Upcoming horror darling Holstin has had a few demos since it was first announced at the tail end of 2022, which its Steam Next Fest demo handily collates into a single download for you, splitting them into puzzle and combat sequences. Admittedly, I got stuck halfway through the puzzle one, so I booted up its Steam forums to lose a bit of Guides Writer cred in search of the solution – but I was surprised to see so much negativity on show. Some harsh words were thrown at its combat demo in particular, and a little wave of disappointment hit me at the prospect of yet another survival horror game with lacklustre combat. Then, I played the combat demo for myself, and came to a major realisation. Namely, that Holstin’s enjoyment will almost certainly depend on how much you still like classic survival horror design, as opposed to how much you think you still like classic survival horror design.
