Studio Bandao released an extended look at its upcoming title Sopa during the Wholesome Direct 2023.
Sopa is the story of Miho, who gets drawn into a world full of whimsical characters and mysterious situations while helping his nana collect ingredients for a soup. What begins as a simple trip to the pantry soon takes him places far and wide, where he meets zany characters, climbs the mountains that reach the skies, meets a mystical fox in a desert, arrives at markets full of talking frogs, and returns each time to find his nana patiently waiting, albeit a little older every time, for her grandson.
The beautifully rendered imaginative game draws heavily from the Latin American brand of magical realism, exploring the imaginative mind of a child and what exploring the massive world feels like through the eyes of a giddy youngling. We see Miho traversing through forests, running through old wooden bridges on swamps, paragliding through bushy hills, and making friends with various creatures. Miho’s simple task of collecting ingredients for the soup evolves into a massive undertaking, retracing his steps back to his home, all the while connecting to the roots of his ancestors.
Sopa combines the elements of action-adventure and packages them in a nostalgic wrapping. Heavily inspired by popular works like The Little Prince, Disney’s Coco, and Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, the game features otherworldly elements unraveled through the music, people, and culture of Latin America. Music plays a big part in Sopa, with developers trying to offer gamers a melodic experience through background score, as well as through gameplay as Miho goes on collecting and unlocking various traditional songs.
The game is also expected to feature several side quests apart from the main storyline, such as collecting the pieces of Nana’s broken clay figurine collection.
Sopa is set to launch in 2024 and will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows.
