Metroidvania games are very popular right now and a new one coming into the ecosystem soon is ‘Zozo and the Lost Dreams'.
From Red Dunes Games in collaboration with Agate, the game was recently unveiled as part of Steam Next Fest. It will release on PC and consoles in Q3/4 2026. The 2D Metroidvania platformer allows players to drift off peacefully to a chaotic slumber land where your wildest dreams (and nightmares) come true.
We spoke to Game Director Wafi Harowa to find out more about Agate, discuss the key aspects of ‘Zozo and the Lost Dreams', and talk about the game's inspiration…
Agate is behind a huge number of great games – can you tell us a little bit about the company’s history?
Agate is the biggest game studio from Indonesia. We have been creating games for 17 years now. We started from flash-games, then into mobile games, and now we focus on premium games for PC & Consoles. Our previous title is Valthrian Arc. We also do porting service, outsourcing, and gamification service. Our latest titles are Port of Jumanah, Zozo and the Lost Dreams, and Blade of Mirage. All three of them are in collaboration with our Publisher & Partner, Red Dune Games.
‘Zozo and the Lost Dreams' is our favourite Saturday morning cartoon brought to life – can you tell us about what inspired the game?
We want our game to feel nostalgic to older players, while also enjoyable for younger audiences. Watching a Saturday-morning-cartoon is the answer that fulfils both. Additionally, the team all have their own experience watching their favourite cartoons. That becomes a great source of inspiration when designing the game, characters and jokes. This game is a love letter to our favorite saturday-morning cartoon from our childhood.
Metroidvania games are huge at the moment. What did you feel was missing from the genre that you wanted to bring to it?
A lot of 2D metroidvania in the market have a dark and serious tone. ‘Hollow Knight', ‘Nine Sols', ‘Deadcells', etc. So we want to take a different approach and create a light-hearted and feel-good metroidvania game. The world is already stressful enough, so hopefully our game can brighten up people’s lives.
Why did you choose dreams as the foundation for the world instead of a more traditional fantasy setting?
We want the world to be instantly intriguing and engaging. A dream is a perfect excuse to create a bizarre setting, as most people have experienced a weird dream. Additionally, dream also means aspiration, which reflects with Zozo who wants to be a superhero. Both meanings of dream are explored in the game. We want players to reflect on their own life experience when they finish the game.
Characters and friendships are central to the game. Why was that important to the narrative?
A lot of cartoons have a friend group as its main cast. Scooby Doo, Doraemon, Pokemon, Spongebob, Avatar are to name a few. Zozo also have friends who accompany him in his adventure. The quirky personality, the comedic banter makes a more enjoyable and memorable experience when playing the game.
What role does combat play in ‘Zozo and the Lost Dreams'?
We have 30 enemies with 14 Bosses in the full game. That’s a lot of combat experience. We designed the combat alongside traversal and stage mechanics, as we want the combat and boss fight to be part of stage progression. So players who acquire muscle memory from exploration will get rewarded when fighting the boss. One of the unique combat mechanics is you can knock enemy, and the enemy can bounce to other enemy and damage them.
How do you balance exploration and player freedom without letting players feel lost?
We want players to figure out where to go by themselves, but we also don’t want them to get stuck (or having to google where to go). So we create a hint system that gives context where they should go next. In the majority of the game, it only gives a soft hint. But in some segments where players might get lost (we realize this during playtesting), we show a location indicator in the map.
Is there a moment, level, or mechanic that you’re most excited for players to discover on their own?
The game has a lot of secrets, easter eggs, and references to pop culture. I am looking forward to players who encounter the secrets and easter eggs. That should be a reward for players who put attention to detail.
‘Zozo and the Lost Dreams' is available to wishlist on Steam now at https://store.steampowered.com/app/3230120/Zozo_and_the_Lost_Dreams/
