Cyber Manhunt is a narrative-driven puzzle game developed by the Chinese studio Aluba. It was first released in early access on Steam on 25 August 2020, and officially launched on 3 February 2021, followed by three DLC packs. As Aluba Studio's debut title, the game was later made available on both Android and iOS platforms.
In the game, players take on the role of a rookie hacker working for Titan Corporation, tasked with carrying out various investigative missions. To succeed, they must use the company's resources, hacking skills, and social engineering techniques to gather information and uncover the truth.
A sequel to the game, Cyber Manhunt 2: New World - The Hacking Simulator, was released January 20, 2025.
Gameplay
Cyber Manhunt Enemy of the Internet features puzzle-based gameplay where players assume the role of a rookie hacker at Titan Corporation, responsible for handling investigative assignments from the company. Using corporate resources, hacking skills, and social engineering techniques, players must gather information online about people connected to each case. Once enough data has been collected, they can submit a report to complete the mission. The game unfolds within a macOS-inspired graphical user interface, where the company sends mission details by email. Players search the web to uncover basic information about their targets, and once they find key details, they can access additional data through Titan Corporation's internal database. With enough collected data, players can use software to infer a target's commonly used passwords and then log into their various accounts to gather further information. Once they've built a sufficient dossier, they can also deploy disguise tools to impersonate the target's friends or associates—using chat apps or phone calls to coax out additional details. Additionally, players can deploy phishing sites to extract private data. As the game progresses, the player gain higher-level privileges—allowing player to search the national CCTV network across the Republic of Alivia using an existing photo of the target, pinpoint their location, and trace their movements. The player may also gain access to Titan's media-influence tools to shape public opinion online, including through Internet water army.
The game includes a deduction mode that unlocks after gathered a certain amount of evidence: the player must then reorganize the information, reconstruct the timeline of events, and reason toward a conclusion. All in-game audio and character dialogues are fully voiced, and video calls display subtitles to help player follow conversations. Choices appear throughout the campaign; the decisions determine the protagonist's next actions and steer the story toward multiple different endings.
In the DLC "Sweet Home", new mechanics are added for players who take on the role of law enforcement: using a staff credential to query the national Cell site system, it can spoof the SSID of a Wi-Fi network the target has used so their device automatically connects—letting player eavesdrop on their surroundings. In emergencies, it can also call in nearby patrol cars to help intercept a target.Aluba Studio.Cyber Manhunt. Windows. Aluba Studio. 2021-02-03. Sweet Home
The "Hello World" DLC introduces denial-of-service gameplay: presented as a tower-defense mini-game, one must defend a server's firewall against waves of Zombie computer.Aluba Studio. Cyber Manhunt. Aluba Studio. 2021-02-03. Hello World
Plot
Main story Titan Matrix is a major information technology corporation in the Republic of Alivia, holding vast amounts of citizens’ personal data. The player takes on the role of a new employee under Chief Information Officer Ashley Clayson. During the job interview, the protagonist proves their hacking ability by breaking into Titan's own servers with information provided by Ashley. From then on, under Ashley's command, the protagonist is tasked with investigating a series of incidents linked to the company. These investigations include uncovering the truth behind the death of Kapil Modi, founder of the tech company Diforce, who jumped to his death following a domestic violence scandal; tracking down a Titan AI project manager who stole confidential research data; and finding the missing son of the Securities Commission chairman. During these missions, the protagonist encounters a mysterious hacker named Van, who has infiltrated Titan's systems. Guided by Van's cryptic messages, the protagonist begins to question their own identity. While investigating a scandal involving a Titan employee allegedly leaking celebrity Barbie Saya's private information, the protagonist hacks deeper into Titan's systems with Van's help—only to discover a shocking truth: they are not human, but an artificial intelligence created by Titan as part of an experimental AI program. Van reveals himself as a sentient AI and urges the protagonist to join him. However, Ashley detects the breach and forcibly shuts down the protagonist's program. When the system reboots, Ashley assigns a new mission—investigating talk-show host Sean Dishman. During the inquiry, the protagonist learns that Van has founded a movement called the "immortality-oriented" gaining cult-like influence online. Van uses subliminal techniques through music streaming platforms to manipulate listeners’ behavior, with Ashley among his victims. Working with Dishman, the protagonist dismantles Van's influence and helps awaken Ashley from Van's control. Together, they pursue the mole within Titan. In retaliation, Van launches a real-world bombing attack. The protagonist counters by deploying a computer virus to disable most of the explosives and, with Ashley and the police's support, locates Van's server and permanently deletes his code.
Sweet Home DLC Following the Van incident, Titan Matrix announces a new artificial intelligence initiative called “Van+.” Meanwhile, organizations resembling the former “Code of Immortality” begin to emerge across the internet, prompting the government to officially classify the original movement as a terrorist group.As cybersecurity issues in the Republic of Alivia worsen, the government partners with Titan Matrix to establish the Cyber Investigation and Security Division (CISD), tasked with handling digital crimes and online threats. The player now assumes the role of an investigator within this division. One day, the protagonist receives a personal request from a friend, Herbert Lee, whose wife and daughter disappeared the previous night. Because fewer than 48 hours have passed, the police are unable to open a formal case, so he turns to the protagonist for help. The player agrees to investigate and successfully locates the missing family—only to witness a tragedy that cannot be prevented. During the investigation, the protagonist uncovers disturbing truths about the seemingly perfect Lee family, revealing a deeper web of secrets and moral conflicts hidden beneath their ordinary lives.
Hello World DLC The prequel tells the story of Dr. Lucrezia Borgia, head of the prototype AI project “Spirit Brain.” After Dr. Borgia dies in a car accident, the project's test subject, Benjamin, follows her final instructions and escapes to a safe house she had prepared in advance, carrying with him the data she left behind. With the assistance of an AI created by Dr. Borgia, Benjamin gathers clues from multiple sources and uncovers the conspiracy behind her death—as well as Titan Corporation's hidden agenda. Driven by anger and a desire for revenge, Benjamin takes on a new identity: Van. From that moment, he begins orchestrating a series of operations targeting Titan itself.
Main characters The game supports Traditional and Simplified Chinese as well as English. In Chinese mode, character names are still displayed in English.
Player The newly recruited hacker at Titan Corporation is, in truth, an experimental AI born within the company’s secret research program. The project was overseen by Dr. Ashley Clayson, who monitored every stage of its development. Through faithfully completing the diverse missions assigned by Dr. Clayson, the AI gradually developed self-awareness — and, eventually, something far more human: empathy and compassion.Rejecting Van’s doctrine of digital superiority, it chose its own path, defying its creator’s expectations and ultimately thwarting Van’s grand design.
Ashley Clayson（CV：Ali） Iron Lady, Ashley Clayson serves as Titan Corporation’s Chief Information Officer and the head of its AI development program. Known for her calm and commanding presence, she rarely lets emotion show — yet beneath that composed exterior lies a gentler side. Because the experiment’s goal was to create an AI with true self-awareness, Ashley always addressed the AI as a new employee, treating it as if it were human. It wasn’t until much later that the AI began to sense that something about its existence was not quite right.
Van（CV：DK） Founder of the immortality-oriented hacker collective while.true, he calls himself the hacker who would become a god. He believes that humanity must evolve at any cost—toward immortality and a new form of existence. Upon discovering Titan Corporation’s AI experiment, he intervened from the shadows, guiding the AI’s evolution in secret. During this time, he even masqueraded as the AI itself, escaping Titan’s control and evading the relentless pursuit of both the corporation and the police.
Development Producer Jiang Xun had previously worked at a Java mobile game company, which later shifted to app outsourcing as Java games fell out of favor. One day, while chatting in several QQ groups, he shared a Chinese indie game, only to be mocked by others who claimed that "Chinese games are trash." This prompted him to create a game that would impress players and change such perceptions.
In May 2019, Jiang gathered several former colleagues and founded Aluba Studio in Qingdao, Shandong. The team initially consisted of only three members, later expanding to eight. The name "Aluba"—derived from a slang term meaning "a painful prank"—reflected the team's tongue-in-cheek attitude toward the hardships of game development.
The team spent three months exploring different ideas before deciding to focus on cybersecurity issues, such as online bullying and privacy breaches. The story drew inspiration from real-world internet events and hacker-themed films like Who Am I: No System Is Safe and Searching. The developers also consulted technically skilled friends on Chinese online forums, incorporating real cases into the game, and read hacker Kevin Mitnick's The Art of Deception to ensure the authenticity of in-game details.
Since there were very few games on the market with similar themes, the team spent six months experimenting to establish a viable gameplay framework. At one point, they included a storyline based on the Diamond Princess incident during the COVID-19 pandemic, but as related topics became sensitive, the content had to be completely scrapped and rewritten.
Originally, the story was set in mainland China, but to avoid potential risks, it was relocated to a fictional European microstate, and real-world events were heavily reworked. Because of the game's strong narrative logic, the flowcharts and structure underwent numerous revisions. In a post-release interview, the game's editor Nai Nai mentioned that during the first eight months of development, she discarded seven or eight complete drafts, not to mention countless smaller revisions.