Premium sci-fi horror experience
ROUTINE is a premium adventure game from the Raw Fury team. This science-fiction experience is built on the vision of the far future as imagined during the 80s. Here, you take on the role of personnel assigned to check an abandoned lunar base. What starts out as a curious exploration immediately turns into a race for survival as you find yourself face-to-face with a mysterious creature.
With detailed set designs contributing to atmospheric tension, ROUTINE is not your routine horror game. It feels like a visually superior Mass Effect 3 spinoff or The Callisto Protocol, but with Stranger Things aesthetics.
Explore a ghost town on the moon
While it has a seemingly simple premise, the story behind ROUTINE unfolds into something both sinister and mind-boggling. The enemy you’re facing also believes that you’re the threat, and it’s up to you to find out the truth as you head deeper and deeper into the massive world. Speaking of which, the game offers a wide variety of environments, such as full malls and dilapidated living quarters.
In terms of graphics, the game does a good job of bringing the 80s vision of the future to life. This is visible in the clunky machines and equipment, and in the efforts to recreate human life on Earth as you know it, but on the moon. Its control of lighting and the placement of obstacles add to its effort of providing you with atmospheric horror.
Dynamic survival gameplay
ROUTINE offers a wide variety of gameplay styles. You can outrun the enemy, hide from it, or defend yourself with your Cosmonaut Assistance Tool (CAT), an upgradeable armor you have for most of the game. Additionally, the game imposes some restrictions to make it feel more immersive at the cost of added difficulty. You are granted full-body awareness, but with minimal UI and a dead zone aiming mechanic.
This game features 14 Steam achievements that challenge you to explore the story and complete specific tasks, such as installing modules like the Ultraview Module or finishing special objectives. It supports nine languages for both the interface and subtitles, including English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese. However, note that this game contains gore, frequent violence, and mature themes that may not be appropriate for all audiences.
Classic search and survive
Overall, ROUTINE is a good game, although it doesn’t depart far from the usual game mechanics of exploring and surviving. What it does well, however, is use its well-detailed set designs to evoke fear and curiosity, or to invite a false sense of security in the players. Its story is slow-burning, with an amazing twist. If you’d like a Mass Effect with retro sensibilities, this is a must-try.
