Liminalcore
Release date: Oct 28, 2024
Developers: Shadow Owl Studios, Ashen Studios
Publishers: Shadow Owl Studios, Ashen Studios
Genres: Adventure, Indie
Categories: Single-player, Steam Achievements, Partial Controller Support, Steam Cloud, Family Sharing
Supported languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese

Descend into the Depths of the Unknown A man gasps for air as he surfaces from water—only to find himself trapped in a room of white tiles and endless pools. This is Level 37 , the Poolrooms , a place where the familiar dissolves into the unknown. In this surreal journey, you will explore spaces that exist between worlds—hauntingly empty, disturbingly quiet, and yet strangely familiar. As you traverse these liminal spaces, fragments of a life long gone begin to surface: objects from a forgotten past, memories of a home now lost, and moments that echo through the corridors of time. But this is no ordinary journey. It is the final journey—the descent of a soul lost to water, drowning in both regret and uncertainty. The further you explore, the deeper you’ll plunge into the uncanny, until finally, you reach the ultimate destination: Hell itself. Can you maintain your sanity and escape the surreal nightmare? Mechanics Minimal Entities, Maximum Atmosphere The focus of the game is not on battling monsters, but on immersing yourself in the eerie, liminal environments. Entities are rare—what you must confront is the unsettling emptiness, the echoes of your past , and the strangeness of these in-between worlds. VHS Filter Toggle For an added layer of surreal horror, players can toggle the VHS filter on or off, transforming the game's visuals into a distorted, analog nightmare reminiscent of old found-footage tapes. Exploration-Focused Gameplay You will be piecing together fragments of the protagonist’s life and death, all while navigating eerie, transcendent spaces that blur the line between reality and nightmare. A Journey Through Liminal Spaces The game will take you through four haunting locations, each one more surreal than the last. These spaces are not just backdrops but represent stages of the protagonist’s life, memory, and descent into madness. Level 37 (Poolrooms) The journey begins here, in a place of endless, reflective water. Pools stretch infinitely, white tiles gleam under harsh lighting, and the sound of distant water echoes throughout. Faded Memories An in-between space that serves as a bridge between different levels, filled with fragmented memories of a life once lived. Here, you’ll encounter glimpses of a home, an old neighborhood, and other key locations from the protagonist's past. The Infinite Stairs An endless descent into the dark. The further down you go, the heavier the air becomes, and the more claustrophobic the space feels. Each step takes you deeper into the unknown. Hell The final destination, where twisted visions of the past collide with the horrors of the afterlife. Dark, fleshy walls pulsate, the air is thick with despair, and shadows seem to watch your every move. Inspiration This game is heavily inspired by Jared Pike’s Poolrooms , a vision of liminal spaces that blend reality and nightmare with disorienting tranquility. We've also drawn influence from the Backrooms mythos , particularly the eerie depictions from creators like Kane Pixels and The Librarian , whose work with liminal spaces and unnerving voids shaped the atmosphere of the game. 'The familiar becomes unfamiliar, and the deeper you go, the more you lose yourself.' In this game, there are no clear enemies. There is only you and the places you once knew—now twisted, empty, and eternal. Each step forward is another step down, into the depths of the unknown.