From indie Spanish studio Path Games,Dark Massis an upcoming horror game with a unique premise set entirely underwater. The game offers first-person gameplay and realistic graphics created using Unreal Engine 5. Unlike otherhorror titles set in the sea,Dark Massaims for a longer adventure of four to six hours involving exploration, puzzle-solving, and a rich story where players’ decisions matter.
Dark Massputs players in the shoes of Alice, a deep-sea explorer who, with the help of her brother Reed, discovers a mysterious centuries-old sunken manor. Soon after entering it, Alice learns that she isn’t alone, as a dark presence lurks in the cursed-bound mansion.Dark Masshas been compared to some similar underwater horror gameslikeSubnauticaandIron Lungsince its reveal, but that’s not where the developers drew inspiration from. In fact, the world ofDark Massdraws from both cinema influences and real-life historical elements. Game Rant recently spoke with Path Games’ Virginia Calvo and Gonzalo G. Luna, studio co-founders and designers ofDark Mass, about the game’s main sources of inspiration.
How Dark Mass Pays Tribute to Iconic Horror Films
As Calvo and Luna stated, the development team at Path Games decided to evoke their love for scary films inDark Massand pay homage toclassic horror productionslikeRosemary’s Baby,Twin Peaks, andJaws. “Cinema is our main source of inspiration,” they commented. The first-person underwater concept forDark Masshad already been present in the developers’ minds while the studio was working onInsomnis, its first horror game in early 2022. But it was the 2021 movieThe Deep Housethat gave the team “the final push” to start working onDark Mass.
The Deep Houseis a horror film set in France, where a young couple finds themselves trapped in a house submerged at the bottom of a lake with a sinister presence. Similarly,Dark Masssees protagonist Alice encounter a manor in the depths of the ocean. A dark entity is bound to the manor by a curse, and Alice must uncover its tragic past and escape before it’s too late. Not only isDark Massa survival horror title, but also a puzzle-filled experience. Alice will have to solve puzzles based on real-life torture methods from the Spanish Inquisition era as but one example.
Aside from its story premise, Calvo and Luna shared that some ofDark Mass’ soundscapes drew fromhorror film scoreslikeSinister.
The Real-Life Inspirations Behind Dark Mass
When developingDark Mass, Calvo and Luna’s team realized that horror stories have a bigger impact when they are believable. That’s where a touch of their personal lives came in. Since Path Games is based in Spain, the team thought it was a perfect opportunity forDark Mass’ background:
“As we developed the game’s script and antagonist, we knew we needed a solid backstory rooted in reality. Being Spanish, it’s relatively easy for us to visit historical sites that still hold remnants of the past, and we wanted to bring that texture into the game.”
The developers add that, while the historical elements inDark Massare rooted in real-life records, the team also took some creative liberties with them to preserve the game’s mysticism. It is also worth noting that the game will feature both English and Spanish voice-overs.
Insomnis Also Taught the Developers a Few Tricks
Dark Massis Path Games’ second horror title after its debut gameInsomnis. The latter currently holds “Very Positive” reviews on Steam, but Calvo and Luna recognize that some lessons learned fromInsomnisplayed a role when creatingDark Massby setting the foundations for its world-building. WithDark Mass, players will have a more immersive experience that promotes exploration. The game intends to give players a rich horror narrative withmeaningful decision-making. As Calvo and Luna add,
“We don’t want to rely on 200 cheap jump scares — we want the player to walk away with a great story, one they could sum up in just two sentences, and feel our passion for cinema all the way through.”
Dark Massdoesn’t have a release date yet, but Path Games is aiming for a fall 2026 launch window. Calvo and Luna also assured us the game’s next trailer will reveal more details, but fans will have to wait “just a bit longer” for it.
