Signal Veil Merges 90s Cel-Shaded Anime Style with Classic Survival Horror

Publisher Serafini Productions has officially announced Signal Veil, a third-person survival horror game coming to PlayStation 5 and other platforms. Developed by Chilean studio Time Hunters, the project blends classic fixed-camera angles with a cel-shaded art style modeled after 90s anime. A playable build or release date has not yet been dated, but the title is available to wishlist on the PlayStation Store.

According to a press release from publisher Serafini Productions, players will step into the shoes of Aki Mizuno, a high schooler searching for her missing mother within the eerie hallways of Nishikawa High School. The design trades the low-poly aesthetics common in the modern retro-horror space for a clean, cel-shaded look reminiscent of the Dreamcast era.

The developers cite foundational classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill as core gameplay inspirations, alongside modern supernatural anime hits like Jujutsu Kaisen for its thematic design.

The details

• Developer: Time Hunters
• Publisher: Serafini Productions
• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, PC
• Release Date: Unannounced (available to wishlist on the PlayStation Store)

Spirits and flip-phones

The core gameplay loop centers on classic exploration and puzzle-solving, but with a mechanical twist straight out of the early 2000s. Aki is armed with her vanished mother's final gift: an old flip-phone that is uniquely sensitive to the supernatural.

The studio notes that players will use this phone to interact with the environment, solve puzzles, and even stun hostile spirits in encounters reminiscent of the Fatal Frame series. This tool will guide Aki through Nishikawa High School as she grapples with disappearances, ritualistic encounters, and her own unraveling memories.

A different kind of throwback

The combination of fixed-camera angles and cel-shading has already sparked discussion among horror fans. While cel-shaded horror isn't entirely unprecedented—with players pointing to PS1-era classics like Fear Effect or the more recent Eternights as visual cousins—the specific fusion of a Chilean development team bringing a 90s Japanese anime aesthetic to life offers a distinct flavor in a crowded indie horror market.

Because the project is still early in development, Serafini Productions has not yet confirmed a launch window or pricing details.

Why it matters

The indie survival horror revival has spent years replicating the gritty, pixelated textures of the 32-bit era. By pivoting to a cel-shaded, animated aesthetic while retaining classic fixed-camera mechanics, Signal Veil represents an alternative path for retro-inspired horror—one based on stylized, expressive suspense.