Dreams rarely follow rules, and neither did Zozo and the Lost Dreams at Tokyo Game Show 2025. The demo introduced Zozo, a ten‑year‑old boy who once imagined himself a superhero, only to be pulled into a dream world where imagination has teeth. To escape, he must outwit eccentric characters, battle oddball enemies, and gather a ragtag “dream squad” across seven chapters that mix slapstick comedy with heartfelt reflection.
The booth captured the cartoon spirit. Red Dunes Games and Agate handed out stickers and acrylic charms, while the demo itself played like a Saturday‑morning cartoon gone off‑script. One moment Zozo was bouncing across a mountain of cupcakes, the next he was training under an octopus master or navigating a jungle where vines had been replaced with neon circuitry. Each dreamscape had its own rules, and the transitions between them felt like flipping channels on a restless television.
Movement was light and playful. Zozo’s double‑jump had a springy exaggeration, his dash carried comic timing, and his slingshot attacks often triggered unexpected effects. Enemies froze in place, scattered into letters, or transformed into temporary platforms. Combat encouraged experimentation rather than repetition, with each encounter bending the rules of the dream in a different way. Once the controls were mastered, it all became second nature. The writing throughout leans into humour without losing warmth.
Characters in the demo spoke in riddles, rhymes, and jokes, but there was always a thread of sincerity beneath the chaos to prevent this from feeling too much like a title aimed at children. Professor Aisha, Zozo’s eccentric neighbour, appeared in dream form as a guide, for instance, grounding the adventure with a sense of mentorship and care. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the final build.
For some players, the demo may have sparked a sense of familiarity, and it certainly did in Cubed3’s case. The blend of cartoon‑bright visuals, agile platforming, and whimsical enemy design will definitely draw comparisons to WayForward’s Shantae series. Both games share a love of expressive animation and light‑hearted exploration, although Zozo distinguishes itself through dream‑logic unpredictability and surreal shifts in setting. Where Shantae’s world is folkloric and consistent, Zozo’s is deliberately unstable, a playground that rewrites its own rules from one moment to the next.
The TGS demo was short, but it set the scene for what’s to come clearly. It did not reveal how interconnected the dreamscapes will be, nor how progression systems will unfold across the seven chapters. Boss battles and long‑term upgrades were left for later. What it did show, though, was confidence: a strong visual identity, mechanics that encouraged curiosity, and a willingness to embrace unpredictability. Red Dunes Games’ showcase at TGS 2025 was broad, spanning culturally rooted projects like Port of Jumanah and playful indies like Zozo. Together with Agate, the publisher is building a portfolio that celebrates both heritage and humour. Zozo and the Lost Dreams may not have had the largest booth, but it was one of the few that left a smile on your face when walking away (or to the next gaming pod…!).
