We are happy to announce that the first playtest for Tsarevna has officially begun! Thank you very much to everyone who showed interest—we received over 19,000 applications from around the world.

Since this is our first playtest, access was limited. If you didn't receive an invitation, don't worry! This means that you will have even more chances to join and directly influence the development of the game in future tests.

Access was distributed randomly among all applications. The playtest itself will last 10 days, and we plan to summarize the results after December 15.

Your opinion is important!

This is not the final build or visuals, so your opinion can significantly influence development — please fill out the questionnaire after completing the test.

Immerse yourself in a world where ballet dancing becomes a deadly battle! The team is looking forward to your feedback!

Sound doesn’t just exist in TSAREVNA — it lives there. Every whisper of the wind, echo in a corridor, or muffled voice behind the wall obeys its own physical laws. Just as our in-game physics simulate mass and weight, our soundscape follows the acoustic logic of the real world.

To achieve this, we use Wwise Spatial Audio — a system that allows us to simulate the real behavior of sound within complex virtual spaces. The result? An environment that feels alive — sound that truly belongs to the world it inhabits.

Each location in TSAREVNA starts with a layer of acoustic geometry — invisible structures defining the shape, volume, and materials of rooms, halls, and corridors. This is the physical framework that gives sound its “home.”

Every space has its own acoustic identity:

• A room tone that sets its baseline atmosphere,

• A reverb preset tuned to its size and material,

• And the absorption strength of its virtual walls.

A grand temple hums differently than a tight stone tunnel — and that difference tells a story.

Rooms are connected through portals — invisible thresholds that let sound “travel” between spaces.
Imagine standing indoors during a storm: you hear the wind howling outside. Step through the door, and suddenly, the full chaos surrounds you.

That’s exactly what portals do — they let players feel the transition from one space to another.

Wwise’s built-in ray tracing system calculates how sound bends, reflects, or fades when blocked by geometry.

Standing behind a corner, you’ll hear a muffled echo instead of a direct sound — creating that subconscious sense of distance and realism.

For ambient layers, we use Ambisonic audio instead of traditional stereo.
While stereo only spreads sound left to right, Ambisonics carries information across three spatial axes — up, down, front, back — plus a global field.

This means ambient sounds don’t just surround you — they breathe around you. As the player moves, the audio field shifts naturally, making even static background noise feel alive and reactive.

This multi-layered approach allows us to craft an atmosphere that doesn’t just decorate the world of TSAREVNA — it defines it.

The hum of an ancient hall, the echo of a distant storm, the muffled chant through stone walls — all of it works together to tell the story without a single word.

✨ Add TSAREVNA to your Steam wishlist — and be ready to hear the world come alive.