South Korean game studio Wonder Potion has announced that its popular Cyberpunk sidescroller Sanabi will be getting not one, but two free side story DLCs. These side stories, which were promised in the game’s Tumblbug crowdfunding campaign, will focus on two characters introduced in the main story – Major Song and Mari.
According to the developers, the decision to shift the focus to new playable characters was made because they believed that Sanabi’s main campaign was already well-rounded. The important narrative threads were resolved, and the gameplay elements that fully utilize the retired veteran protagonist’s cybernetic arm were exhausted. While there were attempts to bring similar story and gameplay ideas to the DLCs, these were ultimately scrapped because they “felt like crude mods of Sanabi.”
Sanabi’s first side story DLC focuses on Major Song
The first free side story DLC is titled Sanabi: A Haunted Day and puts players in the shoes of Major Isun Song, one of the protagonist’s close allies. Unique to Major Song’s arsenal is her shotgun, which is used in combat and traversal (the latter can be used in tandem with her recoverable aerial jump to reach otherwise inaccessible areas). While the new gameplay elements may throw some players off, the developers state that those who played Sanabi will quickly adapt to the changes.
A Haunted Day sees Major Song travelling to a robot disposal site on the outskirts of Hanyang City to solve a crime. Unbeknownst to her, the site is home to several strange phenomena, and the local robots are highly aggressive. Featuring eight new stages, two types of bosses (one of which already has a theme available for listening on SoundCloud), as well as new and familiar characters, the Major Song DLC is set to be roughly about two hours in length (less if you’re going for speedruns).
The second side story featuring Mari will be produced simultaneously with Sanabi 2
While the Major Song DLC still runs on the same game engine as Sanabi (specifically, the 2019 version of Unity), the second side story DLC featuring the protagonist’s daughter Mari will utilize a new engine. This is because the developers want to invest more time and effort into making it a fun game in its own right. To this end, they decided to delay production so as not to be hindered by the limitations of the old game engine. The Mari DLC will be produced alongside the now-confirmed Sanabi 2.
Details on the Mari DLC are scarce, but it has been confirmed that it will be an interquel between Sanabi and Sanabi 2.
Sanabi 2 will expand on what made the original so well-received
Aside from the fact that Mari will be the main protagonist of Sanabi 2, a lot of the sequel is shrouded in mystery. The developers hope to build upon the original’s tight platforming and story housed within a Cyberpunk world. They also plan on making Sanabi 2 more of a Metroidvania, as opposed to the first game’s linear nature. Given Wonder Potion’s dedication to the IP, Sanabi’s side story DLCs and sequel look like they are in good hands.
Sanabi is available on PC (Steam).
