Theater Of Idols Interview Tokyo Game Show Interview

Currently, there are few horror films as reputable as Blumhouse. So when the giant publisher announced that it would be opening a game publishing branch in February 2023, excitement echoed throughout the spooky world.

At last year's Summer Game Fest, the company said it had partnered with six independent studios around the world to develop unique, independent horror titles, encouraging creators to “find the weirdest, most subversive, and most sickeningly scary things you can find and put them into really cool games.”

The first title, Fear the Spotlight, did just that and received rave reviews from critics last October. Next up is Crisol: Theater of Idols, a clever first-person horror game set in a “twisted version of Spain” from Vermila Studios.

At this year's Tokyo Game Show, I sat down with Vermila CEO David Carrasco to discuss the company's partnership with Blumhouse and the deeper personal nuances of Crisol.

Building a Relationship with Blumhouse

A Chrysol monster that attacks while the hero is holding a shotgun.

While Fear the Spotlight's development caught the eye of Blumhouse and saw the big-name publisher take the first move, Crisol's story was a little different, and Vermila had to be proactive in getting the deal done.

“We approached them in 2023,” Carrasco said. “We had just become independent and were looking for a publisher at the time. When I found out they were starting a games division, I contacted them and they were interested from the beginning. We closed the deal in 2024.”

The day Vermila closed the deal, Carrasco joked that a lot of ham and sangria were consumed, and it was a big celebration for his small team.

“It was amazing. We were the underdogs working for a very large and well-established company,” he recalls. “They know horror better than anyone in the industry, so the fact that they love Crisol, respect our creative vision, and are so supportive of the games and style we make is cruel to us. We say this is a match made in hell.”

When I spoke with the Fear the Spotlight team last year, they were incredibly complimentary of Blumhouse's partnership style. This is something Carrasco and his team couldn't agree more on.

“They play games and give us their views or opinions, but they allow us to do whatever we think is right,” he said. “They don’t force us to make any decisions. They just give us their views and opinions, but they are very respectful of our creative direction.”

A very personal opinion on a terrible game.

Chrysol statue with a bull's head standing in the cafe.

There have been a few video games set in Vermilla Studio's native Spain over the years, but not many of them have explored the country's culture. Through its setting “Hispania”, Crisol aims to provide the country with the representation it deserves.

“It’s really amazing to be able to introduce Spain to the world and work with such a big company to market it,” says Carrasco. “It’s an honor to be in that position. I hope it becomes one of the big references to Spanish culture in video games.”

Hispania is not like that technically Carrasco, Spain, tells me about the inspiration that led to the terrifying world of Crisol.

“Crisol depicts a lot of Spanish folklore. We use a lot of elements of Spain’s art and culture in our own way, in a twisted and dark way,” he says. “We twisted everything, but it's very familiar. We took architecture, art, even everyday culture, floor coverings, and even some of the cuisine you can find. We blended centuries of history from childhood.

“I believe that when you live in a culture, you understand a lot more than if you were a foreigner studying it. We have an insider's perspective, and we try to cross the line of making it feel exotic, but not a caricature. We want people to be intimidated and curious, and hopefully, visit Spain.”

In Spain, they don't absorb blood from corpses and then shoot it at their enemies.

He's right. I've been to Spain more than 10 times and I still don't remember some of Crisol's references. Carrasco isn't worried about a knowledge gap when people get into the game.

“We want people to be interested in the culture after they play,” he said. “They don't have to come from a point where they know. When you play a game about Japanese culture or the American Civil War, you don't have to know anything about it. You learn as you go. We want to do the same.

“But this game is a little different. In Spain, you don’t absorb blood from corpses and shoot it at your enemies. There are differences, but I hope you’ll discover the nuances and special elements of Tormentosa and Hispania with Spain.”

Early demos of the game were compared to the Resident Evil and BioShock series. It's certainly a big compliment, but it comes with mixed feelings for Carrasco and his team.

“We're a very small team, so it's a privilege to be compared to those big players, but it also feels like a lot of pressure on us,” he says. “At the same time, we know there are similarities and we're putting our own spin on an amazing game. Our own vision is to take elements of BioShock, take elements of Resident Evil and merge them into our style. We'd like to get to that level one day. We have 25 employees now and it's been five years. We're still there. “I didn’t get there, but I have hope one day.”