Saraab: Beyond the Veil will be released on November 3, solo developer Lubna Ahmed has announced. The Arabian folklore-inspired horror visual novel is coming to PC through Steam and Itch.io, and a demo will be available during the October edition of Steam Next Fest, starting on October 19.
The game follows Elham, a schoolgirl whose brother is suddenly kidnapped. Rescuing her sibling means confronting her own inner demons, which the game externalises as monsters born of Elham's own psyche. To overcome them, she has to unlock the powers of her bloodline and uncover the truth of who she truly is.
Ahmed, who is developing the game alone, framed the project around cultural material she said games seldom draw on.
I'm incredibly excited to bring this story to players and share a world shaped by authentic cultural themes, folklore, and emotional experiences that are rarely explored in games. I hope players everywhere can connect with the game's story and characters, because ultimately, it's a story about the human heart.
Horror is the crux of Saraab, but healing also plays a part in moving the story forward, according to the announcement. As Elham comes to terms with her destiny and her beliefs, she gains the ability to change reality based on the choices made along the way, which the game routes through branching storylines rather than a single fixed path.
The narrative is presented through hand-drawn, anime-inspired art and a soundtrack the developer describes as emotional. GameSpot reports that the game's mechanics are built around Elham and her shadow, and that the story is about confronting the past to reclaim the future.
Both dates came in a press statement from Ahmed. The demo goes up first, on October 19, alongside the October run of Steam Next Fest. The full game follows on November 3 on Steam and Itch.io; GameSpot's report lists no other platforms.
