About the Game

ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE TRUTH: FEBRUARY 2026

📢 SEE YOU AT STEAM NEXT FEST FEBRUARY 2026!

POOLSIDE VIGIL is officially joining the February 2026 Steam Next Fest! Don't miss your chance to experience the very first demo and explore these ever-shifting, unpredictable pool halls. Add to your Wishlist now and become a part of this dark journey!

About the Game

👁️ The Modern Face of Loneliness

• Solo Dev: Developed from scratch by a single person, without using any pre-made models (assets).

• A Digital Mirror: Its goal is not to demonize technology, but simply to show the dark void created by social media.

• Lonely in a Crowd: In a world of 8 billion people, why are we so isolated? Why do we only look at screens even when we are side by side?

• A True Story: Based on a real event centered around a lack of communication and social media addiction.

  🌀 A Procedurally Generated World

  Poolside Vigil's world is built from scratch every time you play. You will never experience the same nightmare twice.

  • Changing Spaces: The layout of the rooms and hallways is completely random.

  • Unpredictable Enemies: You never know when and where the danger will appear.

  • Dynamic Loot: The locations of the items you need to survive change every time.

    ⚖️ Choose Your Own Experience

    Decide how you want to play the game.

    • Normal Mode: Hide from enemies, control your asthma to avoid an attack, and loot around to keep your phone charged. A true fight for survival.

    • Safe Mode: No mortal danger or enemies. Just focus on the story and comfortably explore the creepy liminal atmosphere.

🌑 Watch Your Back!

You have no weapons, you can't fight. All you can do is run and hide.

• They Can Pop Up Anywhere: Enemies don't have a fixed location, they can appear suddenly.

• No Memorizing: When you replay the game, enemies won't be in the same place. You must constantly stay alert.

  💊 Watch Your Breath (Asthma)

  As if the enemies weren't enough, you are also fighting your own body.

  • Avoid the Toxic Tree: Stay away the moment you see the "Smoking Kill" tree, or you will run out of breath.

  • Find Medicine: Collect randomly spawning loot to avoid asthma attacks and stay alive.

    📸 Collect Memories

    Don't just run, you need to solve the story too.

    • The Toy Phone: Use that plastic phone to find hidden memories around you.

    • Memory Museum: Display every piece you find in your museum and understand what really happened.

      🔎 Discover Anomalies

      This place is already not normal, but some things are extra wrong.

      • Look Closely at the Rooms: Find things that are wrong or out of place (anomalies) around you.

      • Keep Your Eyes Open: The faster you spot the weirdness around you, the better.

        🧩 Push, Pull, and Slide!

        Just running is not enough, sometimes you need to use your brain and muscles:

        • Use the Items: Push, pull, and play with the physics of objects around you to clear the path or solve puzzles.

        • Have Some Fun: This might be a nightmare, but when you see that water slide, don't forget to slide down and have a little fun!

          🖍️ Don't Get Lost, Leave a Mark

          Draw your own path so you don't keep going in circles in the massive maze:

          • Use Spray Paint: Leave marks with spray paint on the places you pass so you don't get lost in the maze.

          • Examine the Pictures: Don't forget to examine the story-related pictures you see on the walls to understand the story.

            🌊Inspiration & Style

            Poolside Vigil is deeply inspired by internet phenomenons like POOLS, Liminal Spaces, Found Footage, and the Backrooms, especially the “Backrooms Pools” or “Poolrooms” concept.

            We would like to thank Jared Pike, considered one of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept, whose work had a massive impact on the visual direction of this project, for his inspiring creations.