ASPIS Preview — A Soviet Experiment That Went Horribly Wrong

Games about the USSR stopped being anything unusual a long time ago. In recent years, we've seen Sovietpunk, alternate history, and post-apocalyptic settings with that instantly recognizable aesthetic. ASPIS from indie studio Dream Wire Games tries to look at the familiar era from a different angle: through the lens of a sci-fi thriller and psychological horror.

The game is scheduled for release on October 23, 2026. I played through a short demo to find out whether ASPIS can surprise players not only with its setting, but with its actual gameplay.

ASPIS takes place in an alternate USSR in the late 1980s. At the center of the story is Andrey, a cybernetics engineer who lost his wife and daughter in the Chernobyl disaster. He agrees to take part in an experiment to launch the ASPIS system — a technology meant to predict historical events and let people look beyond the limits of ordinary perception. Naturally, everything goes wrong.

Instead of a safe simulation, Andrey ends up inside the system itself, gradually uncovering its secrets and trying to understand what happened to the other participants. According to the setup, six volunteers were hooked up to ASPIS, but a year later not a single one of them has woken up. Andrey's journey begins at the Institute of Cybernetics and then gradually moves beyond the familiar world.

The game isn't limited to a single virtual reality, either: its core concept is built around several interconnected spaces. Special attention is given to the hero's personal reflections — somehow, ASPIS begins to recreate the images and personalities of the dead. Thanks to this, the story unfolds across several "layers" at once.

The demo's main strength becomes apparent even before the game has a chance to scare you properly — and that's the environment.

The Institute of Cybernetics, apartments, corridors, offices, equipment, furniture, old computers, tape recorders, and posters create a very convincing picture of late Soviet everyday life. The developer clearly didn't aim to turn the USSR into a cartoonish set of recognizable symbols — most of the atmosphere comes from a skillful combination of everyday details.

The level design, attention to detail, lighting, and interiors deserve a special mention. Typical period architecture can be seen outside the windows, while the furnishing of the rooms gradually builds up the image of a place that once housed a Soviet research institute. Sometimes you don't so much want to rush to the next story point as stop for a while and study every detail of the surroundings.

And then the game slowly starts breaking this familiar reality.

ASPIS is positioned as a mix of exploration, puzzles, and survival horror, but the demo only manages to show off the first two components.

The core of the gameplay is exploring locations. You need to search rooms, interact with objects, read documents, and gradually gather information about the experiment. Lore is delivered not only through notes, but also through voiced audio logs. A special role is played by OGAS — a kind of Soviet computer network whose terminals let you obtain additional information and advance the story.

The puzzles in the demo mostly revolve around finding key items and figuring out passwords. However, one of them stands out from the rest: near the end of the demo, you need to manually launch a simulation by interacting with various systems, switches, and data monitors. The task isn't particularly difficult, but it's interesting.

In one of the subspaces, you even have to use a special gadget to carry energy spheres from one device to another in order to move forward.

But all of this wouldn't be nearly as interesting without ASPIS's second strength: the game is quite skillful at clashing everyday atmosphere with horror.

At first, we're in an ordinary Soviet apartment or a research institute. There's nothing particularly scary — except that everything feels slightly off, like a dream. Then the first oddities appear, and the familiar rooms gradually become distorted.

Transitions between worlds are one of the demo's most striking visual techniques. Light, shadows, portals, and anomalies gradually erode your sense of safety. And when something truly frightening finally appears on screen, the effect is all the stronger precisely because of the long buildup.

A significant plus of the demo is that it isn't overloaded with jump scares. ASPIS relies on atmosphere instead: it builds a combination of events and sound design that makes you feel uneasy. I really love this approach and hope the release version keeps it.

In the future, the game is supposed to add survival horror elements: melee combat, shooting, and limited resources. Unfortunately, the demo didn't show off these mechanics.

In places, the demo feels rough around the edges: there are minor issues with the interface and animations, and some interactions with the environment lack sound.

There are also questions about the voice acting of certain characters: some lines sound too unnatural. However, if you see this slice of the game as an intermediate stage, there's little reason to dwell on these issues.

The technical state, on the other hand, holds up well: the game is well optimized, with no bugs or crashes.

After playing the ASPIS demo, I came away with very pleasant impressions. It already has a strong atmosphere, an interesting concept, and a meticulously recreated environment. But it's not yet entirely clear how well these elements will work in a full-length game.

For now, the gameplay seems secondary to the story. Still, it's clear the game is trying hard to go beyond the classic "walking simulator" formula — and that's definitely a plus.

ASPIS is also very good at building intrigue: it leaves behind plenty of questions without direct answers. If the developers manage to preserve this atmosphere, diversify the exploration, and polish the questionable technical aspects, the game has every chance of becoming an interesting and atmospheric horror title. Personally, the project has earned a spot on my Steam wishlist.