Squatting silently outside a nondescript suburban garage, I freeze. Prowling the driveway ahead are three Lovecraftian abominations, their senses tuned for the slightest vibration. I wait for the trio to drift apart, then strike, sliding from the shadows to execute the outlier before his companions can react. One down, two to go.
I maneuver around the perimeter, using a line of trash cans as cover, and dispatch the second creature as it wanders away from its leader. This final horror is sturdier than the rest, immune to a simple stealth takedown. By thinning the pack first, I’ve ensured our confrontation is a fair fight. A rapid sequence of melee strikes later, and I’m standing over three fresh corpses ready to be scavenged.
This tactical skirmish marked the beginning of my time with Nightholme during a recent visit to Studio Ellipsis. Embedded within a three-person squad, I explored an eerie slice of small-town America, hunting “lesser horrors” to gain power and harvest “gloomhearts”—the vital essence required to summon a gargantuan, raid-tier boss.
Nightholme adopts a MOBA-style progression loop where every match begins on a level playing field, with players accumulating XP to unlock potent abilities. However, unlike titles where low-level mobs are merely cannon fodder, every enemy here is a legitimate threat. A single misstep can spiral into a lethal disaster.
In this world, solitary hunters are particularly vulnerable. While a duel is manageable, sound is a dinner bell; attacking one monster often summons a horde from the surrounding gloom. The oppressive darkness makes it easy to overlook humanoid predators until they are upon you. Of particular note is the Fearmonger—a lupine nightmare that uses its tongue to snatch players from behind, dragging them kicking and screaming into the shadows.
Looking skyward reveals the Void Shepherds—floating entities with pulsating eyes and trailing orange tentacles. These aerial guardians patrol major thoroughfares and gloomheart deposits, making “control” class characters indispensable. In the pre-alpha build I tested, they were the only ones capable of mounting a ranged defense against these high-altitude threats.
Extraction mechanics add a layer of persistent risk. Escaping alive allows you to keep your hard-earned inventory, which can later be used to interact with various NPCs and vendors. Though the hub world wasn’t fully operational in my demo, the intent is clear: every run is a choice between greed and survival.
Whether you choose to coordinate or play as a lone wolf, the ultimate challenge remains the Rooted Mother—a colossal, spear-wielding entity of flesh and wood that erupts from the earth. Defeating her requires absolute cooperation, as she proved to be a formidable barrier even when multiple squads joined forces.
Solo players can find success by extinguishing their lanterns and sticking to the periphery, moving like ghosts through the environment. However, you aren’t just evading monsters; Nightholme is a cutthroat PvPvE experience, and other players are often more dangerous than the horrors themselves.
Before entering the fray, characters must ingest a serum that mutates them into the very beasts they seek to destroy. Traditional weapons are non-existent; you are the armament. As you grow in power, your transformation becomes more grotesque and formidable, but it comes at the cost of your sanity. A depleting sanity meter makes you more visible to rivals, creating a constant tension between strength and exposure.
Studio head Alex Amancio describes this as a “razor’s edge” between control and raw power. “It’s a Nietzschean concept,” he explained. “If you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you. Power corrupts, and the more you take, the more you risk losing yourself.”
While the build I tested was early—complete with technical bugs and skeletal skill trees—the foundation is incredibly promising. Studio Ellipsis is carving out a unique space at the intersection of horror, extraction, and multiplayer action.
At first glance, it shares DNA with titles like Dead by Daylight, League of Legends, and Left 4 Dead, yet it feels entirely distinct. By blending these disparate elements into a cohesive, atmospheric whole, Nightholme might just be the next breakout hit in the genre.
Disclosure: This article is based on a preview event held at Studio Ellipsis’ headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal. Travel and accommodations were provided by the developer.
Source: Polygon
