Unnerving low-poly Japanese horror game explores the terror of being lost in the mountains 

Japanese dev Koniro Games has announced their upcoming horror game Dandara, scheduled to release in the 2^nd quarter of 2024. It will be available on PC (Steam) in English and Japanese. The developer revealed the game’s trailer on X. 

Dandara is a horror walking sim in which you are driving along a mountain road at night when a tree suddenly hits your car. Clambering out of your ruined vehicle, you must try to escape through the mountains. Apparently, the game will involve gathering clues and solving a strange mystery. As you explore, you will come across old Japanese shrines and graves. The unnerving, low-poly graphics are reminiscent of PlayStation 1 horror titles like Silent Hill and Resident Evil 1, in that they prompt your imagination to fill in the creepy details. Other modern indie horror games have also taken this low-poly approach- such as Aka Manto by Chilla’s Art. 

In Dandara, your only salvation is a steel tower glimpsed in the distance. You must make your way towards it. It seems that the game will explore the terror of walking along dark and desolate mountain paths at night. According to the Steam page, Dandara will take between 20 to 40 minutes to complete.

The game is being made by Japanese indie developer Koniro Games, who previously went by the name Azamiya Games. The dev was sharing development updates on a horror game called Kugashira via X, however they decided to cancel the title because it was getting too big- opting to use what they learned to make a shorter game instead. Dandara will be Koniro Games’ first release.   

Dandara is scheduled to be released on PC (Steam) in Q2, 2024.  

Written by. Verity Townsend based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2024-04-09 13:54 JST)