I’ve never played a survival horror game with this kind of art design.

The limited colour scheme, stark contrasts, and jerky animations of Saturnalia depart from the usual horror atmosphere.

The winter solstice is when the ancient Romans celebrated Saturn at Saturnalia, which symbolises the emergence of a brand-new sun. the demise of history. Over time, it evolved into the holiday we now know as Christmas’ spiritual core. However, there were no happy elves, cheery candles, or joyfully wrapped gifts throughout my time with the game of the same name. Instead, I writhed through a surreal maze that represented the fictional Italian village of Gravoi while dodging a terrifying monster and trying to unravel a secret.

In that regard, the upcoming horror adventure game is rather domestic: it was created by independent Italian company Santa Ragione. You take on the role of one of four survivors in Saturnalia(opens in new tab), who were coincidentally brought together and each have a unique tale to tell. The majority of your time is spent navigating the Gravoi’s winding, perplexing streets in an effort to locate tools, investigate clues, and connect with those who might be able to shed some light on what’s going on. The town procedurally resets if all of your characters are captured by the mysterious entity, wiping out your laboriously acquired knowledge of where things are.

Control flashes back and forth to the past, and when you go back, everything you thought you knew are altered. This annihilation of what you think you know permeates every aspect of the game. On several times, I was rushing away from a monster while screaming, only to suddenly find myself in a familiar setting that had changed.

As disorganised as it initially made me feel, you become used to the location. Saturnalia draws you in and encourages you to keep exploring since it has been carefully constructed with references from classic Italian horror movies to Impressionist art and Sardinian architecture. Continue digging. Additionally, keep looking for a darn wrench.