Assemble Entertainment and Tainted Pact Games (the latter having developed the callback to survival horror games in Flesh Made Fear) have your PSX-styled fix to start off the year with The Skin Stapler, a neon-lit grindhouse horror adventure coming to PC via Steam later in 2026. And with Steam Next Fest in full swing, you can check out the demo for this short but focused title.
Welcome to Carrion City, an 80s fever dream where neon lights bounce off wet asphalt, and everyone looks guilty even when they are not. You are Detective Dick Slater, a burned-out veteran trying to keep his sanity while chasing a killer, the eponymous Skin Stapler. The Skin Stapler primarily targets young women in their homes and workplaces, skins them, and staples their flesh to nearby walls, leaving behind grotesque displays and distorted audio tapes that taunt the police and hint at something deeper going on beneath the city.
In addition to Slater, you’ll also get to play as a full cast of characters as they are stalked by the killer.
Focusing on story and atmosphere, each character perspective adds context, contrast, and emotional weight to the investigation. It’s complimented by the creeping tension, unsettling imagery and the aforementioned audio tapes that you will not want to listen to alone.