Last updated on December 16, 2025
Polish developer Interstudio recently unveiled a gameplay trailer for The Vernyhorn, a third-person open-world RPG that leans heavily into atmosphere and realism. Set in a harsh early medieval world shaped by Slavic myths, the game promises a grounded, story-focused experience rather than another flashy power fantasy.
According to the official materials, the world of The Vernyhorn is built using scans of real locations from Poland, then enhanced with handcrafted assets and motion-captured animation. Instead of a huge but empty map, the team wants every forest path, cave, village and clearing to have a clear narrative or gameplay purpose, rewarding players who explore slowly and pay attention.
A personal, mature story
At the center of The Vernyhorn is a man haunted by his past, forced to confront inner demons in a land where faith, fear and raw survival dictate everyday life. The narrative aims for a more intimate tone, with difficult moral choices, tense dialogue and consequences that ripple through the world rather than a standard “save the world” plotline.
Interstudio emphasizes that story and character are just as important as combat or exploration. The goal is to create an RPG that sticks with players because of its emotional weight and human-scale drama, not just big battles or bombastic set pieces.
Brutal, grounded combat
Combat in The Vernyhorn is presented as precise, painful and unforgiving instead of flashy. The studio collaborated with historical fencing champions and HEMA experts to capture realistic swordplay, focusing on weighty animations, timing and the constant threat that a single mistake can be fatal.
The trailer showcases tense duels in muddy fields, torch-lit villages and suffocating forests, reinforcing the feeling of a world that does not care whether the player survives. This approach should appeal to fans of slower, more tactical melee systems where every swing matters.
For fans of atmospheric RPGs
The Vernyhorn clearly targets players who enjoy slow-burn, atmospheric RPGs with dense world-building over checklists and map clutter. Exploration, survival elements, emotionally heavy storytelling and brutal melee combat all come together in a setting rooted in Slavic folklore and early medieval culture, rather than generic high fantasy.
There is no firm release date yet, though the game is planned for PC and can already be wishlisted on Steam. With a chapter-based release roadmap and ongoing crowdfunding efforts, The Vernyhorn remains one of those niche projects worth keeping an eye on for players craving a grittier, more authentic medieval RPG.
