Who doesn’t love a gaming genre mash-up? Crypt of the Necrodancer merged rhythm-based gameplay with roguelike elements, Rollerdrome blended skating with third-person shooting, and Rocket League took soccer and made it fun with the addition of high-flying stunt driving. Now, there’s a new mix in the blender.
Upcoming title Dhalman looks to combine fighting games, side-scrolling action AND shop management in one!
From developers Minnapad, Dhalman is a love letter to retro Japanese games, and features character designs from legendary Capcom artist Satoru Yamashita; who’s clearly drawing on his past works for inspiration.
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Dhalman seemingly follows a young version of the stretchy-limbed yogi, Dhalsim from Street Fighter, though it’s unclear if the characters are one and the same or just heavily inspired by. And Dhalman isn’t the only character inspired by Street Fighter alumni, Blanka, Chun-Li and M. Bison. are clearly represented in the game.
Journey around the globe gathering ingredients to help build up your family curry shop to be the best in the world. When exploring, the game will have a side-scrolling Metroidvania feel, while boss battles will play like a traditional 2D fighting game. Then there’s the management side of the game, where you’ll need to run your family curry shop!
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Defeating bosses and collecting new spices will unlock new abilities for Dhalman, like stretchy limbs, teleportation and fire breath; lending more weight to the character being a young Dhalsim. New spices will also improve the status of your curry shop and Dhalman can also earn extra cash by entering street fighting tournaments.
The Lone Yoga Warrior
I’m loving the idea of mashing up a 2D fighting game with a restaurant-sim. I’ll be keeping my eye on this as it develops!
If the game piques your interest, you can back it on Kickstarter now, or check out this short interview with Satoru Yamashita on YouTube.
