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Pool of MadnessNewsNew art style, 40,000 wishlists, Turn-Based Thursday Fest feature
Community

New art style, 40,000 wishlists, Turn-Based Thursday Fest feature

Pool of Madness · published 13 Mar 2026, 15:46 UTC

All newsPlayers around this dateRead on Steam

Hail, void hunters!

Friday 13th sounds like the perfect day for a Pool of Madness update. So let's dive right into some new chaos we've brewed:

New art style

We're thrilled to announce that Pool of Madness is getting a brand new coat of eldritch paint!

Originally crafted by a two-person team without a dedicated 3D artist, the core loop came together extremely fast and was very well-received during our first playtest - just a month after the game jam that spawned the abomination now known as Pool of Madness.

But we always planned a visual overhaul: to better express the game’s dark essence, sharpen the table’s clarity, and amplify the horror aspects of cursed pool. Or, in simple terms: among other things, the game was damn too dark and while it served the horror part, it didn't necessarily align with the pool aspect, where visual sharpness is key.

Enter Jarek: an experienced art director with a taste for the unholy, now aboard to swell our ranks to three as the ship sails further into chaos.

But enough talking, here are the visuals:

The first game jam prototype, internally dubbed "Cthpoolu":

Latest updates as we're transitioning into a new art style:

Apart from replacing previous assets, improving lighting and such, Jarek is also transmuting our long-lurking ideas into 3D reality - stay tuned for more in this department, as we can’t wait to share them with you very soon!

40,000 wishlists incoming, Starboard Bow!


The lookout reports strange lights on the horizon. The sea grows aware of us.

Captain’s log

We're nearing 40,000 wishlists! Thank you to everyone supporting us on this voyage!

If you haven't wishlisted yet, now's a great time to do it and help us pass this milestone.

Seriously, do it, otherwise void lurkers will haunt your dreams.

Turn-Based Thursday Fest Feature

We're happy to report that PoM has been featured in the TBTF Festival, celebrating the most interesting turn-based titles. The Fest is currently featured on the main Steam page - give it a peek!

At the ready, playtests incoming!

We can't wait to get more hands on the deck so that you can test out some of these features straight out of the furnace and give us your thoughts and suggestions. We'll be sharing more info regarding limited playtests on discord soon - make sure to jump in if you want to participate! Just click the discord icon below!

Hear you soon!

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