A mysteriously abandoned Lunar Research Station, a man seeking answers, and unknown entities lurking in every darkened corner. This is “Routine,” the first-person survival horror and exploration game by Lunar Software. A game receiving the Greenlight from Steam's online community, Aaron Foster, in charge of “Routine”'s design and art, had a few things to say about the up-and-coming game on Jan. 30, 2013.
A major component of “Routine” is its Permadeath system. This means that dying at any point in time causes an irreversible game over. “The game will always be auto saving, so you can quit at any time and come back to it later, but once you die it will delete your save so then you need to start again,” Foster says. With players not having access to multiple difficulties, there is no possibility of making things any easier on themselves.
The moon base that players will find themselves exploring will contain many areas to explore. Foster says that Lunar Software wants to make “Routine” as “expansive and interesting as we can make it! There are computers to interact with (using a mouse on screen sort of similar to Doom 3's system of computer interaction), tons of secret areas, Public Station, Hydroponics, R&D sector, Med Labs, Tram Station, Sewers and so on!” Though there are no guarantees that players will be able to explore the lunar surface as well as inside the base, Foster assures that Lunar Software is considering the concept. “We would absolutely love to, it just depends on how it feels and adds to the game when we come to testing that side of things,” Foster says.
While “Routine” is mainly an exploration game, combat still has a prominent role. “[Combat] is important if you want to stay alive! You have very limited ammo and it is very, very risky. You could also easily put yourself into a worse situation if you miss and make too much noise. The focus on 'Routine' is not combat, but we don't want to remove it completely as we want players to make judgement calls on when they should run or fight,” Foster says. With players not having access to a HUD and possessing deadzone aiming, being able to aim a weapon around the screen without having to change perspective, combat (or avoidance of it) promises to be an immersive experience.
“Routine” is tentatively set for release in Apr./May of 2013. Those wanting to learn more about the game can check out its teaser here and watch some of the Q and A's on Lunar Software's website.
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