Daba: Land of Water Scar — Everything We Know

PlayStation’s China Hero Project is an incubation program that you’ll want to keep an eye on this year, as it brings fresh blood from indie developers all over the region and helps bring their wildest creations to the forefront of fulfillment. A curious concept that took to the stage during a recent presentation was Daba: Land of Water Scar, a Nioh-meets-Dark Souls action RPG that boasts all the same bells and whistles as most full-fledged PS5 exclusives. And it looks good — even with the sheer lack of footage that its developer Dark Star has provided for it to date.

Needless to say that, out of all the teasers that aired during the first few phases of the China Hero Project, Daba: Land of Water Scar was the one that caught our attention. And so, what better way to sing its praises than to chalk up a list of all its current features? Again, it could still be a few years away from launching, but here’s what we can currently tell you based on the data that’s available at the time of writing.

What Is Daba: Land of Water Scar?

China Hero Project 3rd batch – New Announced Title
Daba: Land of Water Scarhttps://t.co/IcZeZd3xRL pic.twitter.com/BBQjtWwqfa

— ChinaHeroProject (@ChinaHeroPRJCT) July 28, 2023

In its current state, there isn’t a whole lot to unpack, nor will there be for quite some time, what with Dark Star only just announcing it. Having said that, what we do know is that it’ll look to blend Monster Hunter with Nioh, and essentially add a few dashes of Dark Souls over its exterior layers. That’s really the best way we can describe it given the amount of footage we’ve been shown so far. Color us intrigued, either way.

In Dark Star’s own words: “Dhaba: Land of Watermarks is a new title from Dark Star. It tells the story of a humanoid clay puppet. When the world is on the verge of collapse, the puppet traces the whereabouts of the water fragments within the ancient city, and throughout their journey of defeating enemies and seeking answers, unravels the story of the world and oneself. The game features various landscapes including abandoned ruins, a magnificent ancient city, gloomy prison, vast rift valley, expansive snowfield, deadly forest, and a floating city. Non-linear levels are interconnected, distinct, and intricate.

Story

While the premise is still a little foggy in its current form, Dark Star has at least been able to shed some light on its protagonist and the overall setting that Daba: Land of Water Scar will adopt. What you really need to know, however, is that the world is on the verge of collapse, and it’s your duty, as a humanoid clay puppet, to track down an elemental aura that supposedly holds the key to its survival. Sounds pretty simple on paper, for sure, though there’s bound to be a bit more to it than what meets the eye.

Gameplay

From the looks of the footage that was shown during the recent China Hero Project presentation, gameplay will mostly involve third-person combat that dabbles on a similar wavelength to that of Dark Souls. To this end, we can definitely expect to see our fair share of colossal foes, combos, and ultimately, death. More deaths than you could shake a stick at, by the looks of it.

Of course, the blurb does also go on to mention exploration, which will no doubt include various biomes and mounds upon mounds of additional lore to unearth. Again, like Dark Souls, right down to the ancient texts, but with a clay puppet taking center stage and a looming water fragment having something to do with the end of the known world. Take from that what you will, I guess?

Development

In case you missed it, developer Dark Star revealed the concept for Daba: Land of Water Scar during the latest China Hero Project presentation, a Sony-led incubation program that aids indie developers with their projects and provides them with a launch platform and the initial financial momentum. Daba: Land of Water Scar, although without a concrete release date, will be aiming to release on PlayStation 5 at some point in the distant future. A vague window, for sure, but it’s the best we’ve got, given the sheer lack of details that are currently available.

Trailer

Right now, Daba: Land of Water Scar has just the one announcement trailer, which aired earlier this month over its chosen streaming handles. But don’t let us spoil it for you; you can check it out for yourself up above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

As it’s being funded by the China Hero Project, you can expect to see the final product launch on PlayStation 5. And while we can’t say for certain whether or not it’ll find its way to ex-gen consoles just yet, the likelihood of it having a PlayStation 4 port seems low. But what’s to say Dark Star won’t pull something of the sort out of the bag a little closer to the time? Seems unlikely, sure, but if it’s entirely out of the question, either.

On another note, if you’re after any news on the launch edition side of things, then you may have to wait a little while longer. As it stands, neither the developer nor its publisher have shed light on anything outside of the standard copy on consoles.

Whatever the case may be, you can always check in with Dark Star over on its official social handle for all the latest updates here. If anything interesting pops up over the next several months or so, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be keeping an eye on Dark Star’s latest venture? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here. If we hear anything about its release date, then we’ll be sure to let you know just as soon as the penny drops right here on gaming.net.