The creator of ToeJam and Earl revealed Dancing with Ghosts, a lifesim game about striving through loss.
Dancing with Ghosts finds joy from grief. Built by legendary game developer Greg Johnson’s HumaNature Studios, it tells a tale of spirits lifting people’s spirits in the reveal trailer shown today at The MIX Fall Game Showcase, ahead of a 2026 release on Steam for PC and Nintendo Switch.
The idea came to be after the tragic passing of Johnson’s 28-year-old daughter, and his family’s loss of everything in the 2023 Lahaina fires. Watch the reveal trailer here.
After losing her parents in an accident, 15-year-old Mai lives in a small Thai river village. neO day, she meets a ghost named Pim who doesn’t remember much of her time in the living world (or even why she’s now a spirit), but she’s elated that someone can finally see her. Mai and Pim set out on a journey to process their identities, and come to terms with the emotional challenges befalling them both.
Inspired by the concept of tham boon, help the villagers as Mai by playing mini-games to complete tasks and earn good Karma for Pim. Reveal crucial story moments by playing through dance sequences, and express Mai’s thoughts by drawing in her journal. As Pim, enter people’s bodies to hear their inner thoughts and collect Heartlights to deliver positive energy to help them while fleeing from shadow spirits.
Dancing with Ghosts is the next title designed by Greg Johnson, whose work across his four decades in the game industry includes lead design on ToeJam and Earl, the Starflight series, and Doki-Doki Universe.
Johnson, who himself is half-Black and has aimed to bring Black culture into his games, wanted to tell a story in another culture close to his heart. Greg, who became fluent in Thai to communicate with his beloved Thai and Muslim family, was inspired by Thailand’s cultures and customs around the departed. HumaNature hired local artists Ferrai Duanghathai and Tanta Voratawankul, Thailand’s Bit Egg animation studio, and long-time collaborator Ferry Halim from Indonesia, to bring Dancing with Ghosts to fruition.
“I’ve been through some difficult times in my life, but I always remember the people who reached out, and tried to bring some light when things were dark,” said Greg Johnson, creator of Dancing with Ghosts and founder of HumaNature Studios. “My team and I are making Dancing with Ghosts to bring joy to people who need it, and we hope you support our efforts to bring this to the world.”
Dancing with Ghosts will launch on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2025. A Kickstarter campaign to support the game will go live in October.
HumaNature Studios was founded in 2006 by Johnson, lead designer on classic titles Starflight and ToeJam and Earl, who has also collaborated with game luminaries like Will Wright and major Hollywood studios like DreamWorks. The studio is the creative force behind Doki-Doki Universe, ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove, and Kimono Cats.