Dream Channel Zero Hands-On: Absurdist Gags and Unease at BitSummit
The pairing of Zelle's creator with Odencat signals a deliberate shift from straight horror to absurdist comedy that still retains an undercurrent of unease.
Reporting from 1 sources: Denfaminicogamer.
Fuming, creator of occult adventure Zelle, and Odencat are developing Dream Channel Zero, a surreal adventure game shown at BitSummit PUNCH. The game follows Akira and Rumiko trapped inside a video game world filled with bizarre characters, absurdist gags, and uneasy story beats. Music is by Minneapolis-based producer Xavier LeBlanc.
Fuming, the creator of the occult adventure game Zelle, and Odencat, the studio behind Meg and the Monsters and Kuma no Restaurant, are collaborating on Dream Channel Zero. The game was playable at BitSummit PUNCH in Kyoto from May 22. Players control Akira, a young man pulled into a video game world, and a hooded girl named Rumiko as they try to escape. The demo features a navigator character with the kanji for death on his forehead and braided twin-tails, a bulldozer-riding old man summoned by an Old Man Card, and a retro TV that warps the player to a desert area. The tone is fast and absurd, compared by the reporter to Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and Dengeki Oshioki Manga, but uneasy scenes-including a basement painting of Rumiko and a flashback-suggest a darker story underneath. Music is handled by Minneapolis-based producer and DJ Xavier LeBlanc, personally scouted by Fuming. Dream Channel Zero is scheduled for release on PC via Steam.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.