The Spanish studio Bowl of Tentacles didn’t choose an unfamiliar backdrop for its latest first-person horror project — instead, it’s set in Valencia, where the team itself is based. Tenebrea is a psychological horror experience inspired by true events, unfolding within a student residence where the boundary between nightmare and reality becomes disturbingly thin.

Tenebrea is a first-person psychological horror game rooted in real-life events, set within a student residence in Valencia, Spain. For years, people living and working there have reported bizarre occurrences: shadows drifting down hallways, objects shifting places on their own, unexplained noises, and apparitions too realistic to dismiss. These unsettling incidents form the foundation of the story you’ll unravel while exploring the residence as Laura, a student forced to confront the building’s hidden mysteries. Your phone is your key tool — its flashlight guides you through the darkness, while the EMF detector uncovers traces of paranormal activity such as whispers, voices, and chilling presences. Exploration is central: every room holds crucial details that inch you closer to the truth, while puzzles and supernatural encounters will push you to the edge.

Tenebrea blends mystery, investigation, and psychological terror to keep players on edge until the very end. The story draws from a real student residence in Valencia, where strange phenomena have plagued the premises for over a decade: shadows glide through corridors, footsteps echo in empty rooms, objects are displaced, and items move on their own. These events escalated following a tragic workplace accident in which a maintenance worker fell to his death while performing repairs. One of the most chilling stories comes from a security guard: one night, while two exchange students slept, the television suddenly switched on by itself. The glow from the screen revealed the silhouette of a man wearing what they described as a reflective safety vest, standing silently at the foot of the bed.

When the guard asked which room they were in, he realized it was the same one where the maintenance worker had died. From that moment, management sealed the room permanently, never renting it again. This is just one of many stories surrounding the residence — and a video even exists showing that paranormal activity continues to this day. Drawing on these accounts, the developers crafted an original narrative interwoven with the staff’s real experiences. Every strange sound, every unsettling sight, every chilling encounter described over the years has been reimagined and brought to life in the game. While Tenebrea follows its own storyline, the fear and atmosphere it evokes are deeply rooted in these testimonies, blurring the line between fiction and reality far more than players might expect.

Tenebrea is set to release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC in 2026.

Source: Gematsu