Scheduled for release on December 4, 2025, “ROUTINE” is a first-person sci-fi horror game set in an abandoned lunar base, set in a futuristic world with a retro analog feel reminiscent of the 1980s. As evidenced by its 13-year development period, the game is recognized by users as a unique work that epitomizes the perseverance and passion of indie game developers.
ROUTINE was first revealed at Gamescom in Germany in 2012 and caught the attention of indie game fans around the world. Created by small UK developer Lunar Software, the game garnered much attention for its unique approach, combining the retro-futuristic aesthetics of Dead Space and Alien: Isolation with exploration-focused horror.
However, the development team was forced to halt the project due to financial pressures, nearly bankrupting it, and take on other jobs to make ends meet. When development resumed in 2020, the team essentially redesigned the game from scratch, switching from Unreal Engine 3 to Unreal Engine 5. The team began refining the design.
Directing that emphasizes intuitive immersion and realism
The player explores a lunar base where communication has been cut off for unknown reasons, searching for the truth through clues and debris left behind. However, at the end of the exploration, the player is confronted by a mysterious hostile entity, the Type 5 robot, which perceives the protagonist as an enemy and is constantly threatening the player. These are suppression robots brought from Earth, with a deliberately threatening appearance and a unique AI design that allows only one robot to be active at a time.
The game’s core tool is the Cosmonaut Assistance Tool (CAT), which functions as a camera, flashlight, and multitool, performing a variety of functions ranging from connecting terminals to interacting with the environment. It’s worth noting that while the CAT was originally intended as a weapon, it has been redesigned to feel like a tool.
The game doesn’t provide waypoint markers to indicate location, requiring players to observe, explore, and review data to find their way. Furthermore, the absence of a permanent death system and medkits forces players to rely on stealth, concealment, and combat avoidance.
ROUTINE is characterized by minimizing unnecessary interfaces and implementing a production that emphasizes intuitive immersion and realism.
A futuristic world with a retro 80s feel
ROUTINE’s appeal lies in its sci-fi futuristic setting, reminiscent of the ’80s, with its unique atmosphere, including flickering CRT screens and humming hallways. Lead designer Aaron Foster noted that he was inspired by his own experience growing up watching VHS tapes in the ’80s, incorporating small, yet subtle details like the hum of fluorescent lights into the game.
The development team once refocused its development to further emphasize the lunar setting. The desolate lunar landscape is particularly prominent in the early stages of the game, stemming from Foster’s personal fascination with lunar base settings.
The message of ‘ROUTINE’
ROUTINE, a development journey spanning over a decade, epitomizes the team’s indie spirit, characterized by patience and perseverance. While the game took a long time to complete, the developers have earned high praise from users for their unwavering commitment to reality and their unwavering dedication to creating the world they envisioned. The fact that they were able to achieve their vision after such arduous labor is a rare feat for any developer or team, and will surely go down in indie history.
The game might have been lost in the fray of competitive shooters had it been released a decade ago, but its unintentional delay has resulted in a slower, more claustrophobic experience, similar to games like Dead Space and the Silent Hill 2 remake.
ROUTINE is set to release on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Game Pass on December 4, 2025, and is expected to be a prime example of how the vision of a small indie team can still resonate after years of silence.
- Official page: https://www.routinegame.com/
- Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/606160/ROUTINE/
