Last Updated on Aug 30, 2026 @ 19:39:36 PM.
Inferius, the in-development title by Lucid Rain Games was at Gamescom 2026, and after the best part of an hour playing the game and chatting with some of the development team behind it, I can say it’s probably my biggest surprise of the show. I already knew about the title prior to going hands-on, having spotted it in some ad-marketing campaign a year or so ago, instantly knowing the mysterious, dark, ghoulish atmosphere was a bit of me.
The opening of the demo, like a lot at Gamescom, threw me in the deep end without much of any context. I was someone or something entering the nine levels of hell, my only items (at this point), a lantern that could light my way, and a Starter Deck I used to inexplicably defeat the card-battling demons before they ate me.
As batshit insane as that sentence is, it’s pretty much all-encompassing of my time with the game. The level I played, Limbo, was a castle like structure with a flooded floor to the left and right of the walkways I was on. Jumping off didn’t kill me, but the developer present did promise me that come release they’d have something in those waters to greet me, and I didn’t think he meant that in the nicest sense either. Walking along the ramparts after getting my first deck, I was greeted with my first battle. A pale, white demon awaited me, with a gaping maw that left me with a sense of foreboding dread, something that never really left the entire time I played.
The deckbuilding aspect wasn’t touched upon in the demo, so I can’t say much on how cards are obtained, their rarity etc, but the combat was heavily shown off. It’s not too revolutionary on that front, with both the player and the demon you’re fighting having multiple cards, three playing areas, and the aim is to kill the other. You need to extinguish the five candles on your opponent’s side of the table before they do the same to you, essentially representing health points.
Each of the three already mentioned playing areas will allow you to put one card down in, a ‘boss’ card as such, which is a character you have in hand, and then you can strengthen them with speed, strength and so on. Then, your card will attack the space directly in front of it. If there’s no card, you’ll be hitting your opponent, sapping his health points, otherwise, you’ll get to see how your card fares against another character card on the opposite side of the table. Depending how they strengthened their card and it’s base stats depends on how you get on. Like I said, nothing revolutionary on that front.
However.
And that’s a big however. Most deckbuilders aren’t centered in the horror genre. Most don’t include survival horror elements. Inferius does, and it has in spades. As you walk through the environments from battle to battle, you’ll see all sorts of horrors. In my short time with the game, I saw creepy, crawling, Spider-like demons crossing rooms in front of me, immediately making me stop in my tracks, thanks to the incredible audio and sheer timing of it’s appearance; there were also rapidly moving mannequin looking demons that hunted my every step and never let up.
You can’t currently fight these, beyond scaring them with your lantern, although that won’t work for long as they learn it doesn’t hurt, but you can run away and to the next battle. I died a few times to those enemies more than I did the actual deckbuilding battles. It was a great touch, and with each level representing another of the Circle’s of Hell from Dante’s Inferno, I was assured each level would have a different look, feel and enemies representative of that particular level.
Lastly, there’s some basic puzzle-solving, which you have to double up with the survival horror aspects. Your lantern I mentioned earlier can light your way, but also unlock doors, but it’ll use a charge. Run out of charges on your lantern? Say goodbye to any amount of light until you can recharge it. It really does increase the horror aspects of it.
There’s still some time before the full release of Inferius, but I’m glad to say that those fans of first-person survival horror and deckbuilders will be happy with what the developers over at Lucid Rain Studios are attempting to accomplish with this title, and it’s something I’m excited to get my hands on a little more come the time. If nothing else, the developers I spoke to from the team were INCREDIBLY passionate and excited about what they were doing with Inferius, which is always a pleasure to see.
For your next read, check out our Gamescom 2026 preview of SAW: Genesis, or our hands-off impressions of Control Resonant.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
