A side-scrolling, platforming survival game set within the Sub-Saharan desert called Ayo: A Rain Tale is set to arrive on Steam starting November 9th for $9.99. It will be discounted by 30% off during its first week of sale on Steam.

The game puts players in the role of a young girl who must trek across the dangerous desert to carry water back to her family. She must journey through Sahelian droughts, deal with the hallucinatory effects of the harsh desert conditions, and face off against Saharan predators along the way. It won’t be an easy trek just to get some water and keep her family from dehydrating while suffering from a parched tongue.

Things get even more dangerous for Ayo when she gets trapped in a sandstorm, loses her path and winds up lost in the desert. She’ll meet various individuals along the way, such as the Asili Twins who help guide her in her travels, and both the hardships and joys of experiencing the beautiful and dangerous Sub-Saharan lands.

You can check out a gameplay trailer below to get an idea of what the gameplay is like.

Visually the game is a 2.5D side-scroller. The characters and enemies are in 3D but some of the environments are hand-painted. In order to prevent a graphical dissonance between the contrasting 2D and 3D assets, the designers used a transitional palette on the assets so that there’s symmetry between the color tones of the artwork.

At least on the graphical front the game stands out.

Gameplay wise it’s more of a survival-style platformer. You’ll have to dodge predatory animals, watch out for lightning strikes and dangerous weather conditions, as well as avoid falling to your death while scaling through the trees.

There’s a level of Sub-Saharan mysticism contained within the game as well, dealing with the folklore and mythology from within the region’s culture.

You can look for Ayo: A Rain Tale to launch on Steam starting November 9th. It’s one of the few games made outside of Asia these days where you play as a female who isn’t trying to be a man or looks like she’s on more steroids than the 1990s version of The Ultimate Warrior.

You can learn more about the game by visiting the Steam store page.