Steam Wishlist Surpasses 40,000… Indie Game ‘D1AL-ogue’ Draws Hot Interest Even Before Its Release
A game developed by a four-person student team … Actively accepting user feedback, overcoming the AI music controversy and relaunching.
“The Emotions of VA-11 HALL-A”… Reinterpreted as a Cyberpunk Puzzle Game
Combining a unique circular puzzle system with a cyberpunk worldview, the K-indie game “D1AL-ogue” will be released for free on Steam on February 4th. The game, which has already garnered significant attention, surpassing 40,000 Steam Wishlist entries even before its release, is gaining even more attention as it was developed by a four-person student development team.
Android repairman in a gray city where the sun never rises
‘D1AL-ogue’ takes place in ‘Chroma City,’ a cyberpunk city ruled by an eternal gray night. Players assume the role of manager of a repair clinic nestled in a shopping district, fixing broken androids called ‘Electronic Vital Entities’ (EVE).
The core of the game is operating the old-fashioned diagnostic console “[D1AL]” to replace damaged parts of an android. Rather than simply repairing them, players must manually rotate and manipulate a circular grid that visualizes the android’s inner core.
A unique circular puzzle system that requires strategic thinking and quick decision-making.
The most distinctive feature of ‘D1AL-ogue’ is its unique circular puzzle mechanic. Within a limited battery capacity, players must move and rotate modules to combine three of the same type and upgrade them to a higher-grade unit.
The puzzles are anything but simple. You must prevent the spread of electronic drugs, avoid overloaded units on the verge of explosion, and precisely replace parts. The structure demands strategic thinking and quick decision-making.
The game features a narrative structure where players listen to the stories of androids in exchange for completing “perfect repairs.” Androids with unique personalities and backgrounds visit the clinic, and the player’s repair skills determine the stories they share. The multi-ending system allows for a variety of possible endings.
Hand-drawn retro-inspired neon noir visuals
The visuals of ‘D1AL-ogue’ are attracting attention for their unique style, which fuses 98s PC-style pixel art with neon noir aesthetics. The development team emphasized that “all resources used in the game are 100% handcrafted or officially licensed assets,” making it clear that no AI-based image generation was used whatsoever.
The game’s setting, Chroma City, is a place where the streets are illuminated solely by the artificial light source “Neon-Shine.” The brightly lit neon signs in the eternal gray night contrast with the cold, metallic cityscape. This visual setting effectively conveys the cyberpunk genre’s signature “high-tech, low-life” atmosphere.
The Steam description page describes it as having “atmospheric neon noir aesthetics,” a stylish blend of pixel art visuals inspired by ’98 PC games. Its retro aesthetic is complemented by modern visual effects, creating a sense of both nostalgia and freshness.
Despite its heavy and dark genre settings—cyberpunk and dystopia—the game aims to provide a “relaxing” experience. “Relaxing” ranks high on the Steam tag, and the game focuses on calm puzzle-solving and immersive storytelling rather than intense action.
Steam Wishlist surpasses 40,000, drawing attention from Japanese gaming media outlets.
“D1AL-ogue” surpassed 40,000 Steam Wishlist entries before its release, garnering unprecedented attention for a student development team’s work. Japanese gaming media outlets Famitsu and 4Gamer also covered the game ahead of its release.
Many Steam community members are expressing interest in this game, comparing it to the cyberpunk bartender game “VA-11 HALL-A.” One even asked, “Is this a visual novel similar in style to VA-11 HALL-A?” Both games share a common theme: a cyberpunk setting where the story unfolds through conversations with customers.
AI Music Controversy Resolved Through Active Feedback
Before its release, “D1AL-ogue” was embroiled in controversy over its use of AI-generated music. One Steam community user expressed concern, saying, “I lost interest after hearing about the AI. I don’t understand why the development team didn’t hire a musician when they’ve already created the rest of the game.” Another user pointed out, “One of the big reasons VA-11 HALL-A was successful was Garoad’s music. Free or AI-generated music isn’t enough.”
In response, the development team CherryPicker took proactive measures, postponing the release date, originally scheduled for January 30th, to February 5th. In an official announcement, the development team stated, “We have removed all AI-generated background music and replaced it with high-quality Asset Store and royalty-free tracks that perfectly fit the game’s atmosphere.”
The development team explained, “We want the ‘story’ and ’emotion’ of D1AL-ogue to be conveyed to gamers with absolute authenticity. We realized that the controversy surrounding AI-generated music could be disruptive to immersion and unwelcome to the community.” They added, “We are dedicated to finding music with a ‘human touch’ that perfectly captures the cold metallic feel and neon-drenched loneliness of Chroma City.”
A ‘free’ game that supports five languages, including Korean.
“D1AL-ogue” was developed by CherryPicker and published by Jungle Game Lab. Jungle Game Lab is the publishing brand of Krafton’s “Krafton Jungle Game Lab,” a game talent development program operated by Krafton, and serves as a platform for new game developers to showcase their work on Steam.
The game is free to play on Steam. It supports Korean, English, Japanese, and Simplified/Traditional Chinese, and features Steam Achievements and cloud saves for single-player play. You can also follow the game’s updates and development progress through the official X (formerly Twitter) account (@cherry_pic9129) and YouTube channel.
“D1AL-ogue” was completed in just nine weeks by a four-person student development team, but the game’s quality has been enhanced by actively responding to user feedback. With over 40,000 Steam Wishlist entries, attention from major Japanese gaming media outlets like Famitsu and 4Gamer, and a vibrant Steam community, “D1AL-ogue” has garnered significant attention even before its release. The answer to this question will be revealed beneath the neon lights of Chroma City, the game’s setting.
Steam Store Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4270390/D1ALogue/
