News: Verho - Curse of Faces Drops on November 10th with Steam Next Fest Demo
Polish indie studio Kasur Games, in partnership with Munich-based publisher CobraTekku Games, has announced the upcoming release of their dark fantasy RPG, Verho - Curse of Faces, on November 10, 2025. This atmospheric adventure will launch exclusively on Steam for PC. Drawing inspiration from the classic King's Field series, the game immerses players in a world plagued by the Curse of Faces, where revealing one's face results in instant death. To combat this scourge, inhabitants don masks as symbols of survival. A playable demo is currently available during Steam Next Fest, offering 4-5 hours of gameplay with save states that transfer seamlessly to the full version upon release. Additionally, an official speedrun challenge on speedrun.com kicks off today, October 10, and runs until October 20. Speedrunners can register via the game's Discord server, with the top three finishers earning unique prizes. This event adds an exciting layer of community engagement ahead of launch.
In Verho - Curse of Faces, players embody an unnamed protagonist venturing into the desolate land of Yariv, the epicenter of the curse that has shrouded the world in 264 years of the Era of Solitude. The narrative explores profound themes of isolation and mystery, as travelers seek the origins of this deadly affliction. Key to survival are the myriad masks available, each granting distinct classes and playstyles that encourage replayability and strategic depth. Yariv teems with enigmatic NPCs, each bearing personal traumas and backstories that unfold into side quests, challenges, and deeper lore. The game's sinister atmosphere is amplified by its neo-retro charm, featuring authentic PS1-era graphics that evoke nostalgia while delivering a fresh take on dark fantasy. Players face moral dilemmas: will they lift the curse to restore humanity, or harness its power for personal gain? This choice-driven story, coupled with mature content including violence and references to suicide, crafts a somber, introspective experience that resonates with fans of atmospheric RPGs.
Gameplay in Verho emphasizes merciless combat, intricate exploration, and build variety, allowing players to wield a diverse arsenal of weapons, melee techniques, magical abilities, and spells. Each combination alters encounters dramatically, ensuring dynamic playthroughs filled with hidden paths and brutal foes. As a homage to King's Field, Verho captures the essence of early 3D dungeon crawlers with its deliberate pacing and unforgiving difficulty, yet innovates through mask-based customization and narrative branching. Kasur Games, transitioning from mobile titles like BattleTanks Animal Wars to their first major PC project, brings passion to this endeavor. CobraTekku Games, founded in 2022 as part of the BXDXO group, provides robust marketing support to reach the right audience. With its blend of retro aesthetics and modern storytelling, Verho - Curse of Faces promises a haunting journey into a masked world of secrets and shadows.