releaseAug 20, 2026
Shanhai: Yin Yang Record Launches on Steam with Dual-Sided Card Mechanic
Shanhai: Yin Yang Record is now available on Steam, published by the studio behind AppID 4986290 under the author handle wqyalx. It is a single-player deckbuilding game rooted in Chinese tales of spirits and monsters.
What changed
- The game's central mechanic gives every card a Yin side and a Yang side; flipping a card alters both its cost and its effect
- Combat asks players to read enemy intent before choosing to attack, defend, prepare, or flip
- A 10% launch discount is live for 7 days from release
- The studio notes this is their first released indie game and is actively soliciting plain, concrete feedback on card readability, combat pacing, difficulty, and individual "schools" that feel awkward
- Some artwork was produced with the assistance of generative AI, a detail disclosed on the store page
The developers have stated openly that there is room to improve and that they will read every concrete piece of feedback — an unusually candid posture for a launch announcement, and a reasonable signal that the game's current state should be weighed accordingly by prospective players.