Today, Canadian indie developers Lucid Rain Studios unleashed hell at gamescom with a new gameplay trailer for its upcoming horror/deckbuilder debut INFERIUS, which aired during today’s awesome indie games show, produced by IGN. The new trailer included the first glimpses of the sin-themed bosses that lurk at the end of each of the game’s Dominions of Hell—but they can only be reached by winning card duels with a bespoke Major Arcana Tarot deck and avoiding certain doom at the hands of Hell’s demonic denizens.
Lucid Rain Studios will be onsite at gamescom for the duration of the event, located in Hall 10.2, at Booth E40. There players can find the latest playable demo of INFERIUS, which captures the initial stages of the horror/deckbuilder’s descent into the underworld: its branching paths, exploration segments, card battles and a deadly boss encounter. Throughout, the game’s oppressively chilling atmosphere and haunting level designs are on full display , equally inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Inferno and the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft.
Gamescom attendees can find Lucid Rain Studios and the INFERIUS booth located in Hall 10.2, at Booth E40. Set to release in 2027, INFERIUS is the debut project from the Alberta-based development team, and 2026 marks the second time that they’ve journeyed to Germany for gamescom. This past June, INFERIUS won Best Game at this year’s edition of Game Con Canada, the country’s largest gaming expo.
Key features of the demo available at gamescom include:
- First-person horror deckbuilder. Collect, upgrade, and craft a custom Tarot-inspired deck. Battles unfold as turn-based, first-person card duels that blend horror with deep strategy.
- Nine levels of Hell. Descend through nine dominions drawn from Dante’s Divine Comedy, each ruled by a being embodying its sin and offering unique enemies, mechanics, and visual themes.
- Lantern-driven sanity system. The lantern is the player’s lifeline. It illuminates paths, solves puzzles, reveals secrets, and prevents the descent into madness.
- Psychological horror enemies and environments. Face grotesque, fear-driven creatures and surreal environments inspired by phobias such as arachnophobia, claustrophobia, and paranoia.
- A roguelike loop that rewards persistence. Die, return, rebuild, and try again with new insight as the Inferno reshapes itself around the player.
