VGTimes Interview: Blood Instead of Bullets at gamescom asia — Crisol: Theater of Idols. A Horror Game Inspired by Spanish Folklore

Twenty people. Five years of work. And a mechanic that unsettles you even before the first shot — because every bullet costs your protégé a drop of their own blood. During gamescom asia, our editor-in-chief Rodion Ilyin spoke with Vermila Studios co-founder David Carrasco, who told us about his project — the dark horror game Crisol: Theater of Idols!

VGTimes: Hi! I see a gun appearing from blood on your game's presentation stand. Looks terrifying! Tell us about yourself and the project!

David Carrasco: Hi, I'm David Carrasco, CEO and co-founder of Vermila Studios, as well as executive producer of Crisol: Theater of Idols. We're developing a first-person survival horror in the spirit of Resident Evil and BioShock, with strong influences from Spanish folklore. The game features narrative, puzzles, action, and the main feature — using your own blood as ammunition. Players constantly have to balance between horror, survival, and action.

VGTimes: What sets your project apart from other games in the genre?

David Carrasco: Besides the unique mechanic that adds tension, we emphasize the setting — Spain and its folklore. The story is built on a confrontation between two religions and will have a dark unexpected twist. I'm confident that players interested in the genre will find it very engaging to immerse themselves in this world.

VGTimes: Is the whole team working in Spain? How many of you are there?

David Carrasco: Yes, that's right. We've been around for five years, and now there are about twenty of us. The team is small, but we work very hard.

VGTimes: Can you tell us about the story?

David Carrasco: You play as Gabriel, a soldier of the Templios del Sol order — a religious organization worshipping the sun god. He receives orders directly from his deity and heads to the island of Tormentosa, where something strange is happening: idols worshipping a sea cult have come to life and started killing people.

VGTimes: How does the player fight enemies?

David Carrasco: The enemies aren't made of flesh — they're statues made of wood and stone. Regular weapons are useless against them, so the hero uses his blood, transforming weapons into divine ones. Since most enemies don't "drop" anything, you'll have to absorb blood from the bodies of locals you find to recover.

VGTimes: Sounds truly horrifying.

David Carrasco: (laughs) Yes, exactly!

VGTimes: Still, visually the game somewhat resembles BioShock.

David Carrasco: Correct. Resident Evil and BioShock are our main sources of inspiration. Especially Resident Evil 7 and 8, which have first-person view, tough enemies, and oppressive atmosphere.

VGTimes: What can you say about the technical side?

David Carrasco: We're using Unreal Engine 5 — it allows us to achieve high-quality graphics. We also use motion capture technology for enemies and some characters. Despite the studio's small size, we do everything ourselves: from concepts to final 3D models.

VGTimes: When can we expect the release?

David Carrasco: The demo is already available on Steam in English and Spanish. The full version will be released in early 2026.

VGTimes: On what platforms?

David Carrasco: PC, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 5.

VGTimes: Thanks for the interview!

David Carrasco: Thank you too!

Crisol: Theater of Idols is a dark and atmospheric project where Spanish mythology intertwines with Resident Evil-style gameplay. With its original blood-use mechanic and BioShock-level visual style, this game has every chance of becoming one of the most striking indie releases of 2026.

Interview conducted by Rodion Ilin.

VGTimes has been operating since 2011 and during this time has attended dozens of exhibitions and festivals where our journalists gathered numerous exclusive materials. For example, in 2019 we attended a closed Cyberpunk 2077 showing at gamescom, in 2017 we prepared a photo report from WG Fest, in 2020 we were at Central Asia's largest gaming event CAGS, and we also visited "IgroMir" several times, where we saw Hideo Kojima and other famous developers. Last year, we traveled to the land of the rising sun for TGS 2024, where we were amazed by the scale of the event. And this year we saw with our own eyes one of Asia's major gaming exhibitions — ChinaJoy in Shanghai.