Like the title of this article says, BLOK is an unexpected first-person horror adventure, developed by a single person of whom very little is actually known: Pyotr Vozniak. His online presence is limited to everything related to this game we’re bringing you today: BLOK seems to be a simple game not trying to be anything big, but it has the potential to hook us from the very beginning with its retro aesthetic and immersive supernatural mystery atmosphere.
BLOK is a psychological horror game set in 1990s Poland, in which we’ll play as a former dissident who fled the country in the 80s during the communist regime. Even though the aesthetic chosen by its developer is “retro,” the graphical settings will be highly customizable, even accommodating those who are not fans of this particular style. Below you can check out BLOK’s Official Announcement Trailer, from Pyotr Vozniak’s official YouTube channel:
Mystery and Horror in 1990s Poland
As we’ve said earlier, the protagonist of this story was forced to flee the country during the 1980s, under the communist regime. Years later, after the fall of the system, a strange letter from his mother brings him back to his old home. The neighborhood looks the same, but something about the apartment block simply doesn’t fit. Everything seems too perfect, at least enough to catch our attention. The atmosphere is captivating, to the point where we can easily imagine ourselves in the middle of this post-communist Eastern European city.
Here, exploration and puzzle-solving are key pieces to unraveling the intricate mystery that is unfolding before us. The buildings, apartments, even the very walls tell stories shaped by fear, silence, and control, of a past life under a regime built on secrecy and repression. The more we investigate, the more we discover the world changing around us.
Some Features Highlighted by its Developer:
- Story-driven gameplay with environmental storytelling that touches on life under a regime and historical events
- Meaningful puzzles integrated into the narrative and the story
- Changes in space and tone as the story and the mystery unfolds
- Hauntingly familiar yet nostalgic world inspired by post-communist Poland
- Customization of a “retro” look. Adjust pixelation, color precision etc. in the settings
- The story doesn’t tell you everything. It lets you find it. Hidden in walls, staircases, basement and buried in layers of memories and silence.
Also, on its Steam page, Pyotr Vozniak talks about how his game uses AI-generated content in the following way:
“The thumbnail typography text was generated with the help of AI and edited and tailored by me to fit the game’s tone and setting. I am a solodev and I have limited possibilities but to be honest it is very close to the vision in my head. I’m hoping to have a fully handmade thumbnail soon.”
So…
As we’ve said, even though BLOK doesn’t aim to be a high-caliber AAA, none of us can deny that many indie studios and developers in the past have managed to give us huge and pleasant surprises, right? Okay, call me an optimist, but I choose to believe this could be one of those cases. BLOK doesn’t have an official release date yet, but we could expect news about it very soon. In the meantime, you can head over to its Steam page and add it to your Wishlist to stay up to date on future news about this project! And while you wait, how about heading to the comments and telling us what you think of the idea? You know gamer, we’ll be reading you! 🙂
Images Source: Pyotr Vozniak Official YouTube Channel, BLOK on Steam
