"Axis of the Worlds have fallen. The waters have run dry. The world of Daba is dying of thirst."
That's the opening line of the new trailer for Daba: Land of Water Scar, and honestly, it does a lot of heavy lifting. The game resurfaced at the September 2026 Sony State of Play after going quiet for a while, and this latest look makes a strong case that the wait has been worth something. Scarmonde players curious about the broader world this title inhabits will find a lot to pay attention to here.
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From 2023 announcement to 2026 spotlight
Daba: Land of Water Scar was first announced back in 2023, part of PlayStation's China Hero Project, a mentoring and support initiative for China-based developers aimed at bringing their games to a global audience. Since then, it's shown up occasionally with gameplay clips and brief trailers, but nothing that really put it front and center.
This State of Play appearance changes that. The new trailer is the most focused look at the game yet, leaning into its premise with real conviction.
What the new trailer actually shows
The core concept is this: you play as a clay puppet that has unexpectedly become human. From there, you're dropped into a world that's actively falling apart. Ruined snowfields, desolate deserts, shattered gods raining from the sky. The trailer's description paints a picture of a world dying of thirst, with a plague creeping through the shadows while you cut your way through it all with twin blades.
Here's the thing that stands out most: the game isn't shy about its Soulslike DNA. Demanding combat, a punishing world, and a protagonist with unclear motives are all present. That's a crowded space right now, but the clay puppet angle and the mythological Chinese setting give Daba a visual identity that feels genuinely distinct from the usual medieval European fantasy.
What's changed since we last saw it
The earlier glimpses of Daba were interesting but incomplete. Combat looked serviceable, the world had atmosphere, but the trailers didn't communicate a strong sense of what the game was actually about beyond surface-level aesthetics.
This new trailer fixes that. The lore framing is much clearer now: fallen gods, dried-up water sources, a clay being who was never supposed to wake up, and a fate tied to someone waiting at the end of a very long road. The tone lands closer to something like Sekiro than the slower, more methodical pace of classic FromSoftware titles, which tracks with the twin blades and apparent emphasis on aggressive combat.
The China Hero Project has delivered some genuinely interesting games over the years, and Daba looks like one of the more ambitious bets in that portfolio.
What comes next
No release date was confirmed during the State of Play appearance, so the wait continues. Given the game has been in development since at least 2023, there's a reasonable chance a window gets announced before the end of the year, but nothing is confirmed yet.
If you want to stay on top of Soulslike and adventure games as they develop, the Scarmonde guides are worth bookmarking while you wait for more Daba news to drop.
