I had the pleasure of meeting Dlala Studios CEO and Game Director, Aj Grand-Scrutton, at Summer Game Fest when I previewed Disney Illusion Island a few years back. He was genuinely delightful—and likes to pretend he is a cranky old guy—and left an impression I won’t ever forget. When he reached out to me personally about Dlala Studio’s own original IP, Murals, I couldn’t say no. That he remembered me from years ago and sought me out on his own meant something and speaks to the kind of person he is. I don’t know him outside of these two encounters, but he gives off an energy that just makes you feel good.
It sounds like an odd story to tell, but it is very relevant to what I am about to say about Murals, and no, it does not affect what I think of the game itself. Something that was very apparent in Disney Illusion Island was that Dlala Studios—and Aj—want people to feel good about what they are playing. That goes for any kind of player, new or veteran, old or young, pro or novice. I thought that was the case with Disney Illusion Island because it was a game that was clearly aimed at families, kids and casual gamers, but after sitting in on a 20-minute demo of Murals and listening to Aj and Design Director Grant Allen talk about the game and their studio as a whole, it’s kind of their whole philosophy.
I will get to the gameplay in a moment, but a lot of what I took away is about how Dlala Studios has made it a priority to make Murals a great game for everyone. A lot of that comes with accessibility in mechanics or difficulty, and people often tie that to making a game easier, but you can still ramp up the difficulty if you aren’t a filthy casual like me and head into Murals with a bit of challenge. Aj discussed that they aren’t creating a game that is going to make you struggle. If you die, you respawn close by, as there are checkpoints often. When you gain Eeries—we will get to that—you get to keep them for the whole game. New Game Plus will let you go back and get things you missed without starting over.
Gameplay and Accessibility
Dlala Studios never wants to punish you in Murals—something they said specifically. Both devs really drove that point home, so if you’re looking for a soulslike that will hurt your feelings, you won’t find that here, but there is still so much to love. Now, onto the actual game, rather than just the aura that surrounds it and the studio. Murals is an isometric action-adventure—and they were adamant that it is not a roguelike. Each level is a story in a different fairy tale. So far we know about the Mermaid level and a Rumpelstiltskin level. You play as a sort of blank-slate main character who awakens in Sleeping Beauty’s castle, unaware of who you are, with a little 2D character, Loaf, who is your guide and buddy.
Art Style and Combat
The art style in Murals is something that looks so incredibly Dlala Studios-coded, and I love it. It’s very cartoony and cute, yet a little bit creepy and unique, but there are little touches that mean something to the studio that players may not even notice. For instance, all combat characters are in 3D, but NPCs are 2D, like a true fairy tale story (and Loaf). There are various weapons throughout the game, but you will always have access to a melee and ranged attack, including a sword called the Dixie Cut, a hammer called the Wolfhammer, a laser-beam-shooting pendant called Dragon Thee Dallion (hilarious) and Medusa’s shard, which seeks out its enemies.
Conclusion and Release
Dlala—and Aj—just want gamers to be happy and use their art to spread joy. They are certainly achieving that with Murals. Make sure to head to their Steam page to wishlist the game now ahead of its 2027 release date. With Murals, they also opted to move away from the 2D side-scrollers they are known for and went with more of a top-down action-adventure like Diablo, but a lot more colourful. Dlala really wanted to do something different from the IPs they have been working on for years; that is why co-op is also not available. Murals is strictly single-player. I respect the need for change, but I think adding in a Player 2, maybe even with their own Eeries but upping the number of enemies a bit, could have been very cool. Or even just a second player to jump in and out, so you can have your kid come hang for a bit! And so, I’ll be keeping an eye on Murals, not just because Aj is a charming guy, but because it genuinely seems like a game that’s all about having fun, and that’s something we can all get behind.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
