IDOLxISxDEAD
Yet another year at the exciting PAX West show has come and gone. As with previous years, it was a whirlwind of getting exposed to all kinds of great games and experiences, as well as getting to speak with many of the people behind them. This year also had a few special extras, including the first US appearance by Konami in many years, which was an absolute treat.
Here’s a rundown of all the cool things we spent time with at PAX West 2026.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
One of the absolute highlights this year was getting to try the new Castlevania title, Belmont’s Curse, which is being developed by Evil Empire, responsible for Dead Cells (and its DLC), as well as Brotato. We’re so excited we got to spend 30 minutes with the game.
After it’s announcement in February, I had some worries that Belmont’s Curse would adopt some of Dead Cells‘ rougelike elements instead of sticking true to the legacy of the series. However, after playing, I can absolutely confirm that the game does not have any of those elements. It actually plays quite similar to the 2D IGA Castlevania games, with non-linear exploration and progression fully intact.
The controls were extremely responsive and the combat felt satisfying. It also felt just a little faster than classic Castlevania combat (in a good way), without getting fully into the frantic, fast-paced territory of Dead Cells.
The game is shaping up to easily be one of the best in the series, and certainly a return to form for fans who are looking for classic Castlevania. Some of the strongest elements I noticed felt like they were being pulled from things like Super Castlevania 4, LOS: Mirror of Fate, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and Dead Cells. It all meshed together into its own thing.
Aside from getting to try the game itself, Konami really went all-out on the booth, making it feel like you were walking into an ancient, haunted castle. There was even a replica of the spinning cross weapon on display, created by a real armorer. It was an incredible sight to see.
Belmont’s Curse is one of our most highly anticipated titles of this year. We’ll have a full review up after the game launches on October 15th, so stay tuned for more.
Silent Hill: Townfall
Silent Hill: Townfall was a walk-through experience that immersed you in St. Amelia, the small Scottish town where the game is set. This included a whole backdrop with several props and locations, as well as a phone booth where you could make calls to some of the characters. This gave you a taste of what we’ll be anticipating when the game launches later this month.
Some of the video devices and radios scattered around also played sounds and dialogue, or video clips from the game. This made for a great atmosphere that felt very Silent Hill-esque. We also got to speak to the art director, who explained how they wanted the town to feel unique. It has its distinct Scottish architecture and feel, but still shares some of the same forces at the heart of the town/story, which will make fans feel like it’s part of the series.
We’ll have a review for Townfall later this month. It launches on September 24, so stay tuned!
Voidwood
We had a chance to check out a fun, new co-op multiplayer horror game called Voidwood. You play as four children who get trapped in a dark forest and must work together to defeat several monsters lurking. You must gather supplies and survive as long as it takes to complete a ritual, get rid of the monsters, and ultimately escape. All the monsters are CPU-controlled and in addition to these enemies, there’s a huge boss that’s essentially indestructible. Your only option is to evade it or you’ll face certain death.
There are a number of cool mechanics in Voidwood, including stealth and the fact that the indestructible boss monster has acute hearing. It can even hear you speaking into your headset or microphone when communicating with teammates. However, this can even be used to your advantage. You can yell into your mic to get the monster’s attention, diverting it away from your teammates while they complete a more difficult or time-consuming objective. Of course, it can also lead to your death if you’re not careful.
The aesthetics are a fun mix of cute and scary, and it manages to feel pretty unique across the board. I had a lot of fun with the rounds I played and I can’t wait to get more exposure as the upcoming public playtest goes live in the near future. You can wishlist Voidwood on Steam right now to get a glimpse of what the world has to offer.
The Final Cut of Lilith Cunningham
The Final Cut of Lilith Cunningham is a new game from Causeway Studios, the team behind last year’s supernatural mystery release The Haunting of Joni Evers. We had a chance to play the first 30 minutes of the upcoming game. This one instantly hooked me when it started with some live-action cutscenes that quickly introduced similar vibes to some of my favorite video games and films. From there, it just kept getting better.
It was frequently mixing live-action footage with first-person exploration and story progression, calling strongly back to things like Alan Wake 2, Immortality, and the films of David Lynch. It did this in ways that felt strongly inspired by these works, but was also different in its own way.
The story is a direct follow-up to the studio’s previous release, which focused on three generations of women in the same family being haunted by a mysterious force. This new entry continues right along those same lines out of the gate.
You also don’t see many older woman as main characters in video games, and the voice acting instantly drew me into her story, making it that much more immersive and interesting. The mechanics switch between different realities, manipulating objects and timelines, as well as the editing of film negatives on a machine, changing the course of events. To that extent, you’ll be unraveling the narrative through exploration, film, and written texts.
I’m highly anticipating the release of this one, so stay tuned as the team works to complete the game. You can wishlist The Final Cut of Lilith Cunningham on Steam now if it looks up your alley. There’s no release date yet, but it’s due to come out in 2027.
Inkblood
Inkblood is an upcoming game from publisher Critical Reflex. These guys are no stranger to horror. Over the last few years, they’ve released the likes of Mouthwashing, Buckshot Roulette, and No, I’m Not A Human.
This one takes the form of a medieval point-and-click adventure, with an extremely creative and gorgeous, hand-drawn art style. It also features morbid and creepy elements, combined with some very satisfying detective gameplay. This one had me invested and I didn’t really want to stop playing, even when my time was up.
Having to explore every scene, zooming in, and inspecting certain elements of the excellent artwork and environments was a joy from start to finish. The deduction puzzles, as well as having to use all of your medieval crime-solving gadgets, made this very compelling. I honestly can’t wait to experience the final game once it launches, which is still aiming for 2026. In the meantime, you can check out Inkblood on Steam.
No, I’m Not A Human (IRL)
After getting to check out Inkblood at the Ukiyo/Critical Reflex booth, I was also introduced to a new immersive experience. This one was based on the aforementioned hit game, No, I’m Not A Human. For this, they re-created the environment in real life, devising a fully functional doorway that made the creepiness of the game come to life in a way I never thought possible.
If you haven’t played it yet, NINAH is set in a post-apocalyptic world where monsters can disguise themselves as humans. The twist is they aren’t able to mimic everything correctly. You’re tasked with inspecting their features through the door’s peephole to discern whether the visitors are just odd humans looking for shelter or an invader attempting to get inside and attack.
The doorway was re-created using a real door, which includes an actual peephole for checking human features. When opened, there’s a full-sized screen showing the person on the other side. If you choose to shoot the visitor, you must pick up a light gun sitting next to the door and pull the trigger. This “IRL” experience was a ton of fun and had people lining up throughout the entirety of the show.
While this version won’t be appearing at any more conventions or public events, it will become a permanent fixture at Ukiyo Studios’ new game bar in Tokyo opening this month. If you find yourself in Japan, you can check it out. You can get drinks and explore a ton of indie games while you hang out.
Wolfhound
After creating 2018’s dark and punishing Metroidvania Chasm, developer BitKid Games started working on Wolfhound, a new title that’s got an 8-bit aesthetic with a World War II theme. It also has elements of sci-fi horror and Nazi slaying with monsters and aliens. It features some great, fast-paced gameplay that feels like a much darker and more grounded version of a cross between classic Metroid and Bionic Commando. I got to play the 20-minute demo and speak with the director. It turned out to be one of my most anticipated games on the horizon.
You can check out Wolfhound over on Steam. We’ll bring you more updates as the it nears completion. Currently, there’s no release date.
Cresata
Cresata is a dark, medieval, Metroidvania game that features some complex platforming and excellent parry-based combat. It also has a unique combination of 2D sprites and rotating PS1-style 3D backgrounds. This style made for some very cool scrolling segments, which made me stop to marvel on several occasions. The combat and traversal elements are challenging in a way that’s fun and compelling, and the boss battles were very intense, requiring the use of every mechanic in order to win.
I had an absolute blast with this one and can’t wait to experience more of the game as development gets further along. You can check out Cresata on Steam now.
Deperson
When walking by its booth, I had to stop and play an extended demo of the upcoming debut from developer Error Thing. Deperson is a point-and-click style psychological horror game that has an interesting and complex story centering around mental health. It gave me strong Fran Bow and Neverending Nightmares vibes. It has a visually arresting and unnerving, hand-drawn art style that’s already earned it awards at recent shows. Honestly, when you see footage of it, you’ll see why.
You can check out a demo and wishlist Deperson on Steam now. It’s hopefully releasing before the end of 2026.
Crowsworn
Also from a new development studio (Mongoose Rodeo), I got to play a current build of the Hollow Knight-inspired Crowsworn. It features a solid hand-drawn art style with lots of corvid-related imagery, as well as some tight combat and platforming. While the game did have similarities to Hollow Knight in surface-level ways, it felt quite different to play and improved on some of the elements from Team Cherry’s 2017 hit that I wasn’t a big fan of. All while keeping some of the better ones, which is a win in my book.
I’ll be keeping an eye out for this one as it moves along in development, so watch out for more coverage as details emerge. You can check it out on Steam or Xbox. Again, no release date at the time of writing.
Name of the Will
Created by newcomers Zeitgeist Studios, Name of the Will is a psychological horror mystery game with a point-and-click puzzle style. It puts you in the shoes of a young boy who lives in a cult that promotes “true happiness” among its members. It enacts all kinds of strange brainwashing and torture, and has a very creepy and unique art style that manages to be quite unsettling. The dark themes and esoteric, unreliable narrative elements that I was picking up on were pretty strong. It all made for a compelling play in the time I got to spend with it.
Definitely check this one out if the art and narrative are of interest to you, as I haven’t seen anything that looks quite like this before. There’s a demo of Name of the Will on Steam if you want to check it out. It’s looking like it’ll be launching early 2027, all being well.
Thief: The Dark Project Remastered
Lastly, I had a chance to try out the upcoming remastered version of the pioneering stealth epic, Thief: The Dark Project. I was very impressed with how well Nightdive Studios (Quake, Doom, and so many others) is bringing this classic to modern audiences. The new visuals and sound are important for the experience, since audio and light/dark mechanics are key to the original gameplay. Thief felt great to play with the controller, and the remastered, binaural sound really helped with assessing your surroundings.
The fact that it’s also being released on consoles for the first time ever with native controller mapping is a great step forward for accessibility. It ensures that as many people as possible can finally experience this groundbreaking stealth game. Due to release later this year, you can wishlist it on Steam, PlayStation, or Xbox.
Thanks again to PAX West for putting on a great show and to all the developers and publishers who took the time to show us their games. We appreciate everyone who gave us a glimpse of some projects we can look forward to in the genres we love!
