Cyan Heart’s Selfie-Cam Horror Gets a Steam Page and Next Fest Demo — Here’s What Matters

Cyan Heart’s Steam Page Is Live – With a Free Next Fest Demo on the Way

This caught my attention because Cyan Heart isn’t just another lo-fi horror on Steam; it’s a puzzle adventure that plays out through a selfie-camera perspective. Independent developer Shoei Sio has opened the game’s Steam store page and confirmed it’ll be part of Steam Next Fest in October 2025 with a free demo, aiming to launch later in the year. And no, despite the name, this has nothing to do with Cyan Worlds (Myst, Riven). Different creator, different vibe.

Key Takeaways

• A low-poly horror puzzle adventure where you view the world through a selfie camera – an unusual, risky design swing.
• Free demo during Steam Next Fest (October 2025) is the real proving ground for comfort, controls, and puzzle clarity.
• Not related to Cyan Worlds; don’t let the “Cyan” name confuse you – this is an indie with its own identity.
• Watch for accessibility options (FOV, head-bob, motion blur) and how fair the threat design feels with limited forward visibility.

Breaking Down the Announcement

The immediate news: Shoei Sio’s Cyan Heart has a Steam store page, a free demo is locked for October’s Next Fest, and the full release is targeted for 2025. The pitch is compact and intriguing — low-poly horror (think PS1-style aesthetics) mixed with puzzle-driven traversal and threats, all framed through the unsettling viewpoint of a selfie camera. That framing isn’t just a gimmick; it fundamentally changes how you navigate and how danger is communicated.

There’s no price yet, and platform info beyond Steam hasn’t been stated. Expect PC first (it’s a Steam demo), with everything else TBD. Also, ignore any placeholder dates you might see floating around on aggregator sites; indie launch timing often flexes after Next Fest feedback. The demo will tell us more than any calendar line ever could.

Selfie-Cam Horror: Clever Twist or Comfort Nightmare?

Camera-as-interface horror isn’t new — Fatal Frame weaponized photography, Outlast’s camcorder made night vision essential, DreadOut leaned into smartphone sightlines. But a full-on selfie perspective? That’s rare, and it changes the rules. You’re essentially prioritizing what’s behind the character (or your own face) instead of the space ahead. It’s a bold way to crank up paranoia, but it can tank readability if the design isn’t meticulous.

For this to work, Cyan Heart needs airtight spatial audio (to telegraph threats you can’t see), smart environmental cues (mirrors, reflections, shadows, UI diegetics), and puzzles built around limited forward visibility. The upside is huge: imagine solving a combination lock that’s only readable in reflection, or evading an enemy you can never look at directly. The downside is equally real: motion sickness, frustration from off-screen hits, and “gotcha” deaths. This is where Next Fest will separate a great horror idea from a YouTube-curiosity gimmick.

Low-Poly Horror Is Booming — Here’s How Cyan Heart Can Stand Out

The lo-fi horror wave (Haunted PS1 crowd, Puppet Combo’s grindhouse nightmares) keeps rolling because it trades photorealism for mood and pace — and because solo devs can iterate on mechanics quickly. Cyan Heart leans into that with a clean, low-poly look that could make its selfie framing feel stylized rather than awkward. The trick will be puzzle density and fairness. If it lands puzzles with clear logic (not pixel-hunting) and threats that are learnable rather than cheap, it’ll find an audience fast.

Another angle: streamability. A selfie-camera horror game could play great on Twitch if it reliably generates “what’s behind me?” moments without devolving into trial-and-error. Think short, tense loops, readable goals, and plenty of “aha” solves. If the demo nails that cadence, expect it to spread through clips and creator showcases during Next Fest week.

What to Test in the Next Fest Demo

• Comfort and readability: Is there an FOV slider, head-bob/camera sway toggle, motion blur off switch, and sensitivity options?
• Controls: Does the selfie framing fight you during precision interactions? Can you rebind keys or use a controller comfortably?
• Puzzle clarity: Are objectives legible from a backward-facing perspective, or are you guessing? Look for environmental signposting and logical cause/effect.
• Threat fairness: Do enemies telegraph intent via audio or visual tells, or do they tag you from off-screen without warning?
• Checkpointing: When you fail, how much progress do you lose? Horror is better when punishment teaches rather than wastes time.
• Performance: Low-poly doesn’t always mean low-load. Check frame pacing, hitches during camera transitions, and stability on mid-range PCs.

Why This Matters Now

Steam Next Fest is where weird ideas find their people. Cyan Heart’s core hook could flop with traditionalists but click instantly with horror fans who want mechanical novelty, not just another asset-flip spookfest. The fact that Shoei Sio is committing to a publicly playable demo says they’re confident enough to let the idea breathe in the wild — and to iterate from feedback before launch. That’s the right move for a design swing this specific.

TL;DR

Cyan Heart is an indie, low-poly horror puzzle game framed entirely through a selfie camera, with a free demo coming during Steam Next Fest in October 2025 and a full release planned for later in the year. I’m cautiously excited: the concept is fresh, but it lives or dies on comfort, puzzle clarity, and fair threat design. Try the demo, tweak the settings, and see if this flavor of fear is your thing.