Haneda Girl Announced as the Latest Game from Narita Boy Creators

Back in 2017, Studio Koba made a splash with Narita Boy, a game inspired by Tokyo’s second-largest airport. It seemed tailor-made for Kickstarter with its sleek pixel art characters navigating a neon side-scrolling world. The game exuded nostalgic ’80s anime vibes while incorporating modern visual effects. It was the brainchild of Eduardo Fornieles, a former member of the Friend & Foe team, who returned to his hometown to create the game he always dreamed of.

At the time, it existed only as a concept, but its stunning visuals alone were enough to propel the inevitable crowdfunding campaign beyond expectations.

Fast forward four years, and Narita Boy launched as a standout success story from Kickstarter. It offered a playable cartoon experience, blending surreal action-adventure gameplay. Despite its visual brilliance, the game was slowed by its simple combat mechanics and extensive text-heavy screens, leaving it falling short of its visual promise.

Their next endeavor, Haneda Girl, sidesteps these issues.

Unveiled last year and now with a demo available on Steam, Haneda Girl – inspired by Tokyo’s largest airport – isn’t a direct follow-up despite the naming. This action-platformer features quicker movements, more responsive controls, and demands precision as you perform wall jumps and evade attacks from all sides.

In this game, you step into the shoes of Chichi Wakaba, a swordswoman with lightning-fast agility. Since she lacks ranged attacks, she must sneak up on foes, use “ghost mode” to dodge lasers, or slice through panels to drop platforms on enemies below, reminiscent of BurgerTime. She’s vulnerable and will succumb to a single hit.

The twist? Chichi partners with a mech named M.O.T.H.E.R., which she can switch in and out of. The mech may be slower and less agile, but it packs a machine gun turret and withstands multiple hits before respawning after a brief delay.

As I dived into the demo, I found myself frequently alternating between Chichi and the mech, using the mech to charge her attacks, absorb enemy fire, or just spray bullets in hope of success — which often worked. The level design encourages this dynamic, with narrow paths or high walls that only Chichi can navigate, and enemy-packed rooms where the mech excels. There’s potential to speedrun primarily as Chichi, but the balance between using both characters is what truly shone for me. I constantly teetered between rushing toward the goal and taking a step back to strategize, often followed by moments of pure chaos.

Or I’d just go for it and face an inevitable demise. As the trailer indicates, that’s bound to happen quite a bit.