$16.24 (−35%)ROUTINE No map, no mercy
A first-person sci-fi horror on an abandoned lunar base built around an 80s vision of the future. No waypoints, no map, no hand-holding: you explore, read terminals, and piece together what happened while something in the dark is certain you are the threat.
Is ROUTINE worth it?
ROUTINE is worth it if…
- you like games that never tell you where to go and expect you to read, listen and think
- you have patience for a slow, quiet build of dread over a fast action horror
- you love retro-futurist worlds, analog terminals and sound design you should play with headphones
- you enjoyed the careful stealth and vulnerability of games like Amnesia, in a sci-fi setting
- you would rather play one strong, focused story than a long one
Screenshots
A base that trusts you to find your own way
ROUTINE gives you no waypoint markers, no map and no reminders. Even your identity is something you check by looking down at your own suit.
The setting is a lunar base designed around an 80s vision of the future, and the retro-futurist art direction carries it: deteriorating living quarters, tram stations, an abandoned mall, all lit dimly and dressed with care. The sound does just as much work, with diegetic audio and a near-empty screen keeping you inside the helmet. It is slow, deliberate horror, and it rewards attention.
One tool for everything, including staying alive
Your Cosmonaut Assistance Tool, the C.A.T., is the single item you carry the whole game. You use it to access critical terminals, navigate the environment and identify clues, and its little clicks and switches are part of the charm: you operate it by hand, the way you would a real device.
It is also your last resort. When something comes for you, the choice is yours: run, hide, or fire the C.A.T. to buy yourself time. Batteries for it are scattered around the base, so the real limit is not ammo but nerve. There are manual save points rather than autosaves, which makes every decision about when to push forward feel weightier.
What should you know before playing?
Can you play it solo?
Yes, it is a singleplayer game only. That solitude is part of the design: you are alone on a silent base, and the emptiness, the distant recorded voices and the things moving in the dark all play off it.
How long is it, and can you replay it?
A first playthrough runs roughly four to seven hours. The story plays out the same way each time, so there is little reason to return once you know what happened. It is a focused, one-trip experience rather than a game built for repeat visits.
Is it actually scary?
Yes, and mostly through atmosphere rather than constant shocks: silence, mechanical hums, heavy footsteps in the dark and threats you can hear before you see them. Some players find the enemies themselves fairly easy to evade once you learn the tricks, so the dread comes more from the mood than from the danger.
How does the story hold up?
The early chapters set up a strong mystery and a genuinely unsettling atmosphere. The second half is more uneven: the pacing sags into searching large dark areas, and the story loses some of its focus. Come for the base, the mood and the mystery of the first hours more than for a tidy ending.
