The long-awaited Sci-Fi horror in the style of Alien Isolation «has come to life after 13 years of development

After years of silence, the sci-fi survival horror, inspired by Alien: Isolation, got in touch again. And this time, the return promises «finish line».

The Lunar Software team at Steam explained why there was such a long silence and shared a few screenshots. According to them, the game is still alive and is now approaching the final stage of development — we are talking about Routine.

A team of three developers has been developing the sci-fi horror since 2012, but it has disappeared several times since then. Interested players lost sight of Routine from «to» until in 2022, Lunar Software reminded about itself at the Summer Game Fest. And then again — silence. Finally, on July 8, Lunar Software put up a new post on Steam, where they wrote bluntly: «Routine is still in active development, and we are starting to get closer to the finish line of the» game.

And you can’t argue with the developers that it would be better if they didn’t make promises about release dates. The studio planned to release the game in 2013, then in 2017 — as we can see, it failed. During 2016-2017, the team actually restarted production because they were not satisfied with the quality at the final stage. The result: financial difficulties, part-time pay, and developers working on third-party projects (because they need to live on something). Lunar Software was under tremendous pressure due to unfulfilled promises, so instead of a Routine release date, we were only reminded that the project was not closed.

It also became known that Mick Gordon (the author of the soundtracks for Doom and Doom Eternal) left the project in July 2024 due to lack of time in his schedule. However, some of his compositions will remain in the final version of Routine.

Getting back to the new stuff: Lunar Software shared a few screenshots of Union Plaza, a retro-futuristic location on the moon stylized in the 1970s and 1980s. The game’s aesthetics remain unique: blurry VHS filters, scanline effects, and a subdued pace. It looks like a reincarnation of the same game that was presented at Summer Game Fest three years ago.

Routine should also be available on Xbox Game Pass on the day of release, but it hasn’t been confirmed if it will get a PlayStation version. The next major gaming events — Gamescom and The Game Awards — may become a platform for new announcements. Although the release date was not announced again, the studio assures that this time the return is final.

After so many other sci-fi horror projects like The Callisto Protocol, Dead Space remake or Fort Solis — have already been released and lost their hype, Routine has a chance to stand out again. Although it’s hard to compete with Sci-Fi action game Pragmata from Capcom we will have to. And if the developers are really as close to completion as they say, — maybe next time we’ll hear about gameplay, trailers, and pre-orders instead of a promise to return.

Source: PC Gamer