Catharsis ~The Last Atelier~ Opens Steam Store Page
The game reframes art appreciation as a walk inside a painting rather than a view from outside, a format the sources describe as distinct from a museum experience, and it arrives as the debut release from a solo creator selected by Kodansha's game lab.
Key Facts
- Kodansha Game Lab opened the Steam store page for Catharsis ~The Last Atelier~ on September 7, 2026, with release planned for 2026.
- The game features ten paintings by Van Gogh, Klimt, and Monet as explorable stages.
- Each stage takes 10 to 20 minutes and the game has no game over and no time limits.
- Mana, the creator, won Epic Games' Unreal Quest 5 contest and was selected for Kodansha Game Creators Lab in February 2024; this is their debut work.
- The game supports Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese, and is published by Kodansha.
Reporting from 2 sources: 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer.
Kodansha Game Lab opened the Steam store page for Catharsis ~The Last Atelier~, an immersive art adventure by creator Mana, on September 7, 2026. The game is planned for release within 2026. Players control a nameless being who knows nothing about humans, guided by a mysterious voice through ten paintings by Van Gogh, Klimt, and Monet. Each stage changes the viewpoint and controls: some are 3D walking spaces, others side-scrolling, and one involves traveling by boat. A wolf and an owl accompany the journey, letting the player ride across plains or fly to high places. The game has no game over and no time limits, and each stage takes about 10 to 20 minutes. Wishlist registration opened with the store page. Catharsis is Mana's debut work. Mana self-taught Unreal Engine after moving abroad, won Epic Games' Unreal Quest 5 contest, and was selected for Kodansha Game Creators Lab in February 2024. The game supports Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese, and is published by Kodansha.
The game's stages include Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night and Monet's Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son, with the wolf and owl described as symbols of instinct and wildness versus wisdom and reason. The total playtime is about the length of a movie, with each of the ten stages running 10 to 20 minutes. Kodansha Creators Lab, the parent R&D division, was founded in June 2021 under Kodansha's fourth business division. The game is single player, price is undecided, and it supports Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese. The story follows a protagonist who wakes in a white world and is drawn into paintings, collecting memories that fill an empty vessel with color, light, and memory. Mana began making games by self-teaching Unreal Engine after moving abroad, and the project was selected for the lab in February 2024. The press release frames the experience as walking inside a painting rather than viewing it from outside, a distance from the museum experience that the developer says is the point of the project.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.