湯圓 [tong jyun] Packs Heartwarming Relationship Dynamics into a Bite-Sized Package
npckc’s 湯圓 [tong jyun] is a story about using technology and food to connect with loved ones. Instead of characters on screen, 湯圓 [tong jyun] presents itself via its main character’s cell phone UI. Through the game’s various texts, group chats and video calls, we get to see a glimpse of this person’s relationships in a way that feels rounded and whole, despite being only a few interactions on screen.
Our main character has a let’s say, somewhat lackadaisical, relationship with their mother’s Chinese heritage, but they’re trying to change that so they can share that culture with their girlfriend. After a bit of a scheduling snafu, their mother realizes she didn’t buy any tong jyun for the protagonist to eat in celebration of the Lantern Festival. Your character decides to try and make the festive dessert themselves, but runs into trouble trying to read a recipe completely written in Chinese.
Instead, your mom ends up guiding you through the process of making the tong jyun via text messages and video calls. Through these interactions, we get a sense of the protagonist’s relationship with their mother, her family, and their culture. .
Though your mom in this can be a bit passive aggressive and snippy, her care and desire to connect shine through intensely in your brief conversations. Not only is she willing to make a long trip to ensure that you have the proper food to celebrate, she also stays on video calls with you without complaint while you cook, and ensures you’re following traditions correctly to keep bad luck at bay. Beyond that, she ultimately supports your character’s queerness and ultimately just wants you to be happy. All of this is conveyed without ever seeing your mom, or actually hearing her, but it’s there all the same.
The same goes for your character’s girlfriend. Though she can be a bit silly and thoughtless, her sincere curiosity and genuine care for you are apparent as she encourages you to learn more about your Chinese culture and helps with the tong jyun. It’s her influence that pushes you to try and reconnect with your heritage, and your desire to share a life with her ultimately helps you connect with the rest of your family as well. Her playful messages and eagerness to help out add levity to the game, and make you want to cheer for this couple, despite not really getting to see them until the end.
At its core, this is a game of tiny little intimacies that build into a mosaic of humanly-flawed but earnest love, portrayed through the lens of technology and food.
