Resident Evil 4 Remake has some of the finest over-the-shoulder shooting in all of videogames. The original RE4 set the standard, of course, but Capcom’s 2023 horror hit made it louder, nastier, and more gratifying. You take the intense, back-to-the-wall action of Leon Kennedy’s latest outing, and combine it with the isometric viewpoint and brutalist, pseudo-Soviet aesthetic of Disco Elysium. It sounds like they won’t fit together – how can you have a third-person shooter if we’re playing from that classic CRPG-type perspective. But you see, this is the trick. With an art style also reminiscent of Signalis, and dismemberment mechanics that would make Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke jealous, Holstin, a new survival horror game available to try on Steam, has a lot of cool surprises.
The idea behind Holstin is simple but also wonderfully original. It’s 1992. It’s Poland. And something very awful is happening to the town of Jeziorne-Kolonia. You get a call from your best friend, Bartek, something about monsters, slime, and an oozing corruption that is turning the entire place into something extremely sinister. From there, you’re on your own. In many ways, it’s a classic survival horror game. Manage your inventory. Find keys. Kill enemies and monsters using a sparse quantity of ammo. But besides its superb aesthetic and ‘90s take on Eldritch terror, Holstin has some extremely impressive technical tricks.
As you’re exploring, you play Holstin from that isometric, semi fixed-camera perspective similar to Signalis, old-fashioned Fallout, and classic Resident Evil. You can turn and pivot the camera to get a better look at your surroundings, and conversations and interactions naturally have their own dialogue and menu screens.
But combat is when Holstin really shines. As soon as you take aim at one of Jeziorne-Kolonia’s unfortunate, mutated, former residents, the camera jumps to a third-person view right out of Dead Space, RE4, and co. It’s a very striking effect, suddenly thrusting you into the midst of the mayhem, and confronting you with the gory details on your enemy’s faces.
Swollen, bloody, and able to continue attacking even if you blow off their heads, Holstin’s infected are perfectly terrifying. The substance of the game involves navigating an increasingly twisted and terrifying tunnel, running through the forsaken town, and home to its various discarded junk – as well as its former populace.
But some of the townsfolk are still alive, still human, and have their own bizarre backstories to share. Fully voiced in either English or Polish, as well as solid survival horror, Holstin offers a convincing, spooky drama. We don’t have a full release date yet, but if you want to try it out, there’s a free demo of Holstin right here.
Alternatively, try some of the other best survival games, or maybe the latest and greatest indie games available on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.