{"id":70880,"date":"2026-08-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=70880"},"modified":"2026-08-12T17:08:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T08:08:53","slug":"city-god-alice-is-an-occult-story-driven-rpg-in-which-you-manage-an-ancient-shrine-and-investigate-supernatural-incidents-while-conserving-your-sanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/city-god-alice-is-an-occult-story-driven-rpg-in-which-you-manage-an-ancient-shrine-and-investigate-supernatural-incidents-while-conserving-your-sanity\/","title":{"rendered":"City God Alice is an occult story-driven RPG in which you manage an ancient shrine and investigate supernatural incidents while conserving your sanity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re into urban legends and mythical creatures, then you might find City God Alice<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loosely based on the ancient folktale \u201cThe Subjugation of the Jiantan Fish Demon,\u201d 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\u2019s memory was erased soon after, removing all memories he had of Alice and his reason for signing the contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With only one year left until Lin\u2019s 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\u2019s curse and the legend surrounding a fish-like creature from over 200 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s turn-based combat kicks in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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City God Alice\u2019s combat places emphasis on horizontal positioning (which lets you avoid enemy attacks), exploiting enemy weaknesses, and managing your characters\u2019 sanity (SAN) meters. Staying in cursed and corrupted areas, as well as being exposed to psychological trauma, erodes your party\u2019s sanity, making it vital that you know when to cut your losses. Failing to do so will incur penalties to your party\u2019s abilities, with some causing self-harm to the caster when used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lin isn\u2019t 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 \u201cyokai officers\u201d are equally important in temple gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temple gameplay revolves around handling requests from worshipers, spirits, and neighboring deities to strengthen people\u2019s faith and increase the temple\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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