Release Date: cancelled
Sadness was supposed to be an adventure in the convention of survival horror, maintained in black-and-white tone and gothic style. Unfortunately, the plans of Polish developers were taken to the head and the game never saw the light of day.
Keen Nintendo fans of the early Wii era may remember the trials and tribulations of Sadness. It was the work of Polish developer Nibris. Independent developers HullBreach Studios teamed up to collaborate on recreated Sadness as a Wii U exclusive.
Developers were sticking to the original idea pretty closely. They really liked the Slavic Mythological concept represented in the original concept - for instance, the properties of fear that it would have imposed on players, using psychological methods rather than through mere violent mechanics. New creators included the iconic Sadness characters Maria Lengyel and her troubled son Alex as the child begins to suffer narcolepsy, nyctophobia and paranoid schizophrenia.
Visually, the new Sadness retained the Gothic noir scheme with a few exceptions. New title has made use of the Unity engine. Developers introduced new elements that were never intended in the original brief, including RPG and puzzle-based mechanics. Besides, they shifted the game to 2D.
Platforms:
Nintendo Wii
Nintendo Wii U
Developer: Nibris
Age restrictions: 18+
Less than two decades ago, a game began to take shape that was supposed to combine Gothic horror with Slavic mythology. Sadness was never released, but it laid the foundations for Silent Hill 2 Remake, The Medium, Layers of Fear, and other titles.
video games
Christian Pieniazek
October 12, 2025
