In Sanguine you take the role of Kris, a woman recovering from amnesia who wakes in a warped town called Craven Oaks. The streets are overrun by hive-minded parasites known as the Bloods, citizens transformed by a sinister outbreak. As Kris pieces together her memory and the truth behind a shadowy corporation’s experiments, she must decide who to trust and how far she is willing to go in order to survive and escape the nightmare.
Sanguine is a survival horror game developed by Ryan Berg and published by Seeker Studios. It launched in early access on October 24, 2025, for PC. The title offers two playstyles a classic fixed-camera mode and a modern third-person perspective — catering both to fans of retro horror and those who prefer contemporary controls. The narrative combines exploration, resource scarcity, and puzzle mechanics as Kris uncovers the dark history of Craven Oaks while fighting for survival.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Sanguine emphasizes tension, careful planning, and exploration. Players traverse the decaying town searching for supplies, clues, and weapons while managing limited inventory space and scarce ammunition. The dual camera modes change how players experience the game: the classic mode evokes older survival horror feel while the modern mode provides more fluid movement and combat. Puzzles are integrated into the environment, logs and tapes reveal hidden story threads, and every confrontation with the Bloods can turn lethal. Progress relies on uncovering secrets, avoiding hostiles, and sometimes making difficult moral choices.
Visuals and Style
Sanguine features muted color palettes, heavy use of shadow and atmosphere, and a blend of lo-poly era aesthetics with modern lighting techniques. The fixed-camera sections draw on nostalgia for late-90s console horror, while the third-person segments incorporate smoother models and dynamic camera movement. Craven Oaks is depicted as a town fallen into ruin empty streets, broken shops, abandoned offices all punctuated by unsettling ambient details like static-style found footage and haunting audio logs. The aesthetic reinforces vulnerability and paranoia rather than graphic spectacle.
Importance in Survival Horror History
Sanguine demonstrates how survival horror can honour its roots while adapting to modern expectations. By offering both a retro-style mode and a contemporary mode, it bridges generations of horror design and players. Its focus on resource management, exploration, and narrative depth recalls the early era of survival horror and reaffirms that tension often comes from vulnerability not power. The game’s indie scale and dual-mode presentation may influence future developers seeking to merge nostalgia and accessibility within the genre.
Reception and Historical Value
Early reactions to Sanguine have praised its atmosphere, the robustness of its dual camera modes, and its focus on survival horror fundamentals. Some feedback mentions that the early access state still has polish issues and that pacing can be deliberate, but many players see its potential to become a standout indie horror. As it evolves and more content is added, Sanguine might be regarded as one of the notable modern attempts to capture and innovate upon the classic survival horror experience.
Availability and Collectibility
Sanguine is available digitally on PC via early access. No physical edition has been confirmed at release. Its twin-mode design, strong thematic identity, and indie production give it appeal for collectors and fans of niche horror titles. If a limited physical or deluxe edition appears, it could become a sought-after item for enthusiasts of atmospheric and retro-inspired horror.
Get it on:
Steam: Sanguine on Steam
Trailer: