First dark secrets unveiled for upcoming Saint Kotar

Written by Jack Allin — June 15, 2016 at 11:47

Usually saints are equated with holiness and miraculous blessings, but the opposite can be said for Saint Kotar, an upcoming psychological horror adventure due for release in 2017.

Saint Kotar is the name of a "lonely, ancient" rural mining town tucked away from the rest of the world behind the mountains of Croatia. At first glance it seems like a lovely place, with "scenic views of the charming area, sparsely scattered houses, and church bells tolling in the distance of the quiet valley." Upon closer inspection, however, something is very wrong with this once-thriving community, with "many houses deserted and falling to ruin, dark foreboding forests and a ghastly scent of decay filling the air." Terrifying local legends cause the remaining townsfolk to pray each night the moon is full.

In October 2006, three protagonists are invited to travel to Saint Kotar to attend a rare medieval art exhibit: There's Benedek, a bible-fearing university professor; Nikolaym, a morphine-addicted museum curator; and Viktoria, a journalist specializing in paranormal mysteries. Soon after their arrival, the three "find themselves dragged abruptly in a macabre series of murders, allegedly related to Satanic worship and witchcraft." As they begin investigating the town's darkest secrets, the protagonists must "struggle not only against the unknown, but against themselves too, ultimately uncovering the vile truth of their own past."

Created by indie developer Tanais Games, Saint Kotar promises a blend of classic-styled point-and-click adventure and psychological horror narrative inspired by the likes of Lovecraft and Poe (and a little Jane Jensen). The early screenshots show off the game's hand-painted 2D art style, which will be accompanied in the final game by full voice acing and an original soundtrack.

We won't see Saint Kotar on Windows, Mac and Linux until sometime next year, but in the meantime you can learn more about the game through its official website.