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Behind the Screen is a puzzle action game developed by 18Light Game Ltd. Set in the 1970s in Taiwan, the game is made in a hand-drawn picture book style to reflect that era. It follows the story of a teenage boy named Yu Ming Wang before he murdered his father.

Beginning with a news broadcast delving deep into the past of Yu Ming, the game starts with his escape from school in search of his missing mother. The gameplay elements come into play when the boy’s imagination intervenes with reality. Each style of gameplay differs drastically according to different stages of the life of Yu Ming.

The game was released on iOS and PC through Steam on April 4th, 2018 and Nintendo Switch on August 23, 2018.

Tropes present in this game:

  • Air-Vent Passageway: Yu Ming gets into one by using a sleeping obese kid, Wenwen on a scale as a pedestal.
  • Beam-O-War: During the election debate, after Yun Sheng has fired all of his fireballs, he and Yu Ming will engage in one with both combatants firing off streams of lightning. Winning the clash is the most reliable way to damage Yun Sheng, unless the player is skilled enough to block all projectile spells every turn.
  • Bilingual Bonus: The Latin inscription on a stone monument, after Yu Ming takes off the flower wreath blocking the words reads "Nemo hic adest illius nominis", meaning "There is no one here by that name".
  • Bird People: Eagles with extra claws extending from their wings are one of the two enemy types Yu Ming will fight on his way to register as a student council president candidate.
  • Blade Lock: A variation done with a broken wine bottle. Near the end of Yu Ming's fight with his father, they start struggling with each other with a shattered bottle. Yu Ming comes off victorious but at the cost of unintentionally killing his father when the shattered glass is driven into his chest.
  • Block Puzzle: The first puzzle of the game starts with Yu Ming moving the matresses with sleeping children on top of them.
  • Breath Weapon: The humanoid chimera can breathe fire through its snake head.
  • Corporal Punishment:
    • A stuffed animal gets whipped on the head by a vine as punishment for not standing still after it collapses on the ground.
    • The teachers in kindergarten threaten to give Yu Ming a good spanking when they catch him.
  • Counterattack:
    • The humanoid chimera will gore Yu Ming with its goat horns if he attacks it in its black state.
    • Yun Sheng will do a Bring It gesture while grabbing on the bar at the same time. If Yu Ming tries to attack when he does this action, the boy will receive a fist from his archenemy.
  • Escape Sequence: On the verge of breaking out of kindergarten, Yu Ming's teacher chases him in the form of a Giant Spider. If Yu Ming rams into an obstacle three times, he will find himself All Webbed Up as he gets caught.
  • Grievous Bottley Harm: In the middle of the fistfight with Yu Ming's dad, the drunk father will sometimes throw glass bottles at his son. The player has to complete 2 or more quick time events so Yu Ming can dodge the attack.
  • Helpful Mook: The first eagle mook you meet in the gladiator arc is a friendly guy, who explains about the new combat mechanics. He will do so with a mock battle as a tutorial to get you on the right tracks.
  • Public Domain Soundtrack: A child under a blanket with the same texture as an army camouflage uniform sings an altered version of the Mandarin children's song "As long as I grow up" (zhǐyào wǒ zhǎngdà/只要我長大) in his sleep. The altered part can be found in the second verse, which is changed from "Reputation shines on home" to "I am also great".
  • Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: In the fistfight minigame, Yu Ming will increase the number of punches for every success in a quick time event. If the player can chain combos without failure, he will be relentlessly pummeling opponents with his fists.

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