At Gamescom 2026, Dlala Studios announced Murals, an isometric action game that signals the developer's expansion beyond its beat-em-up revivals like the 2020 Battletoads, reimagining classic folklore such as Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood with dark, twisted narratives. Polygon reported that Murals eschews roguelike conventions despite its isometric perspective, instead building a narrative-forward experience around combat encounters.
Players control The Hero, accompanied by Loaf, an anthropomorphic bread companion. A neat visual touch: Loaf and other friendly NPCs are rendered in 2D, while all enemies appear in 3D. Each fairy tale inhabits a magical mural, functioning as a level select. Gamescom's hands-off demo featured Chapter Five, which reimagined The Little Mermaid as an aquatic, hostile realm. In combat chambers, walls seal off the arena until all enemies fall.
Design philosophy borrows directly from Doom (2016), according to CEO and game director Aj Grand-Scutton, rather than forcing players to memorize complex enemy movesets; each enemy type excels at a single attack, with difficulty emerging from combinations—like when a swarm of spider crabs emerges from the sand and then unexpected horseshoe crabs launch projectiles. Combat emphasizes dashing over parrying; as players defeat enemies, a killstreak system rewards consecutive kills with bonus XP. When a limit break gauge fills, players trigger Canvas Clear, a screen-wide area-of-effect attack.
Permanent modifier accessories called Eeries allow for game-breaking customization, with some tweaking basic stats like health or damage while others add elemental effects that let players shock or freeze enemies.
One accessory weakens damage output but causes your weapon to hit every enemy on screen simultaneously. Players can equip up to nine total. Dlala prioritizes player enjoyment over rigid balance: if a single-player demolishes enemies and has fun while doing it, the team considers that a success.
This positions Dlala in a competitive isometric action space where players increasingly expect deep mechanical systems and replayability—even in narrative-driven games.