. Archived from the original on June 5, 2000.
^ Silva, Beatriz Vieira da (October 2001). "Interviews". Culturtainment - a New Interactive Entertainment Genre (PDF) (MSc). Faculty of Social and Human Sciences. pp. A 20–A 27. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 17, 2018.
^ "Test Chine: Intrigue Dans La Cité Interdite sur PS1". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). 15 October 1999. Archived from the original on 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
^ "China Review". Adventure Gamers. 19 May 2002. Archived from the original on 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
^ "De la Bible à Tintin Chine, intrigue dans la Cité interdite". lesechos.fr (in French). 21 December 1998. Archived from the original on 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
^ "China: Intrigue in the Forbidden City Review by metzomagic.com". www.metzomagic.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
^ "China, crimen en la Ciudad Prohibida". www.lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 1999-08-23. Retrieved 2019-02-13.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "China (PlayStation)". MeriStation (in Spanish). 2012-03-14. Archived from the original on 2024-12-11. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
^ "China: The Forbidden City - Just Adventure + Review". 2003-06-04. Archived from the original on 2003-06-04. Retrieved 2019-02-13.