前程似锦 Excellent Expectations on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Excellent Expectations is a puzzle adventure game , you would use search engines to discover a story from a stranger's phone .
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations is a indie, dark humor and puzzle game
developed and published by 内购人生PABL.
Released on December 21st 2017 is available on Windows and MacOS
in 2 languages: Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 951 reviews of which 818 were positive and 133 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.1 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 2.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified 前程似锦 Excellent Expectations into these genres:
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System requirements
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Windows
- OS *: Windows 7/8/10
- Processor: 1.5GHz
- Memory: 1024 MB RAM
- Graphics: Graphics Card made within the last 5 years
- Storage: 200 MB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Excellent Expectations, developed and published by PABL, is a small but sharply intelligent indie puzzle game that uses the form of a smartphone simulator to tell a story about greed, deceit, and the dark side of the mobile gaming industry. It is an unusual and creative experience that turns the player into a digital detective, exploring the phone of a powerful gaming executive to uncover the unethical practices behind a wildly successful company. What begins as a simple curiosity soon evolves into a layered commentary on the manipulation and exploitation that often lie beneath glossy game design. The result is a compact yet thought-provoking title that blends social critique, puzzle-solving, and satire in equal measure. The structure of the game revolves around a single, clever idea: everything takes place within the interface of a smartphone. You are presented with a collection of apps, chat logs, and files, each hiding fragments of information about the company’s inner workings. By digging through messages, exploring social media posts, and searching for clues using an in-game browser, you begin to piece together a narrative of corruption, plagiarism, and moral decay. The investigation feels natural and immersive, as if you are genuinely navigating through someone’s personal device. Every new discovery feels earned, and the satisfaction of finding connections between pieces of data mirrors the experience of unraveling a real mystery. The heart of the gameplay lies in its search mechanic. Progress depends on noticing key words or phrases hidden in text conversations and documents, then typing those terms into the simulated search engine to unlock new information. It’s a mechanic that encourages close reading and inference rather than simple guesswork, though occasionally it demands a bit of trial and error. When it works, it feels intuitive and engaging, creating a sense of intellectual participation. When it stumbles, it can be slightly frustrating, especially when the game expects specific phrasing. Nonetheless, the idea is inspired—it makes the act of learning and uncovering truth part of the story itself, giving players a direct connection to the game’s themes of surveillance and exposure. Visually, Excellent Expectations maintains a minimalist aesthetic that fits its concept. The game’s interface convincingly recreates the look and feel of a smartphone, with neatly arranged app icons, message bubbles, and browsing screens. Its simplicity works in its favor, allowing you to focus on the content rather than the presentation. There are no flashy animations or 3D models, only text, icons, and still images that together construct a believable digital world. The sound design is equally subdued, using small notification tones and ambient background noise to immerse you in the illusion of rummaging through a private device. This restraint gives the game an authentic, voyeuristic atmosphere that strengthens the emotional connection to its story. Where the game truly excels is in its writing. The narrative is filled with dry humor, biting satire, and moments of genuine reflection. It takes aim at the exploitative tendencies of mobile game development—the predatory microtransactions, the hollow design philosophies, and the obsession with profit over creativity. The story’s tone alternates between amusing and cynical, portraying characters who embody the greed and moral compromises that have become all too familiar in the industry. What makes the writing effective is its grounding in reality; despite the exaggerated presentation, the issues it critiques are instantly recognizable. The game never resorts to heavy-handed preaching—it trusts players to draw their own conclusions as they sift through the evidence of corporate misconduct. The pacing is brisk, and the game can be completed in just a few hours. Its short length suits the format, keeping the experience tightly focused without unnecessary filler. Each discovery moves the story forward, and by the time the investigation concludes, you feel as though you’ve assembled a complete picture of the company’s corruption. The ending ties the narrative threads together in a way that feels both satisfying and slightly unsettling, emphasizing the cyclical nature of greed and ambition. While there isn’t much incentive to replay the game beyond seeing alternate dialogue or revisiting favorite moments, the impact of the story lingers long after it’s over. For all its strengths, Excellent Expectations does have its flaws. The lack of English localization significantly limits its accessibility, as the game is currently only available in Chinese. Non-Chinese speakers will miss out entirely on its clever writing and cultural nuances. The presentation, while effective, can feel barebones, and some players may wish for greater variety in visuals or interactivity. The search mechanic, though creative, occasionally relies on obscure logic that can break immersion when you get stuck. Yet these shortcomings are largely forgivable given the game’s modest price, small scale, and the originality of its concept. Ultimately, Excellent Expectations succeeds because it understands that storytelling can be just as powerful through interface as it is through dialogue or visuals. By turning a smartphone into a stage for moral investigation, it creates a space where players confront the uncomfortable truths of modern digital entertainment. It is as much a mystery game as it is a critique of an industry that often values manipulation over meaning. For players fluent in Chinese and interested in narrative-driven experiences that blend realism, wit, and social commentary, this is an indie gem worth exploring. It is brief, unpolished, and occasionally rough around the edges, but its intelligence and purpose elevate it above its simplicity. Excellent Expectations is not merely a game about finding clues—it’s a game about understanding how easy it is to lose integrity in pursuit of success, and how the devices we use every day can reveal more about us than we realize. Rating: 8/10
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Frequently Asked Questions
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations is currently priced at 2.99€ on Steam.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 2.99€ on Steam.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations received 818 positive votes out of a total of 951 achieving a rating of 8.14.
😎
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations was developed and published by 内购人生PABL.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations is playable and fully supported on Windows.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations is not playable on Linux.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations is a single-player game.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations does not currently offer any DLC.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations does not support Steam Remote Play.
前程似锦 Excellent Expectations is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for 前程似锦 Excellent Expectations.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 21 October 2025 23:32 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 28 October 2025 07:14 |
| Steam price | 30 October 2025 12:41 |
| Steam reviews | 29 October 2025 22:07 |
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- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck 前程似锦 Excellent Expectations compatibility
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Developer
内购人生PABL
Publisher
内购人生PABL
Release
21 Dec 2017
Platforms