Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu News

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p][/p][p]We’re very excited to announce that Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu was featured in Indie Mania—a glorious celebration of indie games packed with chaos, creativity, and enough charm to melt your controller 🎮💥[/p][p][/p][p]The showcase was bursting with awesome trailers from some seriously talented devs—and somehow, we snuck in too! [/p][p][/p][p]If you missed the livestream, fear not:👉 You can catch the full event in the video below (our trailer drops at the 2-hour mark)[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]A huge shoutout to the Indie Mania crew for letting us crash the party. Being part of an event that waves the indie flag so proudly means the world to us 💖[/p][p][/p][h3]Want to support indie devs like us? [/h3][p]Here’s a cheeky pro tip: Wishlist their games on Steam. [/p][p][/p][p]It helps more people discover them, gives the algorithm warm fuzzy feelings, and makes small studios do embarrassing happy dances in their living rooms.[/p][p][/p][h3]Demo still available on our Steam Page [/h3][p]🚨 Oh—and did we mention? The Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu demo is still live on our Steam page! If you haven’t already, go give it a whirl (and try not to be taken out by a Shiba Inu).[/p][p]👉 Wishlist the game and play the demo right. now.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Stay Daijoubu[/p][p]Andy & Amy[/p]

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p][/p][p]A huge thank you to everyone who played Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu during Steam Next Fest![/p][p][/p][p]Nearly 2,000 of you downloaded the demo, and over 800 have already dived in— that may not sound like a lot, but for us it truly means the world to us that you took the time to check out our weird little game.[/p][p][/p][p]Although Steam Next Fest has ended, the demo is still available for now—so if you haven’t played it yet, now’s a great time to jump in![/p][p][/p][p]We’ll be sharing dev updates right here and on our socials to keep you hyped as we head toward the big launch this summer.[/p][p][/p][p]Remember you can stay updated with the latest news by joining our official Discord[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Links: [/p][p]🔗 Discord: [/p][p]https://discord.gg/SpsyEHs[/p][p] 🐦 Twitter: [/p][p]https://x.com/OnionSoupLtd[/p][p] 🌍 Website: [/p][p]https://www.onionsoupineractive.com/[/p][p]🔗 Linktree: [/p][p]https://linktr.ee/onionsoupinteractive[/p][p][/p][p]Don't forget to also wishlist Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu on Steam![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p] See you at the starting line! 🏃‍♂️🍌💥[/p][p][/p][p]Stay daijoubu, Amy & Andy[/p][p]
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[p]Hey everyone![/p][p]It’s #PitchYaGame day — and we figured it’s the perfect moment to launch the announcement trailer for Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu![/p][p][/p][p]Behind the scenes we’ve been hard at work — and now we’re finally ready to give you a proper look at what’s in store. Expect outrageous obstacle courses, bizarre contestants, fruit weapon encounters, and a whole lot of “what just happened?” moments.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]We'd love to know what you think![/p][p][/p][p]Stay daijoubu![/p][p][/p][p]Amy & Andy[/p]

San, ni, ichi… Hajime! 🎌

Welcome to Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu! 🏃🍌🐶

Whether you're a total newbie, or still recovering from shiba-related injuries from the OG Nippon Marathon - welcome to the weirdest marathon you'll ever run!

Get ready for Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu, where fruit is deadly, physics are on vacation, and Shiba Inu are kawaii but absolutely relentless.

🛎️ P.S. If you’re liking the sound of this so far, hit that Wishlist button—it’s a huge help for tiny teams like ours!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3358880/Nippon_Marathon_2_Daijoubu/

[h3]Never Played the Original?[/h3]

Daijoubu! (That’s Japanese for “It’s OK!”)

The original Nippon Marathon was our love letter to game show absurdity - drawing inspiration from Takeshi’s Castle (or MXC, for our American pals), Micro Machines, and slapstick Saturday morning TV.



The idea was simple:

Originally posted by author

🦞 Race across Japan dodging ridiculous obstacles,
🍌 Hurl fruit at your rivals,
🌀 And flail gloriously through ragdoll chaos…
All while dressed as a lobster.

Somehow, it clicked:

• 💬 89% Very Positive on Steam
  
• 🎥 Millions of YouTube views
  
• 🇯🇵 Even got airtime on Japanese TV
  

Fans were very excited when we announced Nippon Marathon 2, here's some of our fave reactions:



[h3]What’s New in NM2?[/h3]



So for Nippon Marathon 2, we rebuilt everything from the ground up, building on what you love from the first game:

• 🍌 All-new obstacle courses with totally unexpected hazards
  
• 🧼 Ridiculous power-ups (old favourites + chaotic new ones)
  
• 🤼 The return of SoraTheTroll's iconic commentary
  
• 📺 Brand-new Create-a-Contestant mode
  
• 🕹️ And yes… online multiplayer is coming

[h2]Who’s Behind the Madness?[/h2]

We’re Onion Soup Interactive - a married two-person indie team from the UK.





We grew up glued to Takeshi’s Castle, Wacky Races, and many other completely unhinged TV show/cartoon from the 90s!

Now as adults, it’s clearly hardwired into our DNA—because our mission is simple:

To make unapologetically weird games that’ll have you questioning your life choices… and definitely ours.

Since our debut with Nippon Marathon, we’ve been spreading joyful chaos to players around the world with our weird games.

Our first Kickstarter for NM2 didn’t quite land, but we we weren’t ready anyway.
So we trained in the indie dojo, unleashed the mini-game mayhem of SUPER 56, and now…

We’re back. Stronger. Sillier. More Daijoubu than ever.

[h3]Join the Community![/h3]

We’re just two humans and a dream (and a lot of coffee), but it's our community that makes it all possible.

Whether you’ve been with us since the first Nippon Marathon, discovered us through SUPER 56, or just stumbled in for Nippon Marathon 2 - we’re so glad you’re here 💛

Got ideas? Fan art? Power-up suggestions? Come say hi:

• 💟 Discord
• 🐦 Twitter
• 📺 YouTube
• 🦋 BlueSky
• 🔗 LinkTree

We post behind-the-scenes chaos, memes, dev updates, and occasionally, beta invites.

[h3]Wishlist Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3358880/Nippon_Marathon_2_Daijoubu/

Hit that Wishlist button now to stay updated—and help us defeat the Steam algorithm overlords.

It’s the easiest way to support the game and get notified about new updates and Shiba-fuelled madness.

Thanks for joining us on this ridiculous journey.

That’s Daijoubu!!!
💛 Amy & Andy

San, Ni, Ichi… Hajime! 🏃‍♂️💨

We’re back with a first look at one of the brand new stages for Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu!

It’s been a while since the original Nippon Marathon stumbled headfirst onto Steam Early Access back in 2018 (has it really been that long? 👀), and we can’t wait to take you on another bizarre, obstacle-filled race through Japan.

Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu has been a true labour of love, built from the ground up by our small (but mighty) team here at Onion Soup Interactive. Everything you see is fresh, revamped, and shinier than ever. We’ve worked hard to bring Nippon Marathon into the modern era while keeping the chaotic charm you know and love.

We’re only at the starting line, but we’re thrilled to finally pull back the curtain and share what we’ve been working on. Stick with us—because things are about to get seriously silly!


[h2]A Community-Powered Playtest[/h2]

This month, we kicked off our first round of community playtests using Steam’s Playtest feature!
Players had the chance to experience a brand-new stage, test core gameplay mechanics, and share their feedback.

We also encouraged the community to try out Remote Play Together to see how well the game holds up with 4 players—because what's better than playing Nippon Marathon with friends?

For those who missed out—daijoubu (don’t worry)! We recorded one of the sessions for you to enjoy, and here’s a sneak peek at some of the features from the demo.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

🛒 Wishlist Nippon Marathon 2 : Daijoubu on Steam

[h2]New Features & Gameplay Tweaks [/h2]

[h3]Welcome to Yoko Harbour!🎡 [/h3]

The playtest introduces a brand-new stage never before seen in the Nippon Marathon universe: Yoko Harbour!



Inspired by Yokohama, this fishing port-themed level brings together everything you need for a perfect Nippon Marathon experience: water, giant carp, and unpredictable physics!



Expect the return of classic hazards as well as new —because would it really be Nippon Marathon without barrels, bamboo men and those infamous Shiba Inu?



[h3]Confetti and chaos greet you at brand new Checkpoints! 🎊 [/h3]

Checkpoints now come with a celebratory confetti spray and introduce Runny, one of Nippon Marathon 2’s new mascots. He’ll pop up out of nowhere to cheer players on as they pass the checkpoint—but be careful! Runny can easily knock you out if you’re not paying attention.



[h3]New & Improved Items 🍌 [/h3]

Your favourite items return—pineapple balloons, melons, and more—but we’ve also added some fresh chaos to the mix!



Cucumbers 🥒 : In homage to Link’s iconic Spin Attack, the cucumber creates a swirling effect, perfect for close-range takedowns!



Mushroom 🍄 : no longer make you faint! Instead, mushroom clouds drain popularity from anyone caught inside. This leads to some... interesting end-of-round screenshots.



[h3]Insta worthy screenshots 📸 [/h3]

Speaking of screenshots, we’ve worked hard to make the winner’s screenshots even more iconic—so your victory poses are truly wall-worthy!



[h3]Don’t Forget to Wave to Your Fans! 👋 [/h3]

Popularity has always been a core part of Nippon Marathon, but not all players realised how much it could shake up final scores. Daijoubu! Now, you can wave at the crowd as you run past—boosting popularity, but leaving yourself open to attacks!



[h3]Scoring & Podium Upgrade 🏆 [/h3]

The Score calculation now has a fancy new screen awarding your badges, and the podium even moves dynamically to reflect your finishing position!



[h3]Other tweaks:[/h3]

• Character Stats: Some players love the competitive angle of Nippon Marathon, so we’ve introduced character stats for a subtle extra layer of strategy.
  
• Stamina System: Taking too many hits from fruit? Your stamina will drain. If you run out, you’ll become exhausted, affecting your running and jumping.
  
• New Dive Control: Players often missed the dive function in Nippon Marathon, making certain jumps (cough Steamy Steamy Monkey cough) unnecessarily tricky. Now, simply tap the jump button twice—once to jump, again to dive.
  

[h2]What’s Next for Nippon Marathon 2?[/h2]

Once the playtest wraps up, we’ll collect all the hilarious, chaotic, and feedback to polish the demo before sending it out to content creators, press, and publishers.

We’re also planning to use Steam’s Playtest feature to host more playtest dates—giving the community a chance to continue testing unreleased content and shaping development. If you’d like to participate in the next playtests, then please join our Discord for updates on when the next session will be.

[h2]A Huge Thank You to Our Community[/h2]

We wouldn’t be here without the amazing support of our Nippon Marathon fans. Whether you were there from the beginning, discovered us through SUPER 56, or just love games where physics have a mind of their own—thank you for being part of this marathon journey.

[h3]Want to Stay Updated? Daijoubu! Here’s How![/h3]

🛒 Wishlist Nippon Marathon 2 : Daijoubu on Steam

Join our socials:
💜 Discord
🦋 BlueSky
🎵 TikTok
📺 YouTube
🐦 Twitter
🌍 Website
💚 IndieDb
🔗 Linktree

Thank you for your patience, your passion, and most importantly, your willingness to be chased by Shiba Inu for our amusement.

We can’t wait to share more soon! 🎉

Andy & Amy

Nippon Marathon 2, That’s Daijoubu.