Pitched as “Castlevania meets Tunic,” Vampire Hunter: Nightrise is bringing a cerebral, first-person vampire hunt to Steam on July 14, 2026.
The latest title from Over the Moon Games—the studio behind The Fall and The Last Hero of Nostalgaia—drops players into a sprawling vampire castle with a single goal: slay the vampire before nightfall. The twist? The castle itself is your true opponent. Rotating fireplaces, shifting bookshelves, watching portraits, and hidden passages are accessible from the very start, but they only give way once you decipher how the environment works. In Nightrise, there are no keys—only knowledge.
Combat is equally inventive, built around a heavy stake launcher that pins enemies to walls. Players can fire stakes through open flames to ignite targets or smash the castle’s own furniture to scavenge for improvised ammunition. Underneath the action lies a psychological layer: the player’s faith acts as a literal resource. The castle constantly tempts you to trade that faith away for power, quietly shaping how the story concludes.
Designed as a focused, single-sitting experience of about three hours, Nightrise cuts out the open-world bloat to lean heavily into pure atmosphere and dread rather than cheap gore.
“In Nightrise, almost everything is open to you from the very beginning, if you know how to reach it,” said John Warner of Over the Moon Games. “There is something deeply rewarding about learning to overcome an obstacle instead of just finding a key. It creates a real sense of power and wonder. We took huge inspiration from Tunic in that respect, and from Outer Wilds.”
Those looking to brave the castle early can download a free playable demo right now on the official Vampire Hunter: Nightrise Steam Page.
