PC
Indie
Action
Adventure
RPG
Simulation
Fighting
Dhalman, An Indian-Themed Metroidvania By Capcom Veteran Artist, Launches Kickstarter
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by Charlene Sarmiento
Dhalman, An Indian-Themed Metroidvania By Capcom Veteran Artist, Launches Kickstarter
Retro-style Metroidvania and curry restaurant simulator
Action And Adventure To Find The World’s Best Spices!
Follow Dhalman In His Globetrotting Journey
Dhalman, the Indian-themed side-scrolling Metroidvania with a curry restaurant simulator mechanic, has kicked off its official Kickstarter campaign! The child of former Capcom artist and veteran in the game industry, Satoru Yamashita, Dhalman promises an immersive action-adventure journey through the different continents.
The titular Dhalman, a young boy, has a simple dream—to make his family’s curry shop the best in the entire world. In order to do that, he must trek across the world to collect special spices to instantly soup up their curry. However, things aren’t as easy as they seem. These rare spices won’t be as easy to acquire…fearsome bosses will be protecting them with their lives! Defeat these bosses, and the spices shall be yours. All in a day’s work to keep the curry shop open! And if you’re a little short on cash to fund the restaurant, Dhalman can also partake in street fighting tournaments to get that sweet, sweet prize money (we see what you did there, Yamashita).
Based on the concept art, the game will feature Yamashita’s signature retro pixel art of the 90’s that’s sure to bring out a nostalgic feeling. Gameplay-wise, as said before, it will mostly be in Metroidvania-style for exploration, while ultimately, the boss battles will be in the classic 2D fighting game format, very much like Street Fighter. Dhalman will also be able to gain new abilities such as fire breath, stretchy arms and legs, teleportation, and more as he acquires the spices. The curry shop simulator part of the game will require players to hire and manage the store staff while also cooking delicious curry for customers.
Inspired By His Wish To Travel
Dhalman’s concept came about from Yamashita’s own travel experiences as well as watching travel videos on YouTube. “I'm currently keen on India, with its friendly people, cows walking on the streets, loud noises, ancient ruins, and vibrant dances. I thought it would be great to capture the intense aspects of India in visuals,” he shared in an interview on the official Dhalman YouTube channel. As for the title and name of the protagonist, Dhalman, he brought out an old memory from his time in the Osaka branch of Capcom. “A curry shop near Capcom’s office in Osaka called “Dhal” inspired the name of “Dhalman”, adding “man” to the shop name.” He also added that it sounds like the Japanese word “daruma,” traditional Japanese dolls that symbolize good fortune, success, and perseverance.
He ended the interview on a happy note, hoping to “create the whole world of Dhalma with fans around the world” and to enjoy the process.
A Passion Project Full Of Love
Yamashita and the team at Minnapad definitely is pulling out all the stops for this game, and their passion shines through just from the comprehensive descriptions on the Kickstarter, as well as the trailer and promotional materials that they themselves star in. Not only that, among the team is also another Capcom veteran in the music sector, Akari Kaida, who composed the Mega Man series’ soundtrack. She will be lending her skills to Dhalman with all new and original music.
“We saw how excited people got for other Kickstarters for spiritual successors to 90s classics, like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Eiyuden, so we wanted to create our own throwback to Capcom’s illustrious back catalog, and Satoru Yamashita was interested in revisiting this kind of colorful, family friendly gaming that inspired us so much growing up,” said Minnapad CEO Tatsuya Nishioka in the press release. “We also got Mega Man composer Akari Kaida to work on the soundtrack, ensuring that Dhalman will feel like a long lost classic!”
If this quirky premise sounds interesting to you, then go check out Dhalman’s Kickstarter!
