Main cast
Tenebris Somnia tells its story through filmed scenes with real actors, set between stretches of pixel-art play. The performers below are those listed on the game's Wikipedia page, with Kovacic's role also confirmed by Xbox Wire and Fangoria. Character descriptions stay close to what those sources state, without adding unconfirmed story spoilers.
| Actor | Role | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Clara Kovacic | Julia | Protagonist haunted by nightmares about her ex-boyfriend |
| Pedro Merlo | Ivan | Julia's missing ex-boyfriend |
| Esteban Prol | Sanguis | Figure who guides, then betrays, Julia |
| María Eugenia Rigon | Vitra (as listed) | Credited on Wikipedia; a boss named Vitria appears in game |
| Yael Tesouro | Disfigured woman | Credited on Wikipedia |
Fangoria describes Julia as a young woman troubled by nightmares about Iván, and the game follows her search for him. Wikipedia lists one role as Vitra, while launch walkthroughs name a boss Vitria. We keep the credited spelling in the table and note the difference rather than guessing which is correct.
Clara Kovacic as Julia
Clara Kovacic is the face of the project and appears throughout the live-action cutscenes. Coverage around launch describes her as an Argentine scream queen. The official Tenebris Somnia account has also posted messages in her voice, introducing herself as the actress behind Julia.
Her involvement goes back years before release. Wikipedia notes that she discussed the game's concept and story with Borghi on the Press Over podcast in October 2023. She was also involved in the production of Devora, a short film connected to the main story.
Because the protagonist is played by a real actor, the game cuts between a pixel sprite and a filmed performance of the same character. Reviewers single out those transitions as one of the game's strengths. Prima Games calls the switch between pixel art and HD video impressively seamless.
Director and developers
Andrés Borghi directed, produced and wrote Tenebris Somnia, according to Wikipedia. He co-created the game with programmer Tobías Rusjan, who leads Saibot Studios in Argentina. New Blood Interactive published the game, with Mason "Airdorf" Smith joining as executive producer.
Borghi's background is in film and visual effects. Fangoria reports that he worked on visual effects for Demián Rugna's When Evil Lurks. He also made an earlier game, The Black Heart, which he built alone over seven years after starting at 18.
Borghi has said that Faith: The Unholy Trinity inspired him to evoke the full-motion video games of the 1990s. That influence explains the mix of retro sprites and filmed horror. Wikipedia dates the original idea to mid-2022, with a first demo in September 2023.
Marcos Berta and the practical effects
The monsters in the live-action scenes are practical effects, not digital creations. Xbox Wire credits award-winning effects artist Marcos Berta with supervising them. Silicone masks were molded from the performers' faces, and each application took several hours.
Berta is another veteran of Rugna's films, with credits on When Evil Lurks and Terrified. Fangoria notes that he won Best Special Effects at the 2024 Dead Meat Awards for When Evil Lurks. He has collaborated with Borghi many times, including on The Virgin of Quarry Lake.
New Blood has stated that no generative AI was used in the production. The publisher said it could not call it a New Blood game with a clear conscience otherwise. Time Extension likewise highlights the live-action, non-AI performers and practical effects.
Devora, the short film inside the story
Wikipedia notes that Borghi and Rusjan also produced a short film called Devora, connected to the main story. Kovacic was involved in its production as well. The name is not just a side project, because it surfaces inside the game itself.
Players meet a Devora poster in Ivan's apartment, which has to be rebuilt from six cardboard pieces and burned to reveal the Bathroom Key. Later, the first of three film canisters is labelled Devora 1 in Gamer Social Club's item list. Fangoria adds that Julia and Ivan worked on a short film together before they broke up.
Those details tie the cast's real filmmaking to the fictional relationship on screen. The film-school setting, the projectors and the film canisters all point back to Julia and Ivan's shared work. The puzzle solutions page shows where the poster and canisters appear.
Production timeline
The cast worked on the project over several years of development. Wikipedia and earlier coverage give a clear set of dated milestones. They show how long the filmed material and the game evolved together before launch.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Mid-2022 | Borghi and Rusjan come up with the idea |
| September 2023 | First demo released |
| October 2023 | Borghi and Kovacic discuss the story on the Press Over podcast |
| 2024 | Game shown at EVA, an Argentine games convention, with a new trailer |
| October 16, 2026 | Launch on PC and consoles, published by New Blood Interactive |
The long road also explains why older demo footage looks different from the final game. Rooms, puzzles and some scenes changed between builds. When you compare clips featuring the cast, check the upload date to see which version you are watching.
What critics say about the live-action scenes
The filmed scenes are the most praised part of the launch reviews. Bloody Disgusting says the blend of pixel art and FMV looks like nothing else. Noisy Pixel calls the game a standout triumph of a multimedia experience.
Prima Games goes further and calls it possibly the reviewer's favourite horror game since Silent Hill 2, citing the seamless jumps between sprites and video. Shacknews, which scored it 7, still names the compelling story and cool FMV cinematics as its main strengths. Criticism mostly targets combat and backtracking rather than the performances.
You can see the cast before buying through the official release date trailer on New Blood's YouTube channel, which is embedded on our home page. The Steam demo also includes filmed scenes, though it reflects an older build. Both are a fair way to judge whether the live-action style works for you.
Where the scenes were filmed
The cutscenes were shot in Buenos Aires with a professional camera and crew, storyboarded and directed by Borghi. Xbox Wire lists a 17th-century Argentine cathedral, the subway at night and sets built to match in-game locations. Fangoria adds studios, apartments and trains to the list.
- A 17th-century Argentine cathedral.
- The Buenos Aires subway, filmed at night.
- Apartments and studio sets designed to mirror game rooms.
- Train locations mentioned in Fangoria's report.
Xbox Wire also shares a production anecdote about lighting. A boom operator sprinted twenty meters and slid the final two to create a single lighting effect. It is a small detail, but it shows how much of the horror was made physically on set.
Why the cast matters to the story
The filmed scenes carry key story moments rather than decoration. Borghi told Xbox Wire he hopes players will come to see the cutscenes and stay to experience the story. Shacknews agrees that the narrative and the FMV are the game's strongest elements, well ahead of its combat.
If you want the plot behind these roles, read the story explanation. The ending explained page covers what happens to Julia in each finale. For a verdict on the whole package, see our review roundup.
Frequently asked questions
- Who plays Julia in Tenebris Somnia?
- Argentine actress Clara Kovacic plays Julia in the game's live-action scenes.
- Who directed Tenebris Somnia?
- Andrés Borghi directed, wrote and produced the game, which he co-created with Tobías Rusjan of Saibot Studios.
- Are the monsters CGI?
- No. Marcos Berta supervised practical effects, including silicone masks molded from the performers' faces.