Liminalcore

Liminalcore

Released Oct 2024

Explore and admire while navigate through eerie, surreal environments inspired by the Backrooms lore. Explore this uncanny world lost in time and get lost in the otherworldly architecture in a world where reality bends and your sanity is tested.

83% positive · 756 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
Medium confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
Medium confidence
Active Development

Where to buy

Steam $5.59 $7.99 −30%
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Evaluation

Liminalcore launched on October 28, 2024 with four chapters, and the developer immediately committed to delivering additional free chapter updates. Since then, Shadow Owl Studios and Ashen Studios have maintained a consistent post-launch content cadence: a Chapter 3 Expansion shipped on September 25, 2025, Chapter 5 followed on October 28, 2025, and a feature patch adding chapter-unlocking and cloud saving arrived on November 18, 2025. That gives three major content drops in roughly 13 months post-launch, with intervals of approximately 11 months and then 1 month between them. In the Chapter 5 announcement (October 28, 2025), the developer explicitly stated they are "actively working on adding more content, fixing bugs, and improving performance across all chapters." The September 13, 2025 trailer post closed with "the descent is far from over," and a February 2025 development update mentioned a possible future VR update (noted as not a firm promise). The most recent communication is November 18, 2025. As of today, September 24, 2026, that is approximately 10 months since the last developer post — approaching but not yet clearly past the outer edge of the historical cadence window established by this team. There has been no announcement of a final chapter or a conclusion to development, and the developer's last substantive statement pointed to ongoing work. The game continues to receive content and no completion has been signaled.
Evidence
Chapter 5 launched, with the developer stating they are 'actively working on adding more content, fixing bugs, and improving performance across all chapters.'
news post · Oct 28, 2025 source development ongoing
high
Chapter 3 Expansion launched, bringing major new content including extended areas and new mechanics.
news post · Sep 25, 2025 source content shipped
high

Media

Details

Publisher
Shadow Owl Studios
Achievements
15
Platform
Windows
Controller
partial support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

Descend into the Depths of the Unknown

A man gasps for air as he surfaces from water—only to find himself trapped in a room of white tiles and endless pools. This is Level 37, the Poolrooms, a place where the familiar dissolves into the unknown.

In this surreal journey, you will explore spaces that exist between worlds—hauntingly empty, disturbingly quiet, and yet strangely familiar. As you traverse these liminal spaces, fragments of a life long gone begin to surface: objects from a forgotten past, memories of a home now lost, and moments that echo through the corridors of time.

But this is no ordinary journey. It is the final journey—the descent of a soul lost to water, drowning in both regret and uncertainty. The further you explore, the deeper you’ll plunge into the uncanny, until finally, you reach the ultimate destination: Hell itself.

Can you maintain your sanity and escape the surreal nightmare?

Mechanics

  • Minimal Entities, Maximum Atmosphere
    The focus of the game is not on battling monsters, but on immersing yourself in the eerie, liminal environments. Entities are rare—what you must confront is the unsettling emptiness, the echoes of your past, and the strangeness of these in-between worlds.

  • VHS Filter Toggle
    For an added layer of surreal horror, players can toggle the VHS filter on or off, transforming the game's visuals into a distorted, analog nightmare reminiscent of old found-footage tapes.

  • Exploration-Focused Gameplay
    You will be piecing together fragments of the protagonist’s life and death, all while navigating eerie, transcendent spaces that blur the line between reality and nightmare.

A Journey Through Liminal Spaces

The game will take you through four haunting locations, each one more surreal than the last. These spaces are not just backdrops but represent stages of the protagonist’s life, memory, and descent into madness.

  • Level 37 (Poolrooms)
    The journey begins here, in a place of endless, reflective water. Pools stretch infinitely, white tiles gleam under harsh lighting, and the sound of distant water echoes throughout.

  • Faded Memories
    An in-between space that serves as a bridge between different levels, filled with fragmented memories of a life once lived. Here, you’ll encounter glimpses of a home, an old neighborhood, and other key locations from the protagonist's past.

  • The Infinite Stairs
    An endless descent into the dark. The further down you go, the heavier the air becomes, and the more claustrophobic the space feels. Each step takes you deeper into the unknown.

  • Hell
    The final destination, where twisted visions of the past collide with the horrors of the afterlife. Dark, fleshy walls pulsate, the air is thick with despair, and shadows seem to watch your every move.

Inspiration

This game is heavily inspired by Jared Pike’s Poolrooms, a vision of liminal spaces that blend reality and nightmare with disorienting tranquility. We've also drawn influence from the Backrooms mythos, particularly the eerie depictions from creators like Kane Pixels and The Librarian, whose work with liminal spaces and unnerving voids shaped the atmosphere of the game.

  • "The familiar becomes unfamiliar, and the deeper you go, the more you lose yourself."
    In this game, there are no clear enemies. There is only you and the places you once knew—now twisted, empty, and eternal. Each step forward is another step down, into the depths of the unknown.

Last evaluated Sep 24, 2026
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