With its heroine who gets her power from her hair and her army of musical lemurs at her side, “Kalanoro” promises to be an atypical action-adventure game. But the first game from the Red Raketa studio is above all a vibrant tribute to the heritage and traditions of Madagascar.
Among the litany of American, Asian and other games that are regulars in the online presentations of the major manufacturers, on Thursday evening, a cute little game tries to take a little spotlight and highlight its origins. At the heart of the ID@Xbox Showcase, an online presentation of games supported by Xbox, Kalanoro et ses lémuriens déboulent à l’écran.
Full of colors, astonishing characters, equally strange animals, and perilous situations, the action-adventure game in a platform style, but which promises to mix several genres, brings a dose of freshness and softness, without seeming wildly original. But the sauce takes on so much sincerity. Because, with Kalanoroa whole island comes together: Madagascar.
Développé par le studio Red Raketa, basé à Tananarive, Kalanoro pays homage to Malagasy culture and folklore. “With a lot of love and a lot of coffee,” laughs Dina, co-founder of the studio.
A “far-fetched” game in the form of a tribute to its roots
The game takes place in Lemuria, an island under the rule of the witch Raneny, and follows a young heroine named Kalakely, a hairy mythical creature. A “slightly dubious” prophecy instructs him to form a music group with legendary lemurs and to perform at the witch’s concert. But you will also have to repel waves of enemies who will try to slow down your progress through the flamboyant settings inspired by the Big Island and its Highlands. All mixed with a certain humor. The pitch seems completely offbeat, as the game is shaping up to be, but it was thought through from the heart.
“Kalanoro is an ode to Malagasy heritage. We were very keen to put this heritage in history, so that the international community can discover what Madagascar is like,” confides Karen, co-founder of the studio and producer of the game.
A mix of nervous combat, platforming and a little management, Red Raketa’s game revolves around the powers of Kalakely who can use his hair as a weapon, “activated by magic shampoos”. “It seemed so natural to us to use hair… it’s far-fetched, literally!”, laughs Dina.
And that’s not the only unusual part of Kalanoro: the protagonist will also be able to use frying pans or even shoes as weapons, travel with her lemur supports in a bush taxi – a real operational base for the crazy woman where she will also have to manage the morale of the troops.
Traditional music at the heart of the adventure
This musical road trip is already accessible via a demo on Steam. The opportunity to take a small dose of colorful fun and immerse yourself in the local culture by exploring the levels to collect elements (cuisine, objects, traditions, music, etc.) and free the artists. It’s then your turn to concerts in the form of mini-games to recruit and gain popularity and skills. Local artists like Denise or Jyeuhair were also used for the soundtrack, far from being “a pinch of salt that we put on a dish”, insists Karen. “It’s the heart of the adventure.”
Kalanoro is intended to be a “sincere vision of a certain duty of memory” to materialize oral legends through a video game experience. It also demonstrates a desire to put the studio’s roots forward, as it did in its time Bye of Awaceb with New Caledonia. It is not the first game made by a Malagasy studio, but the first already announced on all platforms, during the year 2026. Without doubt not the most revolutionary, the one which will shake up the industry, but one of those which knows how to be appreciated and find its fans as they are made with the heart and the desire to offer “a joyous chaos”.
KALANORO – Available in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series and PC – Demo on Steam.
