I don’t often travel to the land of horror, mostly because it is a one-road village called “Jump Scare Alley.” Typically, I’ll stick to the lighter, cozier, or action-focused games, like recently wanting to jump up and down on a pensioner’s head while driving a bus around a Spanish-infused town. Yet somehow, back in 2023, I added something indie horror to my wishlist, expecting to never hear from it again. Then last week I got a press release from developer Sonka and publisher Team17 about Holstin‘s upcoming release date. Here is what the press release had to say late last week about the upcoming psychological horror, Holstin:

“[Team17] and developer Sonka have announced that their long-awaited psychological survival-horror game Holstin will launch on PC and consoles – including Xbox Game Pass Day One – in 2027. Set during the early 1990s in an isolated and festering Polish town possessed by an unknown and unseen horror, Holstin combines the feel of classic survival horror games with a setting and art direction that is not seen in other games.” Hopefully I’ve got a couple of good screenshots because for a horror game, typically a genre with 50 shades of black and three shades of grey, Holstin looks more interesting than most other outings.

Speaking of that, the press release goes on to say: “Holstin is built with Sonka’s proprietary 2XD Rendering technology, bringing its sinister pixel art world to life through real-time lighting and dynamic camera perspectives. Players can rotate the camera across eight different angles to explore every ooze-covered corner of Jeziorne-Kolonia, while seamlessly switching between different perspectives depending on the situation. These include an isometric 3D view, an over-the-shoulder perspective during tense combat, first-person driving, top-down exploration, and side-scrolling platforming, creating a visual experience rarely seen in a pixel art game.”

The press release also goes into detail on the story and the setting: “The game follows protagonist Tomasz Wolanski on a mission to the rural, lakeside town of Jeziorne-Kolonia in search of his missing friend, an investigative journalist who was last seen there. Surviving the monstrosities that roam the cursed town will require scavenging for weapons, supplies, and anything else that might help keep Tomasz alive. They’ll also need to play along with the delusions of the few remaining townsfolk as their sanity continues to fade. Should players gain their trust, they may provide clues and answers to puzzles, but uncovering their secrets will require cunning and tact.

Holstin painstakingly captures the look and feel of 1990s post-Soviet Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on Poland. Every detail of Jeziorne-Kolonia, from the furniture and household objects to the brands, signage, architecture, and interior design, has been crafted to evoke the era. Faded wallpaper, battered appliances, old advertisements, and everyday objects make the world feel authentic down to the smallest detail. A fully voiced cast in both Polish and English lets players experience this strange and unsettling world in whichever language they prefer.” Fully voiced? You love to hear it. I’m hoping for font options too.

Not only that, but you also get a soundtrack from Polish Alt-Rock band Heima: “The atmosphere is further enhanced by a haunting yet soothing soundtrack composed especially for the game by Polish alternative-rock band Heima, featuring full vocals and lyrics in Polish. The group recently released the first single from the game’s soundtrack – “Skaza” – and is available on all major streaming platforms.” I’m not going to make friends saying this, but listening to some of the band’s stuff, it is like having Midwest emo rock at Eurovision. It’s not bad, just not what I typically run off to listen to.

Not exactly a release date, but after being on my wishlist for almost three years straight, not long after its announcement, I’m glad to see Holstin is progressing and will be releasing sometime in 2027. However, if you’re in the mood for something right now as we head towards “spooky season,” there is also a demo out now on Steam. Of course, as always, wishlist Holstin in the meantime if you’re interested, and I am kind of hoping there is a boost in wishlists to showcase this strange and interesting little horror title I don’t hear enough people talking about.

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