Sci-fi horror game Routine returns after 10 years

No, you’re not hallucinating nor is this a prank. Ten years after it was originally announced, the sci-fi horror game Routine surprised us by announcing its comeback during the Summer Games Fest. Developer Lunar Studios even provided a new trailer:

Routine is a first-person shooter where you are sent to explore an abandoned and derelict base on the moon. Of course, it isn’t entirely abandoned, what with the homicidal androids lumbering about, killing every human on sight. All you have to repel them is your Cosmonaut Assistance Tool, which can hack computer systems. Routine maintained its paranoia-inducing atmosphere and 1980s approach to sci-fi. 

The trailer shows that a lot can change in 10 years. Routine has gotten a massive graphical update, putting it in line with other modern horror games like Alien: Isolation, the Dead Space remake, and The Callisto Protocol.

According to indie developer Lunar:

"We've essentially restarted production of the game. What we're sharing here today is in-game footage of Routine. As we were approaching what we believed to be the end of development, we were finding more and more things that we weren't happy with that negatively impacted the experience. We had worked on the project for 5 years at that point and simply couldn't release it as it was.”

Thankfully, Lunar has partnered with publisher Raw Fury, allowing them to work full-time on the game, the results of which can be seen in the new trailer. 

Routine is set to launch on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass, but Lunar hasn’t given a specific release date just yet.