We tried Holstin, a survival horror to remember

Holstein is the newest game from the Polish development and publishing studio I like youknown for publishing titles like Duke Nukem 2d: 20th Anniversary World Tour, Dexor more recently, Farm tycoon. In this case, the game is a survival horror set in the 90s in Jeziorne-Kolonia, a city in eastern Poland, where strange things have started to happen, people seem possessed and also monsters show up. This is where our protagonist, Tomasz, enters as he searches for a lost friend in the place while solving the mystery of what happened in the town.

Holstin Demo: Janowski’s House

The demo is titled “Janowski’s house“ and, honoring his name, we started inside said house. The place is quite deteriorated and also completely infected with some tentacles They don’t stop moving. Shortly after starting, I realized that these tentacles don’t like light at all, so using them is very important to reach different rooms and unlock paths.

The problem is that there is only light in certain parts of the house, so I had to look at the fuse box which, to my surprise, was closed. By exploring the accessible areas and rotating the camera, I eventually found a tool to open it and found that several fuses were missing.

My experience with the demo

The mechanics of the demo is to find the lost fuses and to play with their position in the box to get light. With this we will make the tentacles disappear, so far it’s simple. The fact is that along the way I had to move several pieces of furniture and change a few light bulbs. I also needed to check the map, which shows rooms with collectibles in red. Besides, I met a boy who helped me with some clues, warning me of the woman in white and telling me where to find a light bulb. Out of curiosity, at no time could I see what the child looked like, since he is hidden in a cupboard. Well, in one or several at a time, My surprise was that the boy was inside every closet in the house.Could that make sense?

Another character in the house is the woman in red, Beata, who talks as if nothing has happened and also thinks the protagonist is her son.. Something that always tensed me is that at a certain point in the demo the woman starts moving around the house and any moment you feel like she’s going to attack you, but she doesn’t does not, in addition, there is no combat in the entire demo.

The last character is Anita, who will talk to us from time to time on the phone from the lobby to inquire about our situation.

The demo ends with a cliffhanger that leaves me with honey on my lips, waiting for the official release, initially for this year. Emphasize that the demo itself warns us, via an in-game note, that the events of “Janowski’s houseare canon, but will not be part of the final gamebesides that, there are a lot of things that are not included and will be in the full version.

Technical Section Holstin

The graphic part of Holstein it is a wonder. The European setting mixed with survival horror and a pixelated style just gives it its own unique style. Although the graphics are 2D, the game uses a 3D engine. Which allows us to rotate the camera and gives us more immersion and very interesting mechanics. The animations are also very neat and the real-time lighting is gorgeous. Something to highlight is also the character’s interaction with the environmentwe can collide with many objects and move or even break them.

The voices are in English and PolishI personally recommend playing it with the Polish voices, they are a delight. The texts were only in English, although for the final version they will be in Spanish and many other languages. The soundtrack is very consistent with the decor and the sounds are constant and very well balanced, which is a plus.

Eventually…

Holstein It is a survival-horror that must be kept in mind, I will personally follow it very closely. I would even say that it reminds a little Silent Hill 2 because of the confusing nature of the characters in the demo. The way they talk to you, like they’re unaware of their surroundings or how strange their situations are. Plus, playable has that classic survival twist mixed in with a scary European setting. Without a doubt, again, this is a game to consider.

Holstein will be released in 2023 on all consoles and on PC via To smoke. Don’t forget to follow us on Onre Xbox to keep you informed of all the news in the world of video games.