Cité Alexandrie

Cité Alexandrie is a narrative management game built for virtual reality, set in an alternate version of 1980s France in which books, music and comic books have been outlawed. The player operates from a high-rise tower, building and running an underground network that distributes forbidden cultural goods while avoiding the attention of the Cultural Interdiction Brigade, referred to as the CIB, as well as rival gangs. The setting draws on influences such as Fahrenheit 451 and The Wire.

The game is played through a physical VR diorama that can be rotated and explored, from which the player plans smuggling operations. Core mechanics involve recruiting lookouts, delivery agents and resellers, trading prohibited items, and managing a stock of contraband including audio tapes and fanzines. Each recruited team member has their own backstory, and the developer states that player actions carry both political and personal consequences for life in the Cité. Decisions include whether to trust a local politician and whether to put the team at risk in order to distribute a revolutionary book.

The campaign takes place over a single in-game year, during which the player must expand their operation and form alliances. The game has been designed specifically for a seated VR experience, with the developer stating it aims to avoid motion sickness.