In 1514, an Asian elephant named Hanno was sent from Portugal to the Pope as a gift. Independent studio One Way Eleven has taken that piece of history as the starting point for Hanno: A Magical Tale, a story-driven action-adventure that gives the elephant a story of his own and has released a new trailer for the game.
Players take on the role of Vimal, an orphaned boy from a small village who comes across Hanno, an unusual baby elephant, alone and injured in the forest. Vimal promises to look after him, not realising that Hanno holds the magic that will make him strong. That magic only works while Vimal is carrying him. The pair rely on each other as they explore, solve environmental puzzles and fight together against a mysterious threat that has begun to corrupt their world. At times the two are separated, and players take control of Hanno himself.
The game is set in Ashar, an original world with its own written language, designed to feel like a forgotten legend. Its forests, old water channels and murals mix tenderness with danger, and much of the story is told through what players discover along the way. The studio is keeping one question firmly under wraps for now: what happens to the elephant.
Pedro Campos, Creative Director at One Way Eleven, explained how respect for the animal shaped the game and the relationship at its centre:
It started with wanting to respect the animal. Elephants have been treated as transport, as spectacle, as a gift – the real Hanno was shipped across the world as a present. We didn’t want to build another creature that exists to carry the hero.
In our game, the magic belongs to the elephant and it only works while the boy carries him. We wanted a companion you can’t do without and who can’t do without you. The question we want players sitting with is who’s protecting whom and we’d rather they never quite settle on an answer,” said Pedro Campos, Creative Director at One Way Eleven.
Hanno: A Magical Tale is in development for PC via Steam, with a release planned for 2027.
