If you caught our “Games Coming to Xbox Next Week” roundup over the weekend, you may have wondered what the thumbnail image was for that article — it was Crisol: Theater of Idols, which releases for Xbox on February 10th.
This is a little-known survival horror adventure game developed by the Madrid-based team Vermila Studios, and we believe this is their first game ever, with the company only having been founded in 2020. The game itself sees you playing as a solider who can use their own blood as a weapon, and you’ll traverse the “beautiful but malevolent” island of Tormentosa as you fight against enemies, solve puzzles, and upgrade your powers as you go.
There aren’t any reviews for Crisol: Theater of Idols just yet (look out for those imminently), but here’s a sample of two previews that were being published during late January 2026:
“There’s a depth to the storytelling in Crisol and a keen eye for style that feels less directly indebted to filmmaker Guillermo del Toro than in conversation with the same fantastical and horrifying stories that inspired the Mexican director. Taking clear influence from Spanish folklore and religious imagery, Crisol: Theater of Idols uses an inspired brush to bring new life to the action-horror genre in a way that was instantly unsettling and exciting in equal measure.”
“When Crisol leans into its unique cultural elements, it’s enthralling. When it’s more prosaic and familiar, in settings like factories and plain storefronts, I wished that the developer allowed more of themselves to bleed into the game, similar to how the game’s protagonist bleeds for their cause. I have hope yet that Crisol will grow into a stronger display of Spanish culture—its voice acting and loaded enemy design is already most of the way there—but this glimpse at its early moments leads me to believe it might be a slow ramp up to the full-fledged Spanish nightmare that Crisol could be.”
We’ll have to wait and see how the full game fares, but if you’re interested and want to check out Crisol: Theater of Idols for yourself, it’ll be available on the Xbox Store for Xbox Series X and Series S this Tuesday, February 10th. We think the price is going to be $17.99 USD, but pre-orders aren’t yet available on the store.
Better yet, if you have a suitable gaming PC or ROG Xbox Ally, the game already has a free demo that you can check out on Steam. That demo has a “Mostly Positive” rating based on just under 600 votes.
Here’s more detail on the game, along with some screenshots:
Crisol: Theater of Idols is a first-person horror/action game set in Hispania, a twisted version of Spain. Play as Gabriel, a soldier who uses blood as both weapon and lifeline. Explore the cursed island of Tormentosa, uncover dark secrets, and battle horrifying enemies. Will you survive?
Interested in Crisol: Theater of Idols? Tell us down in the comments section below.
Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he spends his time reporting on the biggest stories in the world of Xbox and beyond.