With Saint of Chains, MystiveDev,  the team behind Mirror Forge and Chasmal Fear, are taking a step back in time to the gritty, atmospheric horror of the early 2000s, drawing inspiration from classics such as Silent Hill, Condemned: Criminal Origins, and Cry of Fear.

They’re crafting a low-poly, dread-soaked experience that thrives on psychological tension rather than photorealistic fidelity. But beneath its grainy textures and blood-drenched corridors lies something deeper… a personal, symbolic exploration of guilt, obsession, and the emotional ‘chains’ we forge through our own mistakes. In Saint of Chains, horror isn’t just about what lurks in the shadows, but with the darkness the protagonist carries within. Sounds cool, right?

With the game recently getting a demo release as part of Steam Scream, we had a chat with the developers to talk about their creative process, the challenges of balancing narrative and gameplay, and how they’re reviving that distinct early-2000s flavour of fear for a new generation of players.


Saint of Chains has that old-school horror vibe that looks to capture the tone of some of the classics of the early 2000s. What made you want to bring that style back?


That’s a deliberate choice on our part. For us, the early 2000s were a golden age for psychological survival horror, especially for the games that inspire us like Silent Hill 2, Lost in Vivo, and Condemned. Unlike Mirror Forge and Chasmal Fear, where we aimed for high-fidelity graphics, this time we wanted to turn the wheel around. We’re using low-poly models and gritty, low-resolution textures because that style forces the player’s imagination to fill in the gaps – and that’s always scarier. We’re trying to evoke a specific, classic feeling: a “constant, creeping dread”.

The game dives into some heavy themes with guilt, obsession, and the ‘chains we forge ourselves’. What inspired these themes and how will they be explored in the narrative?


Those themes are the absolute core of the game. The entire narrative is built on them. The protagonist is an investigative journalist whose “workaholism, ego, and over-ambition led to the neglect of his family”. The game itself is his “desperate flight from his own… failure”.

We explore these themes through the world and the monsters (and bosses!). The protagonist has constructed a “heroic delusion” that he’s on a rescue mission, but every environment and monster he encounters is actually “a landscape of his own guilt” – let’s say manifestations of his personal demons. For example, he’ll fight creatures that are the literal embodiment of his career obsession or his willful amnesia. The ‘chains’ are his guilt, and the horror comes from him being forced to confront the symbols of it.

The mix of combat, exploration, and puzzles looks really cool, but I find it’s always important to balance them out effectively in a horror experience. How have you approached this in the game so that the gameplay remains enjoyable and varied?


You’re absolutely right! Balance is everything. Our approach is all about the “pacing”. We deliberately “alternate between tense, atmospheric exploration, light puzzle-solving, and frantic, desperate combat”. The goal is to ramp up tension and provide moments of “false safety” that only amplify the overall atmosphere.

When you’re exploring, the atmosphere is tense. Just as you get used to that, we’ll introduce a puzzle to make you slow down and think. And just as you’re focused, we’ll hit you with “frantic, desperate combat”. That combat is itself a “blend”: it has the claustrophobic, brutal melee of Condemned: Criminal Origins mixed with the resource-starved ranged combat of games like Cry of Fear and Lost in Vivo. That variety is what keeps the experience from feeling predictable.

Saint of Chains
Saint of Chains
Saint of Chains

Every good horror game has at least one moment that really sticks with players. Is there a particular scene or enemy in Saint of Chains that you’re especially proud of so far, or aren’t you ready to spill any secrets just yet?


There’s one scene in the game that tends to make people go silent when it’s over. And it’s not because of what they saw, but because of what they realized. That’s all we can say for now. But know this: it’s a surreal, ground-shattering moment, a reveal that hits harder the more you think about it.

The world in the game looks strange and unsettling, and I don’t doubt there will be many disturbing sights to be seen. Can you tell us more about the world-building and what sort of locales players can expect to venture across?


The entire game is a “three-act descent from a heroic delusion to a horrifying truth”. Every level represents some form of the protagonist’s dark feelings. The environments are designed to “scream” the emotions and memories they represent. 

Players will start in the “Apartment Building,” which is the focus of the protagonist’s delusion. From there, the “trail” leads him to much more symbolic and surreal locales. He’ll descend into “The Weeping Sewers,” an oppressive, filthy environment that represents his own buried depression, and explore “The Precinct of Regret,” a twisted version of his own workplace. Later, he’ll even find himself in “The Forsaken Schoolhouse,” a decaying school filled with monstrous manifestations of paternal grief. These are just a few of the places players will experience. Every location is a corrupted piece of his broken mind.

Game development is never a straight path, but you’ve got some experience in horror with Mirror Forge and Chasmal Fear. Still, were there any surprises, big changes, or challenges that came up while making Saint of Chains?


That’s a great question. With Mirror Forge and Chasmal Fear, we learned so much about building atmosphere and suspense. The biggest challenge and the most exciting part of Saint of Chains has been integrating the narrative into the mechanics on a much deeper level and focusing more intensely on pacing.

We really wanted to make sure that every single monster and environment is a “direct symbol of the protagonist’s inner conflict”. For example, we have a monster called “The Foundation” that is a hulking brute literally fused with office furniture, “eternally bound to the foundation of his poor choices”. Making sure that symbolism comes across, while still being scary and fun to fight, has been one of our biggest and most rewarding challenges.

Saint of Chains
Saint of Chains
Saint of Chains

When players finally get their hands on the game, what do you hope they walk away feeling or thinking about?


We’re aiming for that classic, heavy feeling that the best psychological horrors leave you with. On the surface, I want them to feel that “fear, helplessness, sorrow, and a constant, creeping dread” that defined the 2000s classics. But when the credits roll, I want them to feel the emotional weight of the story. I hope they walk away thinking about the “chains” of guilt we all forge for ourselves. How the world and maturity shape us as human beings, and how certain human values and relationships should be cherished. It’s a dark, heavy story, and we hope that emotional impact sticks with them long after they’ve finished playing.

Finally, can you tell us something cool about the game that nobody outside of the development team knows?


Okay, here’s a cool one. We realized that a protagonist alone in the dark can lead to a lot of awkward “talking to myself” monologues. So, to guide the player and deepen the immersion, the protagonist will be in communication with his journalist colleague, “Frank,” via walkie-talkie. This allows us to deliver objectives and lore in a natural, grounded way that strengthens the “investigation” narrative… at least at first. As we mentioned before, the game is filled with surreal, weird plot twists… so it’s better to stay quiet, at least until players experience the full descent themselves.


You can wish list Saint of Chains on Steam right now through this link – and don’t forget to check out the game’s demo, available now as part of Steam Scream!