Press release

The demo for "Animas," a first-person horror game reflecting Venezuelan culture and folklore, will be released this October 17.

EMBARGO: October 17, 2025 - 10 AM (East Time)
 
The independent Venezuelan studio Apamate Studio has announced that the demo version of its horror game in development, "Animas," will be released on Steam on October 17, 10 AM (East Time). Along with the announcement, a new trailer will also be published.
 
Animas Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3325720/Animas/
 
This is a first-person psychological horror game. The player, in the role of an investigator, travels to the Blanco family mansion, located in the mysterious mountains of northern Venezuela, to clarify a series of violent events that occurred there. Guided by his enigmatic companion Alma, the player will slowly unravel the history of several generations of the Blanco family, a narrative based on violence, mysticism, and dramatic family events. The game portrays several contrasting eras of the place, and in each of them, chilling details of the past are revealed. Combining psychological horror with the essence of Venezuelan folklore, this work allows players to experience forms of fear rarely seen in video games, from ancient beliefs to modern urban legends.
 
This is a narrative exploration game (also known as a "walking simulator") that places great emphasis on environmental storytelling and atmosphere. The core of the experience is investigation through observation and discovery of the story, and there are no combat, stealth, or chase mechanics. The tension experienced by the player is purely psychological, built through the environment, sound design, and the unfolding mystery, similar to "Layers of Fear" or "P.T."
 
■ About the prologue version: This prologue, which is a demo version of the game, shares the same setting and atmosphere as the final version, but the events described here will not appear in the complete product, making it a somewhat independent experience. Instead of including the first few minutes of the final version, we opted for a format that could fully express the experience we want to convey. Therefore, it not only functions as a marketing tool to promote the game but also as additional content that offers a new experience even for those who have already played the full version.
 
■ Inspiration: The atmosphere of this work is largely inspired by our favorite horror films. We fuse Asian horror cinema with Western psychological horror, and we wrap it all in the image, aesthetics, and Venezuelan folklore that we possess. The films of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, mainly "CURE" and "Pulse," are a primary source of inspiration for the game's overall atmosphere. We also kept in mind during development found-footage works such as "Noroi," "Incantation," and "My house walk-through," as well as "Hereditary" and "Relic," which share similar themes to our work. We also want to incorporate the representation of rituals like those shown in "The Wailing" and the gore of "Audition" and "Ichi the Killer" by director Takashi Miike.
 
■ About the development studio: Apamate Studio is an independent studio based in Caracas, Venezuela, founded by us, the two brothers Wilmar Niño and Wilderman Niño. Although the genre is very different, last year we released a roguelike shooter game called "Mechanophagia" (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2757540/Mechanophagia). Previously, we worked for six years in filmmaking and video production, and we have applied that experience in storytelling techniques and in creating the game's atmosphere. Another key member is the award-winning Venezuelan musician Alejandro Zavala, who will be in charge of the soundtrack for Animas.
 
■ Future plans: The prologue will continue to receive regular updates after its release. The demo will be released in Spanish (dubbed) and English (subtitled), and over the next few months, it will receive translations into several other languages. Our goal is to release the full version in October of next year. We are also currently looking for a publisher to help us build a solid foundation that will allow us to dedicate ourselves completely to developing the game. After the release of the full version, if all goes well, we plan to further expand this universe, exploring different aspects of Venezuelan folklore, traditions, and history.
 
■ Basic information