Holstin Preview (PC)
Listen, we know we go on about Holstin a lot, okay? First appearing in Josh’s Indie Games That’ll Define 2024 (yes, we’re very sad it’s 2025 now) and subsequently in our information and demo deep dive. We’re very much invested in this survival horror indie gem, like a moth drawn to a terribly malicious and devouring light source.
I was provided with another demo to experience more of what Holstin will be serving up. The previous two demos showed off Sonka’s approach to puzzling and combat, respectively. This time around, the latest slice of this dark and unnerving ’90s Polish town encompasses all of its gameplay mechanics, including its approach to level design and open exploration.
Meet The Locals
Arriving at a rather derelict looking train station in the lovely town of Jeziorne-Kolonia, the demo begins with our protagonist, Tomasz Wolański, entering the area on the search for his friend – an investigative journalist he’s lost contact with. Speaking to a few locals who are… interesting… characters, to say the least, it becomes immediately apparent all is not well in this Polish suburb.
In true survival horror fashion, Tomasz enters the area with the square root of nothing. I nabbed a local map and was relieved to see that my objectives were pinned on it, but that’s about it. Similar to Silent Hill 2, your map will update as you go along. Blocked routes are highlighted, side objectives will be pinned and you can roughly navigate using the streets and buildings as markers. However, there’s no hand-holding, no glaring pointers directing you or routes designated for you.
Sonka have plucked for a middle ground approach in terms of you as the player relying on your intuition, while giving enough information to prevent those frustrating roadblock moments. In fact, my only stumbling block was not realising I could climb a structure that was clearly marked for climbing, so I only have myself to blame, really. During my couple of hours with the demo, there were a number of tasks stacked up rapidly, which helped propel me into this strange and grungy world.
Oozing and Boozing
Normally, describing something as dirty, disquieting and downtrodden would be a one-way trip to getting a slap for being rude. However, in Holstin’s case, it’s a brilliantly realised decaying ’90s cityscape. Almost everywhere, there’s a fluorescent orange and yellow gloop, which has infested every inch of the town. The foreboding and claustrophobic atmosphere permeated everywhere as I navigated through the streets, park and buildings.
Not just there to look (not) pretty though, the fungal-like goo acts as a natural barrier to progression. Some sections can be destroyed via shooting glowing orbs in a specific order within a short time frame, while others cannot be destroyed at all. Given Tomasz’s lack of inventory space, you’ll be constantly asked to make choices of what to take with you and what to leave behind. Me picking up the weird chap’s “treasure” to deliver to him so early meant I had to forgo a Molotov cocktail, for instance.
In this, the Holstin demo really sold me on its desire to be a “true” survival horror. I always had items, but never enough of anything to feel overpowered or strong. There’s a multitude of different melee and ranged weapons too, further complicating the dilemmas of what you can carry. Oh, and no storage box, in the demo anyway, so if you need that quest item, say goodbye to something else you’ll need to discard. Choices are hard.
A Polish Shot
Speaking of weapons, how do they feel to whip out and slug an enemy with? Punchy, that’s what. Firing a handgun or shotgun carries the weight of a freight train, and whether you’re shooting, sprinting, slicing or dodging, you’ll be draining your stamina/health bar. That’s right, they’re combined. Get hit by one of the infected zombie-like creatures and you’ll know it. One foe smacked half my life off in one strike.
Combat is satisfying thanks to the powerful calibre feel Holstin has, but it’s incredibly tense thanks to how brittle Tomasz is. I didn’t vibe quite as much with the melee mechanic, where you have to hold the shoulder button for a wind-up time before releasing. While it adds a tactical time element to master, it often led to me taking too many hits or more whiffs than I’d like to admit. There’s a good idea with the system, but the aiming and timing feel slightly clunky.
In comparison, pulling out your shotgun and blasting off a limb or three is immensely satisfying. The demo introduced how the developers plan to keep things fresh with enemy types too. Devilishly sly flying creatures that disguise themselves as item boxes? So evil. Humanoid infected will lunge, crawl, spit and throw projectiles at you, which kept me on my toes throughout. The pressure of managing your stamina, knowing that hits will limit your movement and combat options, is a fantastic mechanic, even if it does raise the blood pressure at the same time.
Lurking On The Horizon
More than anything though, this particular demo showed off the developer’s acumen for encouraging exploration. The semi-open hub area from this demo is littered with items, tasks to complete and logical puzzles to solve. The car you need is missing a tire, so off you go to get one, only for the area to be accessible through a truck that needs a key. But oh wait, I have that key already from searching that apartment!
If this cut of the game is an indication of what’s to come, Holstin is promising to be a bold and ambitious survival horror experience. My first hour playing felt like 15 minutes, and come the end of the demo, I was desperate to get back to Jeziorne-Kolonia. Not so much for the hospitality of the locals (and their disguised murderous item boxes), but for the excellent level design, thick aura of dread and the adrenaline-rush pressure of the combat.
We’ve been waiting a long time on Holstin, and we’ll be waiting with baited breath for the final product. I’ve been treated to its puzzling, combat and now a combination of both with its open exploration through the three demos thus far, and like the best of industrial grunge, it seeps into your wits and impresses through its suffocating smog. There’s still no word on an official release date yet, but Holstin is shaping up to be one heck of an indie game.
Holstin will be available on Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam (preview platform). A free demo is currently available on Steam.
Developer: Sonka
Publisher: Sonka
Disclaimer: In order to complete this preview, we were provided with a promotional preview build of the game.
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