Red Raketa Studio and publisher New Tales revealed Kalanoro at the ID@Xbox x IGN Showcase this week, a single-player action-adventure launching summer 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. A playable demo is available now on Steam.
Kalanoro is the debut title from Red Raketa, an indie studio founded in 2021 and based in Madagascar. The project first gained attention that same year after winning a top award at Digital Lab Africa, marking a notable moment for the country's game development scene, a studio drawing directly on its own cultural heritage for a multiplatform release.
What the game actually is
Players control Kalakely, a small creature from Malagasy folklore (the word is pronounced closer to "ka-la-NOOR," for the curious), tasked with overthrowing a dictatorial witch named Raneny who is forcing the island of Lemuria's greatest musicians to perform at a concert in her honor. The solution: recruit those musicians yourself, form a band, build a following, and crash her show.
The gameplay is split between two main pillars. The first is action-platforming, with handcrafted levels that shift between top-down exploration and side-scrolling sequences. Combat leans into improvised weaponry, hair-based abilities alongside household objects like frying pans and slippers, and boss encounters are described as theatrical, in line with the game's musical identity.
The second pillar is band management. Between platforming stages, players travel in a taxi-brousse (a bush taxi that serves as the crew's mobile home base) and spend time bonding with recruited lemur musicians through mini-games, managing the group's morale, and building toward performances. It's a structure that blends action-adventure progression with light management sim elements.
The cultural layer
What gives Kalanoro its identity beyond its mechanics is its roots. The game's world, characters, and tone are shaped by Malagasy folklore and artistic traditions, and that cultural grounding is reinforced by the development team's Malagasy roots. The studio has described the game as a personal and sincere reflection of their heritage, filtered through a playful action-adventure lens.
The soundtrack features contributions from Malagasy musicians Denise, Jyeuhair, and Marco Klarck, who, the studio says, helped shape the game's spirit. The visual style pairs hand-drawn art with dynamic animation running on Unreal Engine.
What's not yet known
Red Raketa has not committed to a specific release date beyond summer 2026, and there's no word yet on pricing or whether multiple editions are planned. The Xbox version supports Xbox Play Anywhere, but no similar cross-buy details have been shared for other platforms.
For a first look, the Steam demo is live now.