Picture this: today is the last day of the 20th century. You wake up and head to school as usual. Following the teacher’s instructions, you read historical poems aloud. You go back home and have dinner with your parents. Later, you take a walk in the park and meet the girl/guy you have a crush on. You’ve brought that handwritten note for her/him, but can’t bring yourself to give it. You both chat some more before heading back home, where you go to bed, wake up, and somehow it’s the exact same day as before.
This is the storyline of the Chinese indie game A Perfect Day. You play as a sixth grader, Chen Liang, who falls into a Groundhog Day-style infinite time loop stuck on December 31, 1999. The only way to break the loop is to fulfill every wish and build that perfect day.
After the developers launched the game’s trial version on Steam in 2022, players were drawn to its nostalgic and tender portrayal of emotions and its authentic depiction of that era. Before the millennium arrived, China was undergoing rapid economic growth. But hidden struggles were already present: waves of laid-off workers, broken families, and bullying of transfer students.
In this game, that complexity is carefully unfolded within a single day. Chen Liang relives small details over and over. The repetitive storytelling, paired with subtle shifts in characters’ reactions, captivated players and resonated deeply with their own upbringing.
Most of the playerbase who have responded to the game so far seem to be born in the same era as the developers—the late 1980s (aka Millennials)—so it makes sense that a game like this struck a chord. Through Chen Liang’s journey, players retrace lost friendships, childhood memories, and the struggles of understanding their parents. But many younger players never experienced that era firsthand. For them, the game offers a glimpse into a “golden age,” from vibrant interiors to the now retro decorations of local shops.
It has now been a quarter of a century since then. People today live with better technology and greater convenience, yet still seek genuine human connection. A Perfect Day builds a world rooted in pure emotions and relationships. It invites us to escape reality and step into a nostalgic narrative, albeit fictional. Now also available on mobile, A Perfect Day lets you carry your childhood dream in your pocket—something unimaginable back when it was actually 1999.
All images via A Perfect Day.
