Kalanoro is bringing musical lemurs to consoles this summer

Red Raketa Studio and New Tales have announced Kalanoro, a new action-platformer coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch in Summer 2026. The game relies heavily on rhythm mechanics. It trades traditional fantasy tropes for a musical road trip across an island inspired by Madagascar's folklore.

The premise is straightforward but absurd. The island of Lemuria is under the control of an evil witch named Raneny. Instead of simply ruling with an iron fist, she has decided to host a massive concert in her own honor. Your protagonist is Kalakely, a fluffy creature drawn from Malagasy myths. In local folklore, a Kalanoro is similar to a small forest spirit or leprechaun that brings good luck. Here, Kalakely is tasked with stopping the witch the only logical way: by recruiting local lemur musicians to form a rival band and completely upstage her.

The visual direction leans into a bright, Saturday-morning cartoon style. The animation frequently transitions between traditional 2D animated sequences and full 3D gameplay environments. This keeps the energy high and the colors saturated.

The acoustic properties of a frying pan

Combat and traversal in Kalanoro mix standard 3D platforming with improvised brawling. Kalakely uses a blue energy whip made of her own hair to swing across desert environments and navigate industrial traps.

When it comes to fighting Raneny's minions, the arsenal expands to include whatever household objects happen to be nearby. You will be hitting enemies with slippers and frying pans. The developers designed the combat to feel chaotic and scrappy. Boss fights abandon rigid attack patterns in favor of theatrical, music-driven encounters that match the rhythm of the soundtrack. Every major battle is framed as a gig, complete with stage lights and an audience.

Building a band on the road

Between the platforming sections, the game incorporates light management systems. Your base of operations is a rusted taxi-brousse. This is a type of shared bush taxi common in Madagascar, but here it is your official tour bus.

As you explore different biomes across Lemuria, you rescue eccentric lemur artists and add them to your crew. The game requires you to manage the band directly. You have to keep the musicians happy and cook meals for them.

Completing these tasks and winning fights builds your local popularity. That popularity acts as the main progression metric. Earning more fans unlocks bigger stages and tougher boss encounters. You are essentially playing a very violent version of a band manager simulator.

Local development

Red Raketa Studio is based in Madagascar. The team built the game to directly reflect their local culture and artistic scene. The setting and the enemies are pulled from regional stories. The studio partnered with publishers Boiler Interactive and New Tales to bring the project to consoles and PC.

A playable demo is currently available on Steam for players who want to test the combat and platforming early.

It is rare to see a 3D platformer treat its hub world as a literal tour bus. The blend of musical management and weaponized footwear gives the game a distinct identity in a crowded genre. We will see if the rhythm mechanics hold up when the full game drops this summer.