Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Dancing Bones
Lotter · Published by WAYONE GAMES · Official site ↗
Content notice: This game contains references to alcohol usage and smoking by certain characters. The game contains some profanity. Includes a saloon location with a simulated poker (in-game currency only). Contains depictions of racial prejudice and historical discrimination in imaginery context. Features violence and combat mechanics that have simplified elements of combat but no gore is shown. Some criminal activities are shown and also depicted positively by a minor character who encourages illegal acts for personal gain. The game includes slightly scary events, cartoonish bones and skeleton characters.
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Wild West, ancient magic, non-linear plot, puzzles and colorful characters are all waiting for you in “The Dancing Bones”! Deep drama and humor intertwine in a unique world where every choice you make changes the story. Are you ready to uncover secrets, break curses, and change your destiny?
Adventure, Indie · More free games
Embark on a non-linear journey through Dancing Bones, where your choices shape the story. Uncover secrets, break curses, and change your destiny in this unique indie adventure from Lotter.
About this game
Cowboy Tony, a simple guy with a hard fate, faces an unexpected misfortune: his sister has been cursed by a powerful magician. To save her, Tony is forced to embark on a dangerous journey full of mystical secrets and deadly trials.
On the way to the ancient artifact capable of lifting this curse, he joins forces with the eccentric sorceress Mackenzie, whose motivations are not as simple as they seem.
Together they must uncover the secrets of ancient civilizations, outwit the Inquisition, celebrate Santa Muerte, and face nature spirits who aren't always friendly.
Immerse yourself in a unique setting where dusty Wild West towns intertwine with the ancient mysteries of Mesoamerican magic. Boundless deserts, canyons and ancient artifacts hide incredible power, while cowboys, bandits and mages battle for power in this extraordinary world.
The game's story offers 12 unique endings, each depending on your decisions. Your actions affect not only the fate of the main characters, but also the world around you.
Non-linear dialogue allow you to build relationships with characters, choose sides in conflicts and uncover secrets that can change the course of the story. Complex moral dilemmas await you, where there are no unambiguously correct answers, and every choice has consequences.
At the center of the story are colorful characters, each with a unique story and personality. Tony, an oddball cowboy with a dark past, is willing to do anything to save his sister. Mackenzie, a spoiled but powerful sorceress whose motives hide many secrets. Each character plays a key role in your journey, and their quests and unique traits are revealed as the story progresses.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 or later (x64)
- Processor: 1.8 GHz Pentium 4 equivalent or above
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Graphics: Geforce 9600 GS, Radeon HD4000
- Storage: 10 GB available space
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Devlog: Time`s Imprint
Hey there, cowboy! Pull up a chair by the fire—we've got a long road ahead. While the heroes are overcoming their difficult journey within the game, we aren't sitting idly by either here at the development camp. Time doesn't pass without a trace: the world is changing, and we are changing with it. Let us tell you what's new in the game.Traces of history on the faces of heroesWe continue to reveal the theme of timeskip. New images of Tony and Mackenzie are already ready for it — they have grown up, changed under the events of history, and bear its mark.Puzzles and mechanicsIn the fourth act, you will encounter a puzzle inspired by the ancient Aztec holiday calendar. By solving it, you will not only complete the task, but also gain a deeper understanding of the beliefs of this world. Gather your pieces and dive deeper!Learn about the culture together with devsLife goes on!Don Juan has become... more lively. Three new emotions have been drawn and added to his pack.They grow up so fastA miracle happened in the family of ghouls from the third act—their child grew up. Once he was just a baby in his mother's arms, but now, for the sake of the quest, we performed a ritual of accelerated aging on him. He is now already about eleven human years old, and that is enough for him to play his role in our story.Grown-up ghoulThat concludes our campfire gathering for today. However, this is not the end of the journey—it is merely another mile. Keep an eye on the horizon, hold on tight in the saddle, and we will soon report back from the trail. Take care, cowboy!Read full article on Community Announcements (Al3rmo)AnnouncementsOfficial
Devlog: Autosaves, variability and micro-hats
Save System & AutosaveThe save system is now fully implemented — and we made sure it’s as pleasant to use as it is reliable.Autosave kicks in at important story beats and lives in its own protected slot, so you’ll never lose key progress.Manual saves are yours to manage: rename them, load earlier moments, or clear slots.To make things clear, there’s now a dedicated autosave icon in the interface. It shows up with a smooth, unobtrusive animation in the corner when saving, so you’re always in the know.We cared about the visual aspect too — because every element should help you sink deeper into the story of the Dancing Bones.Loading Between Scenes – Now with Lore and TipsA new loading system is here, with fluid animations, visual transitions, and an entire library of useful hints and world facts. No more boredom while waiting.Visuals and OptimizationWe've done some heavy lifting: a full overhaul of background skeleton sprites and a switch in their animation format. We moved from Live2D to native Unity animation, which gave us a solid boost in performance and stability.Scenes have become lighter on the engine: all character sprites are now packed into atlas maps. This optimization significantly cuts down loading times.Cutscenes and Player ControlWe've given players more control: you can now speed up the codice cutscenes by pressing the spacebar. And here's a sneak peek: we've added a new scene with Cole in Torquemada. Act III — TorquemadaAct III’s areas have been seriously upgraded: the composition has become more compact, dense, and detailed, with a noticeable increase in visual and interactive points of interest. The world continues to come alive: we’ve added new interactions with the environment — barrels, chests, and other little touches worth exploring. We've also refreshed the textures of Torquemada’s houses for a more unified art style.A new location has appeared — the castle prison (yes, Hare is there. And yes, he’s right where he should be).Final CodicesWe're o...Read full article on Community Announcements (Al3rmo)AnnouncementsOfficial
Dancing Bones: Revealing New Secrets of the Wild West
🤠 Hey there, cowboys! 🤠Every day, our Wild West gets new colors, and its secrets become deeper. In the wastelands of Dancing Bones, you can already hear the footsteps of future discoveries, and it's time to tell you what the team has been up to in recent weeks.Codex No. 6 — “When God Looks Away”The sixth codex is complete. It will appear in one of the final acts, and to get to it, you'll have to piece together quite a few clues. But the reward is worth the effort: behind the ciphers hide new answers — and new questions. This is a piece of story that could turn your perception of everything that's happening upside down.💾 Save SystemOur team has almost finished working on one of the most important mechanics. The saves are 95% ready and are now under final polishing. We are testing stability, adjusting animations, and finalizing the visuals so that even this technical element looks like part of the world. After all, every menu should not only be convenient, but also atmospheric.✨ Visual updatesThe characters continue to evolve as well. This time, the updates include Tony's sister, Abigail. Her model has become more expressive, and her appearance has gained more nuance. We want even the smallest details to add depth to the characters and bring the scenes to life.🔥 The second actWe have some great news here too: the second act is 90% complete. We are currently working on interfaces, sounds, and lighting optimization. All critical bugs have been fixed, and now it's just a matter of polishing 😍We feel that each week brings us closer to the moment when Dancing Bones will be able to reveal itself to you in all its glory. Thank you for staying with us and supporting the project — it gives us the strength to move forward.Add our game to your wishlist and get ready — there are even more secrets, magic, and unexpected encounters ahead ❤️Read full article on Community Announcements (Al3rmo)AnnouncementsOfficial
Dancing Bones: how a student project turned into a game about cowboys and witche
How did it all start?When we first started working on Dancing Bones, we never seriously thought it would grow into a big project. It all began with a play, a story about cowboys, magic, and funny situations involving a character named Tony. It was written just for fun, kept in a drawer. But at some point, we realized there was something there. That’s how the idea for our thesis project was born. It started out as a novel, and then everything suddenly changed.We built the first scene, a saloon, in 3D and instantly wanted to walk around in it. Explore it, peek around corners, notice little details. That’s when the visual novel turned into a semi-open world game with new mechanics and much bigger potential. We had to rebuild everything from scratch, bring new people into the team, and learn along the way. A year and a half later, it hit us. This wasn’t just a student project anymore. A simple-looking style that hits unexpectedly hardDancing Bones looks bright, cute, and cartoonish. It features low-poly graphics, comic-style hatching, and each act has its own color palette. But the style isn’t just for looks. It contrasts with what’s happening in the story. The characters might smile and talk about silly things, while underneath there’s unease, detachment, and a quiet sense that something is wrong. One act uses a sandy purple palette, kind of like an old supernatural movie. It reflects how Tony feels. He wants to leave. He doesn’t feel like he belongs.We love contrast. Visual, emotional, narrative. It keeps the player engaged and off balance in just the right way. Optimization, pain, and tumbleweedsLike every indie team, we hit our fair share of walls. Optimizing models in Unity was nothing like what the tutorials showed. Colors looked fine in the 3D software, completely different in the engine, and lighting often made things worse. We had to tweak everything by hand.Music? We started with GarageBand on an iPad. Early builds sounded like chaos. Too loud, too quiet, or b...Read full article on Community Announcements (Al3rmo)AnnouncementsOfficial
DEMO AVAILABLE NOW ON STEAM!
https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/45438602/dbf56a52d79135d83dd54cf4b246450448ce248b.png We're spicing up a cowboy routine with a holiday: in our wild-west family, there came out... What are you saying, Hare? The demo? Hares, of course, don't talk, but ours is special. And he, actually, isn't even joking! Damn, we've been preparing for this so long... Ready to see the world of Dancing Bones not only through the saloon doors, but also through the lens of Tony's own gaze? No, "saloon doors" is not a swear word, but the name of the entrance doors in a saloon. Learn the basics. But we forgive this first time. https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/45438602/c5b97d9b6b162376bb7a474c1b79925d676ffd0f.jpg We tried to add the most delicious stuff. On the holiday menu we have: Branching system of communication and relationships The game has many unique characters – with personalities, secrets, and personal stories. Each one can offer you quests, start a conversation "not for outsiders' ears," or involve you in their intrigues. Relationships can be developed – befriend, distance, argue, trust, or manipulate. All this influences plot development https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/45438602/e29a400ca5fef16f84dbad9731eae2a88e43f515.jpg Upgrading the main character's personality traits Influence the main character's perception of the world through choices and actions - Cynic – sarcastic, calculating, distrustful - Oddball – free-thinking, a bit strange, unpredictable These traits unlock new lines, NPC reactions, and other forks https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/45438602/ca8d9b739007be326045d29a0169add2d41826e0.jpg Glyphs and Codex: ancient writing mechanic Immerse yourself in the mysterious world of the Nanateki civilization, long gone but leaving clues everywhere Use the diary to find magical words on objects, walls, frescoes, and artifacts Combine found glyphs to decipher the codes Comedic Western with soul Grotesque and irony here go hand in hand with...Read full article on Community Announcements (marina.konobeevskaya)
