Douguo Keju

Douguo Keju is a question-and-answer game about taking a series of imperial examinations in the fictional Funny State. Influenced by the culture of the Central Plains, the Funny King establishes an examination system to select civil servants. The system produces capable ministers, but its questions also constrain intellectuals’ thinking, and some are banished for making fun of it.

Take the examinations

You progress through exams modeled on the stages of China’s ancient imperial examination system: the private school test, children’s birth test, rural test, meeting test and Palace test. Your results determine your ranking, including whether you become the champion, and shape the course of your life as a scholar seeking a place in the cabinet.

The game draws questions at random from a bank of over 300. Your performance affects how quickly you advance and which of the game’s different life outcomes you receive. A random ending system sums up your life based on your answers, and completing a perfect run takes substantial effort.

Examiners and achievements

The game features five examiners, described as gentle but strict, and 20 achievements with varying difficulty. At the end of a life, you can look back on its outcome before drinking Meng Po Tang.