Tenebris Somnia launches tomorrow, October 16. Ahead of release, KongMNG Game Wire sat down (via email) with director Andrés Borghi — the Argentine filmmaker behind one of the year's most striking horror games — to talk pixel art, live-action FMV, and why every streamer gets scared at the exact same moments.
The blend of 8-bit/16-bit pixel art with live-action FMV cutscenes is the first thing everyone notices about Tenebris Somnia. Where did that idea come from, and what made you commit to it instead of picking one style?
Andrés Borghi: The first thing that inspired me to create Tenebris Somnia was the video game FAITH by Airdorf Games. It's a retro horror game that uses two visual styles. The first is that of an old Atari game, and the other is a very creepy rotoscoped animation style. I liked the game so much that it made me want to create something similar. When it came to choosing two different styles, I went with the look of a Famicom or N.E.S. game — since that's what I used to play as a kid — and for the other style, I chose live-action footage, since I'm a film director here in Argentina.
You're a filmmaker first — VFX work on When Evil Lurks, directing the live-action sequences here. How did your film background change the way you approached making a game, and what did game development teach you that film didn't?
Andrés Borghi: It helped a lot with the narrative aspects of the game. I used every writing and editing trick I know from making films to enhance the story as much as I could. And it worked!
The live-action scenes were shot in Buenos Aires with real actors and practical effects. What was the hardest part of blending those filmed sequences into a pixel-art game world without it feeling disconnected?
Andrés Borghi: The hardest part was to find the correct balance between the two. I realized that we need a strong contrast between both styles. The bigger the contrast, the better they connected, as strange as it sounds. If they were too similar you could spot little differences and be distracted. So it has to be really different but at the same time feel they belong in the same universe. It's a tricky balance.
Julia's story — nightmares about her ex-boyfriend bleeding into a parallel universe — feels very personal. Where did the story come from, and how much of it draws from Argentine horror traditions?
Andrés Borghi: The Argentine element comes through naturally in the game, in the way she speaks and behaves. Personally, there's a lot in the game that draws from my own experience in the film industry, a community I've been a part of for many, many years. I understand the emotions of filmmakers, their fears, their dreams, and so on, and all of that is reflected in the game. It also gives those who know nothing about the inner workings of the film industry a glimpse into what that world is like.
Silent Hill and Resident Evil are the obvious touchstones. What are some less obvious influences — films, games, or otherwise — that shaped Tenebris Somnia?
Andrés Borghi: One of them is the game Clock Tower, for its visual style, although C.T. is a point and click game and ours is not. Another one would be “D no Shokutaku”, or “D”, for the great story hook it has at the start. Forget about starting your game with a protagonist that says “I don't know who I am or where I am, I'll explore”. That's not interesting. Be as specific as you can. Really important to have a great hook, a protagonist that knows what he/she wants and a question to answer from the beginning. You can learn that from Silent Hill 2 also. And also the manga “Berserk” really inspires everything I do. You can find many Berserk influences here, but I really noticed that they were there like a year later.
Airdorf came on as executive producer after Dave connected you two. What did that collaboration actually look like day-to-day, and what did he push you on creatively?
Andrés Borghi: Working with him was great. Getting to share ideas and having lots of conversations about horror gaming and movies actually helped a lot to the game. And his advice was really good. Kinda dope working with the creator of FAITH! Also, FAITH was the first inspiration that sparked Tenebris Somnia into existence, and Airdorf lived here in Argentina some time ago. So it's a weird and cool full circle situation.
The game won Best Game at EVA 2023 and showed at Day of the Devs, Gamescom LATAM, and BitSummit. Did festival feedback ever change the game in a real way?
Andrés Borghi: Only for small adjustments on puzzle and combat difficulty. It worked surprisingly well beyond that.
You've got aggressive regional pricing for Latin America plus a discount for FAITH owners. How much thought went into pricing as a way to reach players, especially in Argentina and LATAM?
Andrés Borghi: I think it's a way to honour the region where the game was born and developed. Now every Latin American person can have the game, making it something important and relevant for our own culture. Something to be proud of.
The demo's been out on Steam and Xbox. What's the one piece of player feedback from the demo that surprised you most?
Andrés Borghi: I actually was surprised on how similar every reaction is. Almost every streamer gets scared in the same parts and many times they say literally the same comment in the same part as another streamer. I think it's a testament about how precise the game is. And the best thing is that they all get invested in the story right away, which is what I wanted to achieve.
Launch is October 16, right in the heart of horror season. For someone on the fence, what's the one thing about Tenebris Somnia you want them to know that no trailer has shown them?
Andrés Borghi: I want them to know that the story is great, and they'll be thinking about this story long after they finished the game.
KongMNG's take
A director who treats horror like precision engineering — every streamer scared at the same beats, every scare landing where it's supposed to. The FAITH full-circle story alone is worth the price of admission. Tenebris Somnia launches October 16 on Steam and Xbox. The demo's still up if you want a taste first.