Right in the corner of BitSummit, just across from the fantasy tavern where people could grab drinks and snacks like a miniature RenFair, was a truly disturbing booth. There was a head on display, some kind of grotesque mutation of a person with flaming, tentacle-like hair. There was a disturbed bed that had been stained with some kind of crimson liquid, clearly disheveled and possibly had someone or something resting within it. And there was a game. A game waiting for fans of Silent Hill and Clock Tower to come and discover it. A game waiting to tell a familiar but terrifying story in a brand new way. This was Tenebris Somnia, and it seemed New Blood Interactive had been waiting for the right time to spring this nightmare on the public.

Sure, that pea shooter is definitely going to be enough against whatever the hell these are.

Wasting no time, Tenebris Somnia drops you into a nightmarish world where reality and hallucinations seem to blend together. Julia has gone to her ex-boyfriend Ivan’s apartment, plagued by terrible dreams of monsters murdering him in front of her . However, upon arrival, it’s clear something is amidst. There’s been some kind of struggle. So many things are broken and scattered about, including film canisters and his beloved short film left in the oven to burn. A nauseating red liquid keeps the main bedroom sealed shut, so Julia needs to craft together a concoction to burn through and discover the horror inside. Then, just as you begin to find your bearings, everything shifts and now it’s a different time, a building similar but not quite like the one you were just in, and, worst of all, the realization you’re not alone. There’s still no sign of your ex-boyfriend, but something else is here.

The demo at hand recommended the controller, but I was assured the game also performs well with keyboard and mouse. The team at New Blood Interactive is looking to simultaneously release across PC and nearly every modern consoles at launch, including PlayStation 4, Switch 1 and Xbox One X/S. You pilot the protagonist around from a very familiar, Sierra Interactive style of perspective.

However, while the aesthetic was a bit of a classic that reminded me of King’s Quest, the tonality and gore is more akin to modern dark pixel art darling The Drifter. You’ll be beset by colors and shapes that give general shape and idea, but not necessarily concrete detail, as to what you’re looking at. After all, the human mind concocts some of the worst things imaginable, so why not let your imagination do the heavy lifting and scare you even more than the developers ever could?

All around me are familiar faces, worn-out places, worn-out faces…

From the drop, Tenebris Somnia does a phenomenal job of building tension and atmosphere with plenty of false starts and purposely sparse audio. You walk around and interact with as much as you can, piecing together what life was like before your breakup and also what has become of things now. Occasionally, items will be discovered that can be used, combined and, most importantly, equipped. Our heroine is not one to simply lie down and take death willingly, and she will discover melee and ranged weapons to, hopefully, stave off all the horrors she encounters. From the brief patch that I played while my daughter hid far, far away from the booth, you’re able to craft together things through clues and common sense, letting some classic point and click adventure moments shine through the utterly creepy discoveries. 

One thing that’s exceedingly clever about Tenebris Somnia is the incorporation of live action moments. You’ll reach certain instances where you cut away from the viciously fantastic pixel art to a flesh-and-bone perspective of what’s happening next in the game. Not only is casting spot on (Clara Kovacic is incredible), the fact that practical application of makeup and prosthetics brought some disturbing visions to life is commendable. While it does take you out of the moment in terms of gaming, it’s a welcome shift: it allows the player to suddenly take the fright and the horror a bit more personally because it punches through the veil of “game” and straight into the real life situation.

Hold up, she told you this candle is supposed to smell like her what?

I sincerely appreciate the energy and direction taken by the Argentinian creators and crew members that make up the backdrop of the game. With Saibot Studios at the helm, Airdorf Games (of Faith fame) doing production and auteur Andrés Borghi directing it all, this passion project is a proud, loud and delightfully upsetting promise of something that’s sure to rattle players at every possible opportunity. Additionally, I adore the brazen declaration of “ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NO GODDAMN GEN AI.” It’s a completely aggressive statement that the team seems to stand behind and support, unblinking, as vast swaths of the creative world find excuses here and there to incorporate the new massive datacenters into their endeavors. Excellent stance, New Blood Interactive, we’re rooting for you.

As of now, Tenebris Somnia can only say they’ll be coming out in 2026, though fans should positively wishlist this on all forms of online store as quickly as they can. But, as I queue up with the rest of you, I can assure you of three things. One, it will run on almost any computer and run well: the beauty of pre-rendered live action combined with pixel art is stellar performance. Two, I will positively be playing this as soon as it’s available. Three, I hope New Blood Interactive is ready to reshape the perspective of fear in the gaming community, because this game is going to captivate audiences the world over.