Routine

Routine is a first-person science fiction horror game set on an abandoned lunar base. Its dark corridors invite exploration and investigation, but an unknown threat lurks in the shadows. Searching for the cause of the eerie silence on the base leads to a confrontation with an antagonist who sees the intruder as the greatest threat, while simultaneously opening the way to even more unknown depths.

The game's dark retro-futuristic aesthetic, inspired by 1980s technology, is exceptional. The corridors wind through ghostly shopping areas and decaying living spaces. These familiar yet deserted areas, together with the spine-chilling soundscape, create a truly terrifying atmosphere. While it is essentially a linear game, there are moments and elements of non-linearity. The environments themselves are open to exploration, and players are not constantly funnelled down narrow paths. The total playtime is around six to eight hours. It feels engaging, without being unnecessarily stretched out. The story is good, but not exceptional; it is the atmosphere and immersion that carry the game.

However, the game's virtual body awareness and minimalistic UI make it particularly immersive. Players interact with computers directly on the displays without opening any additional menus. For instance, at the start of the game, players must follow the instructions on the wall to print their ID, which is required to leave the room. Everything takes place in the game world, including saving. There are no quest markers either, so players must pay close attention to their surroundings, follow clues, and use the C.A.T. to obtain access codes or open locked doors. All relevant information can be discovered directly in the game environment - players just have to look closely and explore attentively.

Even the Cosmonaut Assistance Tool (C.A.T.), which serves as a key to important terminals, a navigation aid and an information source, is fully and directly integrated into the game world. It is a central tool for puzzles, hacking and special viewing modes that reveal what was initially invisible. However, it never becomes a real weapon, which puts the focus on sneaking, exploring and hiding. The C.A.T. has additional modules that players can find and use as they progress through the game. One of these is the Ultraview Module, which enhances the screen's vibrancy and adds a flashlight and a blacklight to the C.A.T. The blacklight allows players to uncover hidden clues within the game environment. Although C.A.T. offers the option to briefly defend yourself against opponents, there is generally very little fighting involved. Instead, the focus is on hiding or running away. It's all about stealth, exploration and evasion.

Roughly 13 years ago, the development of Routine started in Unreal Engine 3, setting a lot of conceptual and thematic groundwork. The project was then rebooted in Unreal Engine 4 and later switched to Unreal Engine 5 in 2022. The team said they essentially had to create everything from scratch. Content-wise, therefore, the final version is essentially the result of a five-year project.

Initially, developing Routine was a lot of fun. Luna Software: "Development was exciting and fun, and the reception we received only made us more eager to create something truly special. However, we had no salary or payment for the work we were doing on Routine. We relied on savings, a part-time job, and help from friends and family. We stretched those funds as far as we could, and made it work ... for a while. In 2016, Routine wasn't shaping up to meet the expectations people had for it, and with our financial problems at an all time high, combined with unexpected health issues, we truly hit rock bottom. Not only were we unable to creatively fix the problems we had with Routine, but we also had to look for freelance work to pay rent and keep the studio alive. This period in the Lunar Software timeline was not enjoyable for us at all, but we did what we had to do, to get through it."

While working freelance to support themselves and the company, they developed a small project in the hope that it would help to fund their dream project, Routine. During the process for this project, they met their future partner, Raw Fury.

Aaron Foster (Lead Art and Design), Jemma Hughes (Assistant Lead Art and Design) and Pete Dissler (Programmer and Designer) spoke about the lengthy design process and other changes that were made.

"The biggest change since the Unreal Engine 3 version of Routine is where we focused our time and how far we were able to push the project's quality bar. When we restarted development in Unreal Engine 4 and then moved to Unreal Engine 5, we really wanted to double down on things that we loved but felt we could have done better, like the C.A.T., and push them beyond what we achieved previously in UE3. There were also aspects of the design and narrative that we weren't satisfied with before. This time around, we wanted to make sure that every aspect of the game received equal attention and love across the board. (...) There has never been a moment when the team was discouraged from working on Routine. It's our love for the project that has kept us going all this time.It hasn't been an easy journey, and definitely not a short one, but nothing could stop us from bringing Routine to the finish line. The re-reveal during the Summer Games Fest 2022 was extremely nerve-racking, but seeing the response from everyone made the whole thing very special for us." - Lunar Software

Composer and sound designer Mick Gordon was part of the project, but he decided to leave in July 2024 due to scheduling conflicts. Much of his work is included in the final game, but other people are responsible for the rest of the audio and its implementation.

Routine is the first game developed by Lunar Software. The company was founded in 2010 in north-west England. Three people work there. The publisher is Raw Fury, a boutique indie publisher founded in Sweden in 2015 by Jonas Antonsson, Gordon Van Dyke and David Martinez. This year, it is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Its best-known games include Kingdom Two Crowns, Per Aspera, Star Trucker, Cassette Beasts, Dome Keeper, Star Renegades and Blue Prince.

Routine was released on 4 December 2025 for Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC via the Microsoft Store, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Steam, available for €24.99.

Conclusion

Routine is a meticulously crafted retrofuturistic survival horror experience that lives and breathes through its unique atmosphere and high level of immersion, thanks to its minimal UI and full-body awareness.

Features

• Truly impressive atmosphere
• Minimal UI, maximum immersion
• Exploration and awareness are crucial