The demo offers roughly 30 minutes of gameplay and introduces the unsettling mystery at the heart of the experience. Players step into the shoes of Soyeon, a high school student leaving her evening class only to find that the familiar streets around her have changed. The alleyways stretch endlessly, the exit never appears, and a bracelet gifted by her shaman grandmother suddenly begins to glow—signaling that something supernatural is close.

At its core, The Alley revolves around anomaly detection. The bracelet warns that something in the environment isn’t right, and it’s up to the player to uncover what it is. Suspicious objects and strange occurrences must be photographed and sent to Soyeon’s grandmother via MMS for judgment. Players must determine whether what they’ve found is a Ghost Trace—something impossible in the real world—or a Ghost Feint, an unsettling but plausible event. Every correct call moves you closer to the truth, while mistakes invite something far more dangerous.

The horror experience is deeply rooted in Korean folklore, drawing inspiration from mudang shamanism and generational spiritual traditions. The development team at AIXLAB has spent years refining atmospheric horror environments, recreating the look and feel of real Korean backstreets with careful detail. The narrow alleys, storefronts, and signage all feel authentic—yet just slightly wrong—creating an unsettling sense that you don’t belong there.

The demo also introduces some of the game’s most intense moments, including ghost chases where players must sprint for survival as a vengeful spirit closes in. When danger appears, hesitation can be fatal.

Before arriving on Steam, The Alley already generated attention in Korea, landing in the Top 10 at the 2025 STOVE Indie Awards and inspiring more than 2,000 streams from local creators. The demo supports multiple languages including English, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

Players curious to experience a different style of horror rooted in Korean culture can try the free demo now on Steam and see if they can escape the maze before the darkness catches up.

The Premise Is Unhinged and We Love It

The entire game is built around one beautiful, chaotic idea: don’t drop the King. That’s it. Except nothing about it is simple, because the world runs on full physics simulation. Your speed, your turning angle, your momentum — all of it directly affects how stable (or spectacularly unstable) the royal cargo on your stretcher is at any given moment.

And the King isn’t just a passive object you’re lugging around. He’s reactive, characterful, and absolutely furious when things go wrong. Shake him too much, let him hit the ground, and he will unleash a whip-cracking, tantrum-fueled meltdown on your entire crew. Recently, the Queen joined the chaos too — and the King refuses to travel without her — meaning more weight, more balance checks, and significantly more drama.

How It Actually Plays

Every player on the stretcher team has to communicate in real time to survive swinging traps, collapsing platforms, and incoming cannonballs. Coordination is everything, and the gap between a smooth carry and a total royal disaster is razor thin.

There’s even a “Bonk” mechanic — you can lightly bonk the King to calm him down mid-meltdown. High risk, occasionally high reward, frequently hilarious.

The ragdoll physics engine means last-second saves and spectacular failures happen constantly, making this one of those games that essentially generates highlight clips on autopilot. If you’re a streamer or content creator, this one has your name all over it.

Try It Right Now — Free

The demo is live on Steam today at no cost. If it hooks you, hit that wishlist button for the full release. Whether you’re playing with close friends or people you’d like to still be friends with afterward, Hold Your King is shaping up to be one of the more memorable co-op experiences of the year.

Just maybe agree on a communication strategy before you hit start. Trust us.

The demo currently offers a flatscreen preview of the game, but a PS VR2 update is on the way, promising a fully immersive way to experience the game’s eerie, endless pools and empty corridors.

A Liminal Space Phenomenon

POOLS invites players into vast, abandoned aquatic environments where silence feels heavy and stillness feels alive. You’ll wander through deserted swimming complexes, sunlit hallways, and submerged tunnels, never quite sure if you’re alone. Is someone following you? Watching from the shadows? Or is it all just a dream? The game thrives on that unease, balancing haunting emptiness with moments of quiet serenity.

What began as a passion project from a four-person team in Finland grew into an unexpected phenomenon. The game won Best Creative Achievement of the Year at the Finnish Game Awards and maintains a staggering 95% “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam. Its success not only gave Tensori international recognition but also allowed them to grow into a sustainable studio.

What’s Included on PS5

The PlayStation 5 release of POOLS isn’t just a port—it’s a complete package. Players will have access to:

• The original game

• The atmospheric Chapter 0 expansion

• A fully immersive PS VR2 mode, available at no additional cost

With both flatscreen and VR options, players can choose to explore POOLS in whatever way they find most unsettling.

Release Info

• Launch Date: November 25, 2025

• Platforms: PlayStation 5 and PS VR2

• Demo: Available now on the PlayStation Store (VR support coming soon)

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect chance to wade into the still waters of POOLS, November will be your moment. Until then, you can download the demo today and wishlist the game on the PlayStation Store.