Lately, numerous compelling horror video games have emerged, including prominent titles such as the remake, indie survival horror game releases, and chilling horror-themed DLC packs like. Among the many behemoths of survival horror gaming, one title merits attention: an upcoming survival horror odyssey with a fresh PC demo available this week as part of Steam Next Fest’s offerings. Here’s the pitch: In this unconventional horror game, nostalgic Famicom-style pixel art collides with stomach-churning live-action sequences, yielding a thrillingly unsettling experience that defies conventions and will leave players on edge.
Developed in collaboration with Saibot Video games and New Blood Interactive, the game follows Julia, a film student reeling from a recent breakup with her college boyfriend Ivan. Upon entering Ivan’s condo to return the key he had lent her, Julia quickly notices that something is not quite right. As she delves deeper, she’s suddenly immersed in a foreboding tale replete with multiple realities, sinister rituals, and eldritch abominations that evoke the macabre genius of Clive Barker himself.
After experiencing the 8-bit horror game from Airdorf Video games’ 2022 release, New Blood also publishing it, Borghi was inspired to create his own game, one that combined his passion for classic point-and-click horror titles with his background in filmmaking and visual effects artistry. In this nostalgic take on the classic genre, players guide their character through a series of meticulously crafted, low-resolution environments reminiscent of beloved games from the Amiga, Famicom, and NES eras.
The demo delves into the participant’s experience by navigating a series of familiar thriller game tropes: collecting and combining items discovered throughout Ivan’s apartment building, solving puzzles to progress the story, deciphering product descriptions for crucial clues, and fending off malevolent extraterrestrial entities. As the narrative unfolds, interwoven with its animated sequences are live-action cutscenes, meticulously crafted by Borghi, whose mastery is evident in every ghastly creature brought to life through a combination of convincing practical effects and gruesome costume design.
As players experience the game’s narrative, they discover a harmonious blend of video game ingenuity and cinematic terror, seamlessly marrying the interactivity of the first with the spine-tingling visuals of the second. Eat your heart out, Hideo Kojima?
The latest demo clocks in at approximately 30 minutes of gameplay, with no option to save progress; consequently, players must complete the entire experience to witness the tantalizing cliffhanger conclusion.
While no official launch date has been announced for Whereas, players can currently access and play the demo as part of this year’s Steam Next Fest, which concludes on October. 21.
