Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle Gets Playable Demo During Steam Next Fest

Steam Next Fest is just around the corner, and quite a few games are getting free demos as part of the festivities. Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle, the upcoming survival-horror prequel to Daymare: 1998 from Leonardo Interactive and Invader Studios, is one of those games. The demo will be available starting February 21. 

A new teaser trailer was released alongside the news. Though brief, it provides a little bit more story context than the game’s thoroughly creepy announcement trailer. You can watch it below.

The Daymare series is a modern iteration of the classic Resident Evil formula, complete with terrifying monsters, claustrophobic corridors, and foreboding atmosphere. There’s probably a little bit of Silent Hill thrown in for good measure, too, especially in 1998‘s outdoor environments. Though, 1994 looks a bit more Code Veronica than anything in what we’ve seen so far.

Daniele Falcone, Team Coordinator at Leonardo Interactive, said of the prequel:

Like its predecessor, Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a tribute to iconic 90s horror entertainment. The prequel will improve upon Daymare: 1998 in nearly every way with stunning character animations, breathtaking cutscenes, and meticulously crafted boss encounters that require experimentation and strategy. Prepare to witness your favorite old-school zombie flicks and video games be brought back to life.

We didn’t love the console version of Daymare: 1998 when we reviewed it a few years ago, but that doesn’t mean Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle isn’t worth checking out for yourself — or that it won’t make us come around to the series. Be sure to check back for our thoughts. 

Steam Next Fest runs from February 21-28 and will have “hundreds” of game demos available to try out for free. Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is set to release later this year for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.