Indonesian indie developers stellarNULL have announced action adventure game Mentari, a coming of age story about a magical girl who heals the world and fights baddies with the power of dance. As they attack you, you’ll hit them with sick twirls and the ‘ol two step, cleansing them of a sickness called the “Stillness”. Bonus fun fact: Mentari means “Sunshine” in Indonesian, while Menari means “dancing”.
As I mentioned, the world has been afflicted by a sickness and it’s up to Mentari, a girl who dances really well, to save it. At first you’ll start with a limited number of dance moves, but as you progress, you’ll be “able to create your own choreography” with the devs saying there’s “hundreds of possible combinations”. I hope this means I can connect Fortnite’s iconic default dance with the foxtrot.
As for exploration, it looks like a sort of top-down affair, where you’ll help out pals and they’ll open up previously blocked pathways once you’ve done so. A bit like, I don’t know, that Snufkin adventure game, or most metroidvanias. There’s no word on what sort of tasks you’ll perform, but judging from the trailer above, there looks to be some light platforming and relentless boogying.
One thing I’m keen to see from it is the Indonesian influence. I’d love for it to be more of a learning experience than anything, with intros to Indonesian dance or food or the language. I don’t really know much about the country, besides the fact they’re a legendary badminton nation, which is a shame. I’d hope the game would help deliver some of the education I so sorely need.
There’s no release date for Mentari just yet, but you can follow its progress over on Steam.