Nekome Is WWII Arkham Asylum, Just With More Dead Nazis

Nazis have been a standard antagonist for gaming for generations of titles, with plenty of games giving players a brutal sense of vindication by letting them fight through hordes of the nefarious force. That’s the entire basis behind Nekome: Nazi Hunter, a new stealth-action game by ProbablyMonsters that leans into a retro revenge movie tone to tell a story about survival and vengeance during the height of World War II. It’s a game where the slightly cartoon-y graphics do little to soften the brutal blow of his kills, especially when players successfully sneak up on a Nazi to stab them right in the throat with a knife.

That’s all by design, giving the game a sense of unique identity even as it takes inspiration from plenty of well-established gameplay styles. During Summer Game Fest 2026, ComicBook got the chance to play a hands-on demo of Nekome: Nazi Hunter, stepping into the role of Vano for a chance to sneak through a building full of Nazis and dispatch them with brutal efficiency. The core gameplay may not be anything revolutionary, but the development team has done a good enough job with it that it’s easy to settle into the story and embody the character’s mission to kill as many Nazis as he can.

Nekome: Nazi Hunter Leans Hard Into Familiar Stealth/Action With A Brutal Edge

During the demo of Nekome: Nazi Hunter made available to members of the media in attendance at SGF, players got a taste of Vano Nastasu’s adaptability and combat skills. The demo picks up after Vano has escaped Europe, where the rest of his family was butchered in front of him by Nazi forces. After one of their only friends is killed by a member of the American Nazi Party, Vano chases after them and ends up with the perfect opportunity to sneak through their headquarters and dispense some brutal justice. The gameplay demo was fairly linear, without a lot of major surprises or unexpected turns.

It did serve as a good taste of the gameplay and controls, however, which feel somewhat indebted to the approach that Rocksteady took with games like Batman: Arkham Asylum. While Vano doesn’t have the limitless gadgets or restraint of the Dark Knight, a lot of the underlying gameplay for Nekome will feel familiar to players who’ve played the Batman games. Stealth is key to the game, as it allows players to dispatch Nazi soldiers before they even realize someone is in the room with them. When exposed, Vano’s approach to combat takes cues from Rocksteady’s approach by putting an emphasis on quick blows, well-timed counters, and decisive finishing blows.

Of the two segments, the combat flows better; using a knife as a primary weapon and various objects that can be picked up around the environment, Vano moves quickly and delivers fast attacks that carry enough weight behind them to make them feel especially brutal. The stealth is a bit more barebones, at least in the demo — although they still had enough depth to work as a means of dispatching enemies. While the harsh tone and distinctive art style help the game stand out, Nekome: Nazi Hunter‘s embrace of those traditional stealth-action tropes makes it easy to pick up and learn.

Nekome Highlights How The Push And Pull Of Narrative Storytelling In Gaming

The specific design of Nekome: Nazi Hunter makes it a game that keeps the player invested in the world and the narrative, instead of the specifics of the combat or stealth. The game is far more rooted in giving players a taste of Vano’s life and a look into his experience as first a haunted survivor and then a brutal agent of vengeance. With that in mind, the decision to get the tenor and tone of the game across rather than the full depth makes sense for the demo.

Other previews have indicated that the game will feature some player customization that tweaks the experience to lean more towards combat or stealth depending on player preference, but this hands-on demo was all about letting members of the media feel what it’s like to be hurt by the Nazi forces and given a chance to get a little payback. After seeing Vano lose his only friend and then chase down the cowardly Nazi who did it, it’s rewarding to make your way through the building, taking down his allies, burning his flags, and finally putting down the killer yourself.

It’s a vindicating game, looking to recreate the brutal sense of closure that audiences get when watching films where hordes of Nazi soldiers who’ve done unspeakable things face the consequences of their actions. Little touches like fraying film stock when taking damage add to the feeling that players stepped into a revenge flick. It all blends together for a strong effect.

In that regard, Nekome: Nazi Hunter does a great job of reflecting that emotional experience. The promises of more depth are exciting, as they should add a bit more teeth to the entire experience. In terms of execution, though, ProbablyMonsters has nailed the style of a World War II revenge flick. If the full game can maintain that style while adding a bit more of the refinement and depth that made games like Batman: Arkham Asylum just as fun to play as they were easy to get invested in on a story level, they might have a real hit on their hands.

Nekome: Nazi Hunter is set launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2027.