HOLSTIN
A pixel-art nightmare in post-Cold War Poland
More clues regarding the true nature of the plasmodium, the mysterious substance taking over the town, will be revealed in the forthcoming third demo
Developer/ publisher Sonka Games
Format PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series
Origin Poland Release TBA
The dilapidated town of Jeziorne-Kolonia is based on the developers’ memories of growing up during the 1990s in post-communist Poland.
afał Sankowski says that there’s a common misconception about his R favourite subgenre: “I feel like survival horror is about combat, but we collectively have to pretend it’s not.” Purists may already be inclined to object, but the Sonka Games CEO and director of Holstin has a perfectly sensible, nuanced explanation for that incendiary opening gambit. The reason for the confusion, he argues, is that the best examples of the subgenre manage to implement it so seamlessly that, rather than an end in itself, as is the case with more action-oriented titles, combat becomes “a way to introduce you to a concept or a feeling”.