Japanese indie studio Studio Charon has revealed SANASANA, a new game set to arrive in October 2026 on Steam.
SANASANA is a Touhou-inspired vertical scrolling bullet-hell shooter taking place in a dark fantasy realm “infused with madness.” Driven by the desire to resurrect her deceased sister, the protagonist Sana embarks on a quest to find the legendary three Golden Apples, which are said to fulfill any wish.
Each of the Golden Apples is guarded by one of three unusual witches residing deep within the Lost Forest, and Sana must overcome them to obtain all the apples. Meanwhile, every witch she encounters is motivated by her own desires, warped beliefs, and madness. The Steam page notes that the game delivers a dark narrative examining themes such as wishes, sacrifice and obsession.
Players will experience a vertical scrolling shooter gameplay style reminiscent of Touhou titles. You’ll maneuver through visually striking bullet formations while taking down your foes. Although SANASANA’s controls are straightforward enough for newcomers, the game offers a test that even seasoned players of the genre will find gratifying.
The narrative progresses through dialogue scenes separating stages. As Sana fights and converses with the witches, their personal backstories are slowly uncovered.
While most of Studio Charon’s creations are visual novel-style games (like this upcoming psychological horror title), studio head Kaoru Nekofuji states this new endeavor came about after they met a fan at an event who happened to be an engineer. When they mentioned wanting to create a shooting game inspired by Touhou, the fan joined the team to contribute to development.
SANASANA is planned to release in October 2026 for PC (Steam) with English language support.