During INDIE Live Expo 2023, Japanese indie developer Odencat have announced Dream Channel Zero, a new “surreal and quirky adventure” game coming to PC via Steam in winter 2024. This is the latest project by Zelle creator Fuming and Meg’s Monster developer Odencat. The upcoming title supports Japanese, English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language options.
Dream Channel Zero focuses on the story of Akira, a boy that ends up being trapped within the world of a mysterious video game. After landing in the game world, Akira meets Rumiko, an ordinary girl wearing a blue hoodie. The two characters must team up in order to survive and escape the game world. While progressing through the main story, players can expect to meet a ton of intriguing NPCs
Dream Channel Zero’s stages are laid out on a retro-inspired world map with different channels. Players will progress through stages in order to hunt down several boss characters. While pursuing these bosses, players may encounter additional enemies, visit shops, and experience optional events. The freedom to change the channel and dive into a different stage is present.
The aforementioned bosses have unique quirks that may lead to their downfall, and each stage has an exciting boss battle to complete. It’s up to Dream Channel Zero players to discover how these bosses may be defeated. In many cases, a “single, well-timed punch” may be all it takes to defeat a boss according to Odencat. These bosses are a crucial element of the cryptic, comedic, and wild world that Akira and Rumiko must navigate through.
Minneapolis-based electronic producer and DJ Xavier LeBlanc composed the stylish soundtrack for Dream Channel Zero. Instead of composing 16-bit inspired music, LeBlanc chose to incorporate “hypnotic melodies, ample variations on individual chord progressions, and complex rhythms.” Moreover, Leblanc’s music draws from a variety of different genres including hip-hop, Latin jazz, drum and bass, and R&B.
Check out the teaser trailer for Dream Channel Zero below, courtesy of Odencat:
Teaser Trailer
Lastly, Dream Channel Zero is currently in development for PC via Steam, and the game is scheduled for a winter 2024 launch.
