Last updated on October 29, 2025
I opened Geamana Village without expecting much. Just curiosity. That’s it. There’s something strange about starting a game based on a real Romanian village — swallowed by mud, silence, and time. After two hours of wandering, I realized this isn’t really a game. It’s more like stepping into a memory. A past that feels heavy, yet strangely alive.
Geamana Village was made by Chainwolf Studio, a small indie team. You can tell they cared. Every corner, every ruin, feels deliberate. Released on October 27, 2025, it stands out on the Romanian indie scene. They didn’t just want to make a game. They wanted to tell a story. And it matters.
A Story Told in Silence
Geamăna used to be quiet, tucked in the Apuseni mountains. Then the mine came. Toxic waste. Slowly, everything drowned. In the game, you play a journalist returning. No explosions. No chase sequences. Just mud under your boots. Wind whistling through broken roofs. Houses that seem almost alive.
I stopped a few times. Listened. The wind hit a metal roof and echoed strangely. I thought: could anyone survive here? The developers, being Romanian, make it feel personal. They understand the place. They respect it. Walking through the ruins, I felt it. A tribute, raw and honest.
Photography as a Way to Remember
Your main tool is a camera. At first, I thought: “Okay… a camera, sure.” But then I lifted it, and everything changed. Each photo feels like capturing a piece of life that once existed. A leaning fence. Muddy water reflecting gray skies. A sunbeam glinting on the toxic lake. I wandered. I got lost. And that felt right. The game doesn’t guide you much. You explore. You pause. You notice small details you might otherwise miss. That’s the magic. Tiny things whispering the village’s story.
Atmosphere and Retro Style
Visually? It’s not about high-end graphics. It’s VHS-style. Old, grainy, like footage found in an attic. Not “pretty,” but it works. Perfectly.
Gray clouds, muddy reflections, the metallic hiss of wind. I stopped on a small hill. Watched a church tower barely poking above the water. Quiet. Heavy. And, strangely, beautiful. The air smelled damp. The mud stuck to my shoes. You could feel the village’s weight in every step.
Geamana is a Memory, Not a Game
After two hours, I understood what the game is really about. It doesn’t want to impress with action. It wants to make you feel. It’s quiet, reflective. A tribute to people who lost everything. A reminder that Romanian developers can tell stories that hit hard.
Not for everyone. If you want excitement or adrenaline, skip it. But if you like exploring real places, losing yourself in a story, and feeling history under your hands, Geamana Village is an experience you won’t forget.
Final Score
— 7,5/10 —
