Debuting during last week’s Fear Fest 2023, Andrés Borghi and Tobías Rusjan’s made a splash with Tenebris Somnia, their upcoming Survival Horror title that draws upon classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but mixes it up with 8-bit graphics and live-action cutscenes. Currently, the game has a demo available on Steam.

Tenebris Somnia centres around a young woman who has been experiencing nightmares involving monsters attacking her ex-boyfriend. She heads over to his place to check on him. Upon arriving at his place, he doesn’t appear to be at home, but the woman still has her key to his place, so lets herself in to check. His apartment is a mess, but you soon discover that it’s the least of her worries.

As mentioned, the “secret ingredient” to Tenebris Somnia is its cinematics. When you reach certain key points in the game, the game shifts from an 8-bit aesthetic reminiscent of a classic NES title (though there’s a bit more detail in the sprite work here than in any NES game) to live action cutscenes featuring real actors and created by a professional film crew. It’s akin to the famous zombie reveal in the original Resident Evil, just with an obvious different look.

Currently, the demo available on the game’s Steam page clocks in at around 20 minutes, with a bit of puzzle-solving and combat to whet your appetite for the main game. There’s no release date as of yet, but definitely one to keep an eye on for the look alone.