Tenebris Somnia Combines Retro Horror With Professional Cutscenes, And It's Incredible - Summer Game Fest 2026

If you haven't yet, follow us on X (Twitter), Mastodon, or Bluesky to know when we post new articles, and join our Reddit or Subscribe to us on YouTube to check out our content and interact with our awesome community. Thank you for supporting us!

Publisher New Blood Interactive has consistently stunned me with its library of games. Whether it be fast-paced boomer shooters or very retro horror, their catalog has consistently impressed. Recently, I have been loving Gloomwood (thief-like stealth horror) and Fallen Aces (gangster noir first-person shooter), but the next game is going further out there, and from what I saw at Summer Game Fest, I loved it.

Tenebris Somnia is probably one of the weirdest games I’ve seen in a long time, but that weirdness makes it significantly more interesting than a lot of the others. It’s a survival horror inspired by Silent Hill and Resident Evil, but in the retro 16-bit style. It’s a beautiful game, keeping that nostalgic style of horror and adding its own spin.

That spin is its cutscenes. They are all live action, shot professionally by the game’s director, Andrés Borghi, and have fantastic, professional production value. Funny enough, Andrés was very inspired by FAITH, developed by Airdorf, who ended up being a producer for Tenebris Somnia. And Andrés actually created a short film that was one of Airdorf’s favorites. So, it all came full circle.

The cutscenes I had the pleasure of seeing were haunting, and they flow extremely well into the gameplay. There were a couple of times I was quite surprised by how well it switched between the cutscenes and gameplay, like when we got into the elevator, and we met with a creepy lady who mysteriously disappeared into the darkness when the doors opened. Or even the way the boss we got to see was introduced and killed off, it just worked so well. I’m so excited to see the storytelling of the entire game, and of all the ways to do it; this is so unique and satisfying.

The story follows this intriguing way of telling the narrative. We play as Julia, who gets caught in a weird ritual when visiting her ex-boyfriend’s place. From there, she will have to try to find him, going down memory lane as their old shared department shifts as she goes deeper and deeper. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s filled with creepy monsters, tense scenarios, and an unnerving atmosphere that won’t let up.

Apart from that, the gameplay seems to follow the same formula as other survival horror games from that time period. We will go from room to room, solving puzzles and fighting the monsters that come out to get us. Combat is pretty static, where we have to stand still and shoot as enemies keep coming our way. It very much follows the usual systems we have seen before in older horror games from the 1990s, like standing still to shoot, and it’s great. It brings back some good memories of creepy, pixelated settings and slowly working my way through clunky menus to equip items and figure out puzzles. However, it doesn’t bother me as much, mostly just invoking nostalgia.

We don't see many games quite like Tenebris Somnia. The combination of retro survival horror and professionally shot real-life cutscenes sets it apart from many other titles like it and highlights the mysterious, creepy story it will be telling. I can't wait for this release, and I will be watching it closely in anticipation of its release.

Tenebris Somnia can be wishlisted on Steam ahead of its October 16th release date.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.