Exploration adventure game Back alley chronicle now available in Early Access in Japanese
From Japanese developer Back Alley Cyber Laboratory.
Back alley chronicle, an exploration adventure game by Japanese independent developer Back Alley Cyber Laboratory, is now available for PC via Steam in Early Access for $3.55. It only supports Japanese subtitles.
While the main story has yet to be completed, the developer “wanted to convey the atmosphere of the game to players as soon as possible,” so it decided to release the game “as a short story in Early Access,” according to the description.
Back alley chronicle is planned to remain in Early Access for one to two years. Currently, the story can be advanced with a system similar to the one for searching for “lost souls” available in the full game, and it is possible to explore the map to some extent. The time system has yet to be implemented.
As for how the full release will differ from the Early Access version, the developer said, “I’m considering adding 12 chapters, with one in-game month as one chapter. Chapters will not change at a set time, and I plan to make it possible to advance to the next chapter at any time by clearing the conditions of the story. And I also want to add the time flow of the day. I plan to change the quests that can be advanced depending on the time of day, such as morning, noon, and night. I’m thinking of increasing the amount of time the protagonist can act as the story progresses. I’m also planning to add a story to purify the lost souls. By purifying the lost souls, we plan to increase the number of places you can go and progress the story. We are thinking of adding 12 maps, including maps that can be played in Early Access. (Possibly more!)”
Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:
Back alley chronicle is an exploration adventure game in which a girl named Saeki and her friend Maeda help people who have taken in bad souls called “lost souls” while exploring the “back alleys” with many back alleys.
You can also enjoy life in the back alleys by walking through the nostalgic streets, talking with unique residents such as strange-shaped heads, half-beasts and demons, dressing up, and eating parfaits at cafes.
The goal of the game is to find a way to help the lost souls who cause incidents in the city through communication with the residents, purify them with amulets, and put up a barrier so that no more lost souls are born.
Watch a trailer below.