BanG Dream and Love Live publisher Bushiroad is teaming up with social game companies Sumzap and Drecom to launch D_Cide Traumerei, a new multimedia project with a “Cthulhu Mythos” theme and atmosphere. The project will take the form of an anime series and an accompanying mobile game, with both set to launch in Japan in Summer 2021.
The announcement came during a special livestream event aired on March 16, 2021, which also debuted a trailer for the would-be franchise:
Usually, invoking the Cthulhu mythos tends to call up images of gothic castles or period horror fiction. However, the trailer is more in line with a pop-infused, urban fantasy atmosphere. D_Cide Traumerei takes place in an alternate world populated by strange and unspeakable ancient entities. Though ancient and seemingly unknowable, the beings have the power to “bleed” into normal reality, altering it and granting power to people who are brave, scared, or foolish enough to seek a pact with them.
D_Cide Traumerei takes part of its name from “Träumerei” (German for “dreaming”), the seventh movement of composer Robert Schumann’s “Kinderszenen.” According to the official website, it’s set on the fictional island of Yura, where the weird often intersects with the real. Ordinary teen Rando Furukata is pulled into the other side of reality by getting involved in a horrific and unnatural murder. From there, he’s chosen as a “Knocker Up,” a combination of dream investigator and ghostbuster who travels between the weird world of dreams and reality to confront the nightmares populating the other side. The game will combine adventure-style storytelling with relationship-based progression where players will deepen their bonds with their friends and the island’s residents to solve mysteries. Some of those mysteries will involve combat, and players will control their parties in a JRPG-style turn-based battle system.
More was revealed about the anime, titled D_Cide Traumerei The Animation. Rather than Yura island, the anime series is based in Shibuya, Tokyo and stars Ryuhei, a high-schooler with a talent for kickboxing. Ryuhei is one day bitten by a strange creature, Tris, and the encounter causes his perception of reality to shift for the weirder. The series will be produced by studio Sanzigen, which made shows like the BanG Dream anime, the anime continuation of 2020’s Sakura Wars, and a series based on Hatsune Miku spin-off character Black Rock Shooter.
D_Cide Traumerei and its anime series companion are set to debut in Japan in Summer 2021. The game will be available on mobile devices, and pre-registration is open now. No international release plans were detailed. BanG Dream, another Bushiroad mobile game, is making the leap to Nintendo Switch in 2021.
