Shanghai-based Citreat Studio is developing Dance of Theseus, a life simulation RPG that blends deckbuilding mechanics with a unique approach to character customization, where players graft on new body parts to compete in fashion contests. The game's demo showcases a cheerful and colorful experience that marries a Balatro-style "Frankensteinmaxxing" element with fashion battles.
Players step into the role of Thea, a young plastic surgeon who falls into a monster realm, losing an arm in the process. Upon arrival, she's mistaken for a contestant in a fashion show. Instead of succumbing to her injuries, Thea embraces the challenge, creating a new arm and headpiece from available monster parts to impress the judges. Her journey is aided by Winks, a butterfly creature who provides shelter and a starting crustacean claw.
The core gameplay loop revolves around fashion competitions, which are presented as a mix of deckbuilding and narrative puzzling. Before each round, players use Stamina to discern the judges' preferred styles, with hints ranging from thematic suggestions like "the color of mystery" to specific requests such as becoming an octopus. Players then spend Sanity to assemble an outfit from an inventory of monstrous limbs, selecting colors and textures like fleshy or bony to match the given theme. While the game features a Sanity bar, it functions more as a narrative device in a Tim Burton-esque style rather than a hardcore 'madness simulator'.
Success in the competitions awards extra points for a scoring round where players arrange body parts and utilize dance cards. These cards offer abilities like rearranging appendages or transforming a clashing yeti arm into a tasteful mantis leg. The game also includes climactic dance-offs against rival characters, where players can use cards to disrupt opponents' scores, such as stomping on a rival's scorpion tail with a large goat hoof.
Between fashion events, Thea returns to a monster village that serves as the game's life simulation hub. This section features gaudy dollhouse aesthetics reminiscent of early social network games. Players can explore the world, purchase new body parts like elbows from shops, or craft their own unique anatomical features. Minigames and resource-gathering activities are also present. Fishing replenishes Stamina, while visiting a volcano yields dreamcatchers to restore Sanity.
Expeditions are a top-down, grid-based affair where players have a limited number of steps to gather materials for their outfits. A monster garden allows players to cultivate unsavory textiles. Beyond crafting and resource management, players can befriend and romance characters scattered across the world map. In the demo, Thea forms a connection with a demonboy named Supay, whose revealing outfits have garnered attention, though many of his gifts thus far are severed heads.
The writing in Dance of Theseus critiques conventional beauty standards. An opposing contestant sneers at Thea's seemingly conventional attractiveness, stating that "Beauty is about fear. If you don't look like you can make a human scream in terror and run away, then what kind of monster are you?" This theme extends to the narrative, with the idea that "humanness was always just a mirage, a cleverly constructed optical illusion." The game empowers players to rearrange and distort this illusion as they see fit. The full version of Dance of Theseus is expected to release soon, with a demo currently available on Steam.