Japanese indie developer Studio Charon has announced SANASANA, a new title slated for launch in October 2026 on Steam.
SANASANA is a Touhou-inspired vertical scrolling bullet-hell shooter set in a dark fantasy world “filled with madness.” To bring her deceased sister back to life, the protagonist Sana sets out on a journey in search of the legendary three Golden Apples, said to grant any wish.
The Golden Apples are each held by one of three eccentric witches who dwell deep within the Lost Forest, and Sana must defeat them to collect all the apples. Meanwhile, each of the witches standing in her way is driven by her own wishes, twisted convictions, and madness. According to the Steam page, the game tells a dark story exploring themes like wishes, sacrifice and obsession.
Gameplay unfolds in a vertical scrolling shooter-format that will be familiar to Touhou fans. You’ll be dodging aesthetically pleasing bullet patterns while shooting down your enemies. While SANASANA’s controls are simple enough for newcomers to pick up, the game promises a challenge that even players already experienced in the genre will find rewarding.
The story unfolds through dialogue scenes in between stages. As Sana battles and communicates with the witches, their individual stories are gradually revealed.
While many of Studio Charon’s work are visual novel-style games (like this upcoming psychological horror title), studio lead Kaoru Nekofuji says this new project came to be after they met a fan during an event who happened to be an engineer. When they expressed a desire to make a shooting game inspired by Touhou, the fan came on board to participate in development.
SANASANA is scheduled to launch in October 2026 for PC (Steam) with English language support.
