[h1] Who am I - A question left for all Taiwanese [/h1]
[u] tl;dr: An ADV which digs into the problem of identity of Taiwanese through 228 Massacre. Even not perfect but still sending out a clear message. [/u]
[h2] Introduction [/h2]
In 2014, Sunflower Movement happened for rejecting pro-China trade deal made by Kuomintang (KMT) government. Students have been succeeded. Several months later, The Rainy Port Keelung has been released - an ADV which tried to memorize 228 Massacre done by KMT in 1947, at the same time kept questioning who Taiwanese are.
By chance or by destiny, the game appeared in the year of turning point for Taiwan.
[h2] Heronies [/h2]
To push Taiwanese to think about their identities, 3 heroines with different backgrounds have been made.
[i] Hayashi/Lin [/i] - TW-JP mixed. Self identified as Japanese. Ojousama. Though never gone to Japan, unlike you who has been sponsored to go to there due to good academic results. Being left in Taiwan by her father and owns Asuka House where you are living in. Hates KMT government and loves Japanese government in Taiwan even after WWII.
[i] Chang [/i] - Local Taiwanese. Childhood friend. Yandere. Being jealous to every women who try to get close with you. Runs a tea shop. Hates both KMT and Japanese government due to damage done to tea business.
[i] Chen [/i] - Republic of China (RoC) Chinese under KMT. Jaja Uma. Daughter of Officer of Keelung. Always thinks that Chinese culture is better than Taiwanese's. Even she follows her father to go Taiwan due to interest on puppet show.
Even they have different backgrounds, they finally have their own feelings of Taiwan.
[h2] Plot [/h2]
Mainly the story could be divided into three parts.
Part 1 is [i] 1945 after WWII [/i]. You would meet and separate with Chen who steps into your life which already having Hayashi and Chang. 3 heroines have their own stances which relate to their backgrounds.
[b] Hayashi [/b] hates unruled RoC soldiers and compares them with Japanese ones. She loves Japan even more due to how you benefited from Japanese education system, even she also knows that Taiwanese could not enjoy everything. [b] Chen [/b] looks down of Taiwanese cultures and praises those from China. Same viewpoint on Taiwanese puppet show which she regards as messy. This comparison also makes her father separated she and you. [b] Chang [/b] pouts about how both Chinese and Japanese limit tea business. Even with jealousy, Hayashi and Chen are also reasons for her hating Japanese and Chinese more.
Part 2 is [i] 1947 before 228 Massacre [/i]. You change heroines' mind and your own life.
In [b] Hayashi's [/b] route, she has PTSD due to lost of who is taking care of her. She somehow behaves more childish than part 1 and starts to forget things easily. Since you try to protect her house with local Taiwanese, and Chen makes friend with her, she starts to understand everyone in Taiwan. She surprisingly speaks the most complete sentences in local Taiwanese among 3 heroines. In [b] Chen's [/b] route, she accepts Taiwanese puppet show and rearranges her performance into local ones. She protects Chang when Chang has been under attack and pays for Hayashi's house. She even speaks as a Taiwanese to protect you from her father who still could not accept Taiwanese. In [b] Chang's [/b] route, she trades her own body with KMT cops at first to protect you away from them. Later on she revenges by killing them. This route relates fewer to other heroines and you and Chang finally know that you two should stay with each other.
Part 3 is [i] 228 Massacre [/i]. Due to civil war between KMT and Chinese Communist Party (CCP), even there are spies of CCP, many Taiwanese only want to protest against KMT taking away their properties and super inflation. It starts from Taipei and spreads to the whole country including Keelung. As a reference to history, this ADV provides [spoiler] none of good endings, not even a CG of kissing [/spoiler].
The best ending is you escape from 228 with all your most important ones [spoiler], but the story just ends there without too much follow up details. [/spoiler] If you choose any of the heroines, [spoiler] the others would all be killed. [b] Hayashi [/b] may end up be rxxed to death, [b] Chen [/b] would be shot, and [b] Chang [/b] would be choked [/spoiler] - all done by your younger brother with soldiers as KMT agents who treat you as communist who leads the protests in Keelung. Even in their own routes, [b] Hayashi [/b] [spoiler] survives but still after being rxxed. You two escape to Japan but she loses memories even quicker. [/spoiler]. For [b] Chen [/b], [spoiler] you two escape through Hong Kong to France, and then go back to Keelung under white terror - similar place with cold atmosphere. [/spoiler] And finally [b] Chang [/b], [spoiler] you two escape into a hill, separate and meet again even not sure rather it is reality or not. [/spoiler]
[h2] Summary [/h2]
This ADV is imperfect due to bug of voice, unmatched text and some disconnected scenes. Still, the message is clear due to how it always questions you about your identity, and shows you how heroines change their thoughts. Quite pity that it lacks translation, as we need an English version to let more people know why many Taiwanese want independence due to what they have been suffering.
Ironically, KMT which used 228 Massacre in 1947 to clear "communists" now (Feb 2026) is being threatened by US Congress to keep national defence budget works. On the other hand, memorial of 228 Massacre which harmed lots of non-communist citizens have not been enough in 2014, but increased afterwards. Now finally Democratic Progress Party (DPP) government tries to involve more on this.
The fight on identity of Taiwanese still is not ended. May this ADV keeps as a symbol on the process. May Taiwan stays as Taiwan forever.
