Black Lake is a first-person horror game set in an orphanage adrift at sea

Polydin Studio has announced Black Lake, a first-person psychological and survival horror game set inside an abandoned orphanage floating on an endless black ocean. The PC version is targeting Winter 2027, with console releases expected to follow in mid-2027.

You play as Elena, who returns to the orphanage where she grew up after receiving a message from her missing twin sister, Rita. The place should be empty — but the halls are still warm, bells are ringing, and something is moving through the walls. As Elena traces Rita's trail, she uncovers the remnants of a forbidden ritual connected to children who vanished from the orphanage years ago. Some of them, the studio warns, may still be there — just not in any form Elena would recognize. Survival tools include a phone, candles, and a lantern, with light playing a central role: Polydin notes that some creatures fear the scent of burning wax. Puzzles are built around rituals and environmental objects, and when things go wrong, the game leans into evasion over combat — players will need to hide, distract, and evade creatures formed from the orphanage's missing children and staff.

Polydin Studio is an Iranian indie developer that has previously worked on smaller projects, and Black Lake looks like their most ambitious title yet. The floating-orphanage setting is a strong hook — it cuts off any hope of escape and leans into the psychological dread of being surrounded by open water, a trick that games like Soma have used to great effect. The ritual-based puzzle design and creature-avoidance loop put it in the same conversation as Amnesia or Outlast, though the sea setting gives it a distinct identity.

Black Lake is currently on Steam as a wishlist title. No gameplay footage has surfaced yet beyond the announcement trailer, so how the light mechanics and creature encounters actually feel in motion remains to be seen.