Dancing with Ghosts announced for Nintendo Switch, from ToeJam & Earl creator

Today, HumaNature Studios revealed its next game titled Dancing with Ghosts. It’ll be available on Nintendo Switch in 2026 with a Kickstarter campaign happening in October.

Dancing with Ghosts is led by Greg Johnson, the creator of ToeJam & Earl. The life-sim is about finding joy from grief and tells a tale of spirits lifting people’s spirits.

Further details can be found in the following overview:

After losing her parents in an accident, 15-year-old Mai lives in a small Thai river village. One 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. 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.

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.

Johnson said today: “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. 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.”

Find the first trailer below. 

Announcement Trailer

We’ll let you know when a release date is pinned down. In the meantime, we’ve got more Nintendo Switch news here.