Get spirited away to a weird, scary version of a Japanese town and take pictures of the oddities you find in SOMBRAS: negative frames
SOMBRAS: negative frames is a horror-lite photography game that immerses players in a surreal, unsettling version of a small Japanese town. Players take on the role of Shiomi Alterio, a Japanese-Spanish photography student who finds herself spirited away to this strange setting following her parents’ divorce and relocation. The game’s central mechanic centers on exploring the environment and photographing the odd and frightening elements that populate this eerie locale.
The game draws inspiration from the aesthetic and tactile appeal of analog film photography, a medium that has experienced renewed interest among enthusiasts. The game’s design appears to respond to the same impulse that has driven photographers toward using physical 35mm film cameras instead of relying on smartphone photography—namely, the desire to capture moments in a medium that feels more intentional, engaging, and magical than digital alternatives. Rather than approaching the photography mechanic through purely technical simulation, SOMBRAS attempts to preserve the mechanical and experiential essence of film photography, translating that nostalgic quality into an interactive game experience. This positions the game as both a love letter to analog photography culture and a unique take on the horror-exploration genre.