Shhhhhhh. I’m trying to sneak into this poor bloke’s castle. I’m doing it all stealthy, sneaky, and shadowy-like. I’m climbing in windows, jumping across rooftops, bamboozling guards. I’m taking the gold and gems while letting out a cackle deliberately stifled enough that no one can hear it but m-. Oh, bollocks. Hello, owner of these valuables. I hadn’t counted on you walking in at this very second.

That’s the sort of thing pixel art immersive heist sim Project Shadowglass will have in store when it releases in demo form at some point this year. Until then, there’s a fresh trailer which goes beyond the admirable dunking on GenAI that defined the game’s initial teasers.

As Edwin noted in covering those initial teasers, Starhelm Studios’ sneaky fantasy adventure has given itself some very big and beloved shoes to fill via its list of loose inspirations. Thief, Deus Ex, and System Shock. You can certainly see plenty of the former in the trailer above.

Armed with a truncheon, a bow that can shoot water-tipped arrows, and a sword in case things go pear-shaped, you waltz into a medieval town and spend the day chilling in a tavern. Then, night falls and it’s down to business. Find ways around guards, avoid any magical security systems or traps, and peek around corners until you find the loot. In this case, some is hidden behind a painting that moves aside upon the cranking of a torch sconce. Classic.

If you smeg the stealth up by forgetting to hide or knocking something over, which I most certainly will, you’ll be pursued by sword-wielding protectors keen to ensure that you STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM. Starhelm Studios also promise that being caught’ll have “lasting consequences”. While I’m betraying my lack of direct experience with its stated inspirations here, I’m hoping Project Shadowglass’ stealing gigs offer the same sort of rush as navigating the levels of IO’s modern Hitman games. There’s an illegal task to be done, and you’re free to decide exactly how you go about it – or cursed to have to work your way out of a jam if those best laid plans go awry.

Starhelm have confirmed with this fresh trailer that it’ll be getting a demo at some point in 2026, and until them you can wishlist the game on Steam.