Holstin Demo Now Available: A 90’s Eastern Euro Horror Experience

Gaming Staff • June 7, 2025

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Polish game developer Sonka has recently released a significant demo for their upcoming psychological survival horror game, Holstin. The demo is now available on Steam and offers players a comprehensive experience of the game’s eerie 90’s Eastern Euro-inspired atmosphere. The demo begins with the game’s opening segment, providing players with a glimpse of the story’s setting in the decaying and possessed Polish lakeside town of Jeziorne-Kolonia.

The demo highlights Holstin’s unique camera and lighting system, which seamlessly shifts between multiple perspectives in real-time lit, fully 3D pixel environments. Players can engage in intense combat, solve environmental puzzles, scavenge for survival, and explore ooze-infested streets and interiors. The demo also features interactions with the not-so-mentally-stable locals who have not yet fully “Turned.”

Alongside the demo release, Sonka aired a brand new trailer during the Future Games Show Live from LA, showcasing new gameplay footage from the demo. The developer is also preparing for a major Kickstarter campaign, set to launch later in 2025, to raise funds for the game’s final stages and additional features.

Holstin utilizes Sonka’s custom 2XD RENDERING technology, enabling the team to create real-time lighting in detailed pixel art environments, with various perspectives, including isometric 3D, over-the-shoulder third-person shooting, first-person driving, top-down exploration, and side-scrolling platforming. The game is heavily inspired by the Resident Evil and Silent Hill series, with a darker Twin Peaks narrative feel. Holstin is set to release on PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/S/X, and both Switch 1 and 2.

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