Nekome: Nazi Hunter Sets Steam Demo for October 19–26

Nekome: Nazi Hunter builds its action around a direct premise: Vano hunts a group of Nazi leaders called the Hyenas, with each confrontation designed as a distinct boss fight. Players can try the game for themselves in a Steam demo running from October 19 through October 26. Developer ProbablyMonsters also shared a new trailer at the Galaxies Autumn Showcase, offering a closer look at the story and its antagonists.

The Hyenas are a notorious squad of Nazi agents whose cruelty has made them feared across Europe and beyond, according to the game’s description. The story introduces them early, then sends Vano after them. Game director Jeronimo Barrera told Game Informer that each boss encounter will test the player’s abilities in a different way. The villains give the story a clear set of targets, while their varied fights provide a structure for the action.

Watch the latest Nekome: Nazi Hunter trailer below:

In an interview with Game Informer, Barrera discussed the game’s visual influences, its historical setting, and how the team approaches its subject matter. The project combines heightened, pulp-inspired violence with an attempt to treat Vano’s identity and community with care.

A hunt that begins in New York

Vano’s story starts in New York City, his adopted home. Barrera said the team’s research uncovered the possibility of beginning the game with an encounter with Nazis on U.S. soil, including the historical fact that Nazi Party rallies took place in New York. A tragic coincidence sets Vano on his path, which eventually takes him to Europe. Barrera stressed the direction of the pursuit: Vano is the hunter, rather than a fugitive being chased across the setting.

The Hyenas were chosen in part to fit the game’s grindhouse approach. Barrera said the team wanted villains players would find satisfying to pursue within an intentionally over-the-top revenge story. The game draws on real events, but its action is stylized around Vano taking on Nazis at every level. Its central targets are introduced quickly, giving players a reason to follow the hunt as it moves between locations.

The trailer hints at monstrous imagery, including blood on the Hyenas’ faces. Barrera described the Nazis as “hideous monsters” and said the game uses that idea in its presentation and abilities. Some narrative themes could be read as metaphysical, he added, while leaving their meaning open for players to interpret. That ambiguity keeps the imagery from becoming a straightforward explanation of what is happening in the story.

Grindhouse films meet graphic novels

The visual direction takes its strongest cues from grindhouse cinema. Barrera pointed to the stylized pulp and violence of Inglourious Basterds as an influence, describing the task as bringing that sensibility into a game. Graphic novels also helped the team find a balance: a look that can be vivid and entertaining while carrying a dark story.

For Barrera, realism could have undercut the game’s intended tone. The graphic novel influence lets the team present violence in a heightened style, rather than making the experience look too close to real life. That choice is central to the game’s identity: the action can be deliberately excessive while the narrative remains grounded in serious historical subject matter.

ProbablyMonsters began work on Nekome in 2024. Barrera traced the idea to a meeting where team members started quoting Inglourious Basterds, then settled on building a game about hunting Nazis through a less commonly depicted Second World War story. Development is led internally by Brett Bourbin, Brand Inman, Sergei Kuprejanov, Kay Willis and Barrera, with help from co-development partners.

A small project with experienced developers

Barrera described taking the game from concept to players in 18 months as a major undertaking made possible by an experienced team. He said ProbablyMonsters brings AAA experience to a smaller project, while its independent approach gives the studio room to pursue stories that might struggle to reach the market through other routes.

The team has also addressed debate over whether the game is political. Barrera’s position is that the story is about revenge for people who suffered atrocities at Nazi hands, and that the villains are meant to be unquestionably evil. He said the studio isn’t trying to make a statement about modern politics. The game’s premise and graphic depiction of Nazi enemies have prompted discussion, but its director frames the story around historical cruelty and Vano’s response to it.

That historical focus extends to the persecution of Roma and Sinti people during the Second World War, a subject Barrera said games have rarely explored despite the war’s frequent appearance in entertainment. He said the team has worked with historians and cultural consultants to represent Vano’s identity, community and historical setting thoughtfully. The demo offers a first chance to see how those aims meet the game’s pulp action when players take control on Steam from October 19 to 26.