Japanese game developers Minnapad have revealed that their next project is intended as their love letter to retro Japanese games. To help create an authentic retro feel, the new game will feature characters designed by the legendary former Capcom artist Satoru Yamashita.

The new game, titled Dhalman, will be a side-scrolling action and shop management game about a young boy named Dhalman, who dreams of making his family’s curry shop the best in the world.

In the game, you will join the titular Dhalman as he ventures across the world fighting numerous bosses to collect special spices. He can also earn extra money by partaking in fighting tournaments.

Dhalman is a labour of love from some of Capcom’s greatest artists, including Satoru Yamashita, who did pixel art and logo designs on Street Fighter 2 and Final Fight, as well as illustrations and cover art for Ghosts ‘n Goblins. Acclaimed Mega Man composer Akari Kaida will also be contributing to Dhalman, making all-new original music for the game.

To fund the project, the team behind Dhalman have launched a Kickstarter campaign today, which is set to run until 8.00 AM BST on 2nd September 2024. Exclusive rewards are available to backers.

“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 catalogue and Satoru Yamashita was interested in revisiting this kind of colorful, family friendly gaming that inspired us so much growing up,” said Tatsuya Nishioka, CEO at Minnapad. “We also got Mega Man composer Akari Kaida to work on the soundtrack, ensuring that Dhalman will feel like a long lost classic!”