About six months ago, a colleague shared a game he was playing called "Project Winter" during a team meeting. He introduced the game type and mechanics, which are somewhat akin to an interactive version of Werewolf. I was captivated by the low-poly art style and the snowy mountain setting, but at that time, I didn’t have a gaming console, so it lingered in my mind. Recently, I finally got a gaming console and purchased the game on Steam.

This article captures my experiences playing the game so far (I've only been playing for three days XD, but I expect to have more insights in the future).

Game Introduction

The game is set in a cold snowy mountain where 8 players must collaborate to gather materials, repair the generators, and call for a helicopter to escape. Along the way, players will face natural elements (like wildlife, cold, and hunger) as well as unexpected events.

This game has elements reminiscent of Werewolf but differs from the purely conversational format of that game, incorporating other gameplay mechanics. Survivors must deduce who the traitor is, and escaping successfully constitutes a victory. On the other hand, the traitor employs various tactics to hinder the survivors’ escape or eliminate them.

The game mainly divides players into two factions:

Survivors: The goal for survivors is to survive and escape from the snowy mountain by gathering materials to repair the power facility and call the helicopter within a time limit (usually 30 minutes). Due to the harsh conditions, the game heavily emphasizes cooperation among players. If players act independently or fail to communicate throughout the game, they are likely to lose.

Traitors: The traitor's objective is to sabotage the survivors' efforts within the time limit, such as secretly discarding materials, damaging the power station, sowing discord, or assassinating players.

The game allows for voice chat, designed so that only nearby players can hear each other (or communicate via radio), creating an engaging atmosphere. The character and environment designs are my favorite low-poly style, and the scenery is beautiful! You all must give it a try!

Thoughts

So far, my impression is that there are very few players from Taiwan. Most players seem to be friends playing together or rooms filled with Chinese players. Alternatively, there are more players from Europe and America, so I often find myself playing with Japanese players, and here are some of my thoughts.

Japanese Players Are So Warm!

Japanese players in the game are generally quite gentle and enthusiastic, which is a stark contrast to real life! While my colleagues are also very kind in the workplace, they mostly stick to work-related discussions and rarely chat about non-work matters. However, in this game, you can hear Japanese players bantering and chatting with each other.

There's often sharing like, "Is the cold okay?" "I have berries here," or "There's a pot pie in the box," which feels really heartwarming. Although there are some Japanese players who might not be very friendly towards foreigners, most are quite kind.

High-Level Practical Japanese Conversations

Although I mainly use Japanese in my workplace, colleagues sometimes intentionally slow down their speech because of me. In the workplace, everyone tends to use honorific language, which can be challenging for me.

But in the game, people don't worry too much and just say whatever they want. Since there's no slowing down and no use of honorifics, it's basically a battleground for practical conversation. I’ve learned a lot of Japanese expressions while playing.

The Japanese players in the game feel completely different from those in real life; it’s like saying, "If it's that fun, let me see it in real life!" It's wonderful to see another side of Japanese people through this game.

Enhancing Communication Skills

As mentioned earlier, communication and teamwork are essential to winning in this game (for both survivors and traitors). Acting alone or failing to communicate with others will undoubtedly lead to a loss.

If players don’t share information about what to do next, what materials are still needed, what they have, and share intelligence, it’s likely that everyone will end up working on the same task, gathering the same materials, ultimately leading to lower efficiency.

Thinking back, this principle applies to the workplace as well! If you don’t communicate while working alone, even if you achieve good results, other team members may misunderstand you or may not even know what you’re doing, leading to unnecessary detours. This has been a great practice for me as a foreigner.

Technical Skills Matter Too

I haven’t yet mastered the skills in the game, such as map familiarity, weapon usage, and close-combat tactics; communication alone isn’t enough. Technical skills and communication are two complementary skills.

This game allows for the crafting of weapons, traps, mines, poisons, and much more, offering diverse gameplay. If someone is technically skilled enough, they might be able to master the game without relying on communication.

Guessing Opponents' Actions

I personally find it hard to lie and I'm not very good at guessing others' actions. As mentioned, while the game has elements of Werewolf, it’s not the main focus; the ultimate goal for survivors is to escape the snowy mountain, not just to identify the traitor.

Moreover, since all communication is in Japanese, it becomes even more challenging. Currently, I mostly follow the general direction and act together with others, hoping to discover more tactics as I continue playing.

I think this is similar to the workplace, where everyone's understanding and expectations of each other differ. It’s unlikely to fully comprehend or meet each other’s expectations, and finding balance can be quite the art form—it may even be non-existent.

Conclusion

Although it’s a bit strange to jump from discussing a game to workplace topics, I highly recommend this game. It can be enjoyed purely as a game, for practicing a foreign language, for honing effective communication skills, and for enjoying human interaction (though it can be a bit disheartening when betrayed, sneaky sabotage can also be a lot of fun!). It’s a truly entertaining game!

Perhaps finding people from different countries to play with and discovering ways to communicate with each other adds another layer of enjoyment!