The Tang dynasty (618-907) is considered the first golden age of the classical Chinese garden. Emperor Xuanzong built a magnificent imperial garden, the Garden of the Majestic Clear Lake, near Xi'an, and lived there with his famous concubine, Yang Guifei.
Players take the role of engineers who have been summoned to build a garden while balancing elements of water, rock, and greenery. They need to decorate the garden with pavilions, bridges, different types of vegetation, and animals such as birds and goldfish. During the construction, characters will visit the garden to inspect how the natural elements are arranged, and admire the surrounding landscape.
The Tang dynasty is considered as one of the highest points in Chinese history for its civilization and culture. Chang'an, the capital, was a cosmopolitan city in which different religions and ideologies coexisted. In such a stable period literature and art thrived, with skill in poetry composition even becoming mandatory for those wishing to pass imperial examinations. Emperor Li Longji was a renowned art patron himself.
Through the six scenarios provided you will experience new ways to play Tang Garden: build unique landscapes with interesting decorations and panoramas, attract new important visitors with your creations and try different strategies with a set of new lanterns.
In ancient chinese folklore, spirits and supernatural characters are the heritage left by the ancestor worship, an ancient chinese religion. Stories about demons, medium or spirit hunters are not uncommon through traditional literature, especially in later period fantasy novels.
Ghost Stories add four new scenarios with the introduction of a special mechanism. The new characters and tiles add a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere while increasing player interaction; the new palace tiles adds a different strategy to reach the victory. Try to make good use of the new elements to weaken opponent guests while protecting yours, and honour the four mythological creatures of the constellations to score additional points at the end of the game.
