New York-based indie dev DIE SOFT has announced Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland, a new metroidvania game seeking crowdfunding.

Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland is in development for Windows PC (via Steam and itch.io) and Nintendo Switch, with a targeted release set for Q4 2023.

The game is also now up on Kickstarter looking for $65,000 to finish development on the game – it’s worth noting the crowdfunding is nearly halfway there at the time of publishing.

Here’s a new trailer:

Here’s a rundown on the game:

Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland

Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland takes the retro NES-era platformer gameplay of Capcom and Nintendo favorites and brings it to a vast, non-linear world that has been lovingly hand-animated frame-by-frame. You’ll explore as you collect new ability-granting toys and PJs, discover enchanting lands inspired by Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo comics, and encounter a colorful cast of characters — all through the nostalgic lens of an ‘80s/’90s kid.

The world of Little Nemo was inspired by Winsor McCay’s early 20th century comic strips, with gameplay inspired by NES platformers from Capcom and Nintendo. It’s been in development for three years with a single developer (David Mauro). The team has more recently added Peter Berkman (of Anamanaguchi) for the soundtrack and Jonathan Baken for Sound Effects.

Features:

• Art: Featuring a lush, hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation at 4K resolution.
• Exploration: Slumberland is a vast and seamless world made up of many unique zones for the player to explore as they find new toys and rescue the Guardians. Your adventure will take you to the Dreamswept Plains, Gumdrop Gardens, Mushroom Marsh, and many more unique locations.
• Progression: Collect new toys, pajamas, and stuffed animals to unlock powerful new abilities. These new abilities will expand your platforming and combat capabilities as well as open new pathways in the world.
• Characters: Featuring characters inspired by the original Winsor McCay comics, as well as completely new characters. These characters will add charm and intrigue to the world, while also providing side-adventures for the player to embark upon.
• Music: A soundtrack by Anamanaguchi’s Peter Berkman will provide a sound evocative of NES platforming classics, but without limiting itself to a “chip” sound.
• Accessibility: Plenty of options to make the game accessible to a wide audience.