An award-winning indie horror developer unveils a new psychological nightmare in which a fully customizable cat companion becomes the key to staying sane.

Indie developer Steelkrill Studio, creator of the NYX Award-winning The Backrooms 1998, has revealed new teaser footage for The 18th Attic, an upcoming psychological horror title launching on February 2, 2026, featuring a fully interactive and customizable cat companion inspired directly by the developer’s real-life pet.

The game has been in development for over a year, and instead of relying on pills or medicine as seen in traditional horror titles, The 18th Attic asks players to calm themselves in a more human way – by petting their cat. The real-life-inspired feline companion directly restores sanity and can be fully customized, including its name, appearance, and additional features.

The Game Launches on February 2, 2026, on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store

The developers showcased the real-life cat and the in-game sanity system inspired by it in a dedicated post on X.

After almost 1 year of solo development, my horror game launches next month 👻

You hunt ghosts with a Polaroid camera and Instead of sanity pills… you pet your cat to heal 🐈

Bonus cat actor behind the scenes inside 👇 pic.twitter.com/iuBjmooAKV

— Steelkrill 🔪🦐 | Horror Game Dev (@steelkrill) January 7, 2026