If you’re into urban legends and mythical creatures, then you might find City God Alice interesting. Developed by Taiwanese indie game developer HIGHFIVE DOG, this 2D side-scrolling RPG combines exploration, puzzle solving, turn-based combat, and base management into a game steeped in local folklore.
Loosely based on the ancient folktale “The Subjugation of the Jiantan Fish Demon,” City of Alice is set in the fictional mountain temple city of Jiantan and tells the story of 20-year-old Lin Chendong. The latest descendant of a family cursed to die at the age of 21, Lin encounters Alice, the local City God who takes the form of a young girl. Alice reminds him that, as a youth, Lin entered a contract to serve as caretaker of the local City God temple in exchange for something that he could not abandon. Lin’s memory was erased soon after, removing all memories he had of Alice and his reason for signing the contract.
With only one year left until Lin’s time is up, Alice asks him to take up the mantle of City God caretaker. As its new custodian, Lin must combat evil spirits and mythical monsters while protecting the temple and overseeing its operations. As he performs his duties, he learns more about his family’s curse and the legend surrounding a fish-like creature from over 200 years ago.
Exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat take place in the Yuan-Chen Palace, a mental landscape formed by the memories and obsessions of the dead. The shifting place is based on familiar Taiwanese landscapes, such as housing and temple structures, as well as some historical landmarks. It is also filled with hallucinations and monsters, many of which are based on local folklore. Upon encountering an adversary while exploring a mix of top-down and 2D side-scrolling environments, the game’s turn-based combat kicks in.
City God Alice’s combat places emphasis on horizontal positioning (which lets you avoid enemy attacks), exploiting enemy weaknesses, and managing your characters’ sanity (SAN) meters. Staying in cursed and corrupted areas, as well as being exposed to psychological trauma, erodes your party’s sanity, making it vital that you know when to cut your losses. Failing to do so will incur penalties to your party’s abilities, with some causing self-harm to the caster when used.
Lin isn’t alone in his escapades. In addition to party members like Alice, you can call upon spirits, monsters, and even legendary figures from Taiwanese folklore to aid your party in combat. These “yokai officers” are equally important in temple gameplay.
Temple gameplay revolves around handling requests from worshipers, spirits, and neighboring deities to strengthen people’s faith and increase the temple’s reputation. Several items can be obtained by donating money and spiritual resources, such as facility upgrades and puppet vessels (which can be used during expeditions to the Yuan-Chen Palace).
Speaking to your yokai officers while in the temple allows you to upgrade their abilities, complete location-based activities, and unlock new story chapters that uncover more about their past and beliefs.
The combat scenarios and ending you experience are affected by several factors. These include your relationships with your yokai officers and party members, their psychological states, your temple management abilities, and the overall choices you make.
With its anime-like aesthetic and soundtrack by Youhuo (composer of soundtracks for titles like Dream Flash Girl, Haunted House, and Legend of Mortal, City God Alice is shaping up to be a very ambitious debut title for HIGHFIVE DOG.
City God Alice is set to release in 2026 for Windows (Steam).
