Horror continues to be one of the most malleable genres ever, regardless of the medium. The last few years have cemented that, with games like Alan Wake 2, Silent Hill f, Mouthwashing, and Resident Evil 4 Remake pushing the genre forward in new and exciting directions. Some of my favorite titles of the 2020s have been horror games released by indie and AAA studios alike, so when I first discovered ROUTINE, I couldn’t have been more excited.
I first found out about ROUTINE when it was re-announced at the 2022 Game Awards. The game has been in development since 2012, and features a retro-futurist aesthetic inspired by the likes of Blade Runner and Alien. After thirteen years, ROUTINE is finally here, and aside from some exploration issues, I loved the game and how it pays tribute to some of the best entries in the genre, all while doing something new.
ROUTINE begins and takes place entirely on a space station on the Moon. The game is set in 1978, with technology far more advanced than you’d expect from the era. There is no actual statement on the realities of this world, but it’s implied that it’s a universe where the USSR won the space war before the United States. In fiction, the phenomenon of highlighting technology built on analog devices instead of the more futuristic Star Trek-esque holograms is called retro-futurism.
You awake upon the station with no clear purpose at first. After leaving your room, retrieving the Cosmonaut Assistant Tool (or C.A.T.), you are tasked with shutting down the station’s security system. The reason for this mission is that the station’s machines have been killing its inhabitants indiscriminately, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. As you continue on your journey, you learn more about what happened to the station’s denizens and realize that there are greater threats than killer machines aboard the Moon.
On the surface, the story may seem a bit too simplistic for its own good. There aren’t any notable characters, the worldbuilding is hidden and completely missable, and the premise of a space station overrun by machines and other monsters may seem a bit too similar to a game like Alien: Isolation. In fact, the identity of the character you’re playing is extremely vague. Even towards the end, while there were a few mentions of certain characters that could’ve been the protagonist, it’s hard to put together the pieces of who you have been controlling the whole time.
Personally, though, I liked the subtle nature of ROUTINE‘s storytelling. It incentivizes you to explore every nook and cranny of the environment, and to piece together what’s truly happening behind the scenes with your own intuition, rather than cutscenes. There are six chapters, and while there are a few cutscenes here and there, the game doesn’t directly reveal to players what’s truly happening aboard the space station.
The lack of emphasis on a clear-cut narrative allows ROUTINE to focus on its greatest strengths, namely its aesthetic and tension. I’ve always loved the concept of retro-futurism, and the game truly takes that idea to its limits. There’s a grainy look to the visuals; each piece of technology aboard the station looks analog and strewn together by loose wires and metal slabs. Even the station itself feels claustrophobic, thanks to just how dirty the environment is and the use of brutalist architecture.
It walks the line between being both unnerving and slightly charming. In the early stages of the game, you can see a mall sector that has an arcade and video store, constant advertisements, and a line of small robots meant to serve as helpers to the station’s citizens. At first, these instances disarm you into a false feeling of security, before ROUTINE starts hitting you with its greatest threats.
The many terrors aboard the station are absolutely terrifying. The robots in particular have a deeply unsettling design, with their angular head and rows of realistic teeth across their mouths. The sight of these security machines is sure to unnerve you and amaze you in equal measure, as I personally had to fight not to stare too hard at the little details in their designs while they chased me with malicious intent.
I say “many terrors” because, despite what the trailers would have you believe, there are worse things out there than the machines. After disarming the security, you find bodies of people overcome with vegetation, and journal entries detailing cosmonauts bringing “something” back with them from a mysterious area on the Moon known as “The Canal.” Soon enough, you come to a truly horrific realization: that the security system wasn’t killing people indiscriminately, and that it was instead trying to contain the infection.
ROUTINE‘s story is subtle in all the right ways. There were multiple moments where I couldn’t help but feel intense dread at the instances of destroyed technology, a visible infection, and monsters that are completely invisible to the naked eye. If you’re a fan of cosmic horror and stories like Alien and Annihilation, then you’ll love the game’s narrative and worldbuilding.
However, a horror video game can’t rely on aesthetics and worldbuilding forever. If the game isn’t fun, then it isn’t taking advantage of the medium’s strengths. Thankfully, I really enjoyed the gameplay of ROUTINE, save for some problems with how the game handles traversing the space station.
An Ongoing Cycle
The way ROUTINE handles its gameplay is both similar and yet different from what you’d expect from the genre. It’s not quite a survival horror, as there’s no way to permanently defeat the enemies in your path. It’s more akin to Outlast and Amnesia, which ask you to run at the first sight of danger, rather than trying to manage your ammo and weapons like with Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
That’s not to say that you don’t have any ways to defend yourself. The C.A.T. is a multi-use tool that is vital to survival and puzzle-solving. You can use it as an electroshock to temporarily stop the security bots, or as a way to blind some of the later monsters in the game. As you progress, you’ll unlock more modules for the tool, each serving a very specific purpose.
For example, one of the modules you get is the Ultraview, which turns the C.A.T. into a makeshift flashlight. Furthermore, you can also use it to shine ultraviolet light on surfaces. This is key to solving puzzles that require finding specific symbols, or for keypads that you can illuminate to find the password. I really enjoyed how versatile the C.A.T. was. In fact, I would spend minutes at a time just staring at the tool, fiddling with the different knobs and buttons that allow you to link up with displays or remove any grain on the device’s screen.
The coolest thing about the C.A.T. is that screen, in fact. It functions like a camera, showing what’s in front of you in a slightly lower framerate. At first, I thought the change in quality was a bit jarring, until I realized that the game literally comments on the lower refresh rate and uses it as a way to show the retro feeling of the devices. The fallibility of the technology also helps to further add to the tension.
When it comes to the puzzles, a lot of them really require you to observe your surroundings in ways that I haven’t usually seen in a horror game. In one instance, you’re asked to type in your ID number into a terminal, so you can progress to the next area. In any other game, you’d have to find a note that outright states the code. Instead, you actually have to look down at your own body to see the ID written out across your chest.
This idea took a while to get used to. I frequently found myself lost and unsure of where to go, until I realized that there was a switch hidden under a table at the other end of the area. I did end up adapting to the difficult puzzles with time, but the lack of a map is a huge detriment when it comes to exploration. Most horror games have a map so you can know where you’ve gone, if not where you’re going. Here, there’s no map whatsoever, so it can be really hard to figure out where you just came from and to retrace your steps, especially since some sections are structured like mazes.
That said, with how much time I spent running from enemies, I didn’t really have time to think about being lost. Sometimes I just got lucky and ended up realizing where I needed to go at the right time. The adrenaline of hiding from the robots and other threats helped to solidify the horror. There were several moments where I could feel my heart pounding as a machine walked right past me, and I had to really hope it didn’t spot me as I continued working out where to go.
ROUTINE doesn’t go easy on players at all. Not just with the lack of a map, but with how some enemies can kill you after catching you twice, or in some cases, even just once. Additionally, there’s no way to pause the game at all, as you can still get caught by an enemy even while in the pause screen or while next to a save station. While the fact that there’s no pause button or map was extremely frustrating, I can appreciate how ROUTINE constantly forces you to adapt to its mechanics.
A lot of the tension comes from just how unfair certain sections can be, and the relief that you feel at overcoming those immense challenges is deeply satisfying. It hearkens back to an era before action-focused horror games, where you are an ordinary person against insurmountable odds. Due to this, I was constantly afraid and on the edge of my seat, which is all I can truly hope for from a horror game like this.
As a whole, ROUTINE is ambitious in how it constantly challenges the player with challenging mechanics and a narrative focused more on subtle storytelling rather than overt cutscenes and dialogue. This combination shouldn’t work, yet somehow, against all odds, the finished product is one of the most interesting horror games released this year.
An Ambitious Nightmare
These last few years, the horror genre in video games has gone from one I was too scared to ever interact with to one that I am constantly impressed by. The main reason for that is due to just how willing developers have been to experiment with new concepts, mechanics, and storytelling techniques. Regardless of whether you prefer titles inspired by the PlayStation 1 or those that are exceedingly modern, there is a horror game out there for you. ROUTINE is a fantastic example of how experimenting with the genre’s form can create a great and horrifying experience.
This isn’t a game for everyone. Certainly, the lack of a map and a proper pause screen, plus the immense difficulty found with puzzle-solving and evading enemies, may alienate players looking for something more similar to Silent Hill or Resident Evil. Personally, however, I think that’s one of the game’s greatest strengths. It’s ambitious in its approach to both gameplay and story, and it pays off beautifully.
The thrill of outrunning enemies, finding the best use of the C.A.T., and solving challenging puzzles by exploring every nook and cranny of the space station far outweighs any frustration. Plus, the subtle storytelling that favors hidden diaries and completely missable details adds to the tension, and makes it feel like you’re uncovering a truly terrifying secret. The last few moments in particular had me genuinely terrified as I realized what truly happened aboard the space station.
Considering how long ROUTINE took to make and how this is Lunar Software’s first game, the overall game is an absolute marvel. It isn’t perfect, but I was enamored from beginning to end with its beautiful aesthetic, terrifying setpieces, and unnerving narrative. I can’t wait to see how Lunar Software progresses its craft with its next game.
Disclaimer: ROUTINE was reviewed on a PC via the Steam Deck.
