After years of quiet, gorgeous Alien Isolation style space game suddenly returns

Back to 2012, space horror game Routine was approved by Steam's (now defunct) Greenlight program, with a release date originally set for 2013. More than a decade later, Routine still hasn't seen the light of day, but a recent update from Lunar Software confirms this Alien Isolation-style sci-fi spookfest is still in the works.

Following a several-year quiet period after missing its second, 2017 release window, space horror game Routine made a surprise appearance at Summer Game Fest 2022. But then, things went quiet again, until now.

In a recent Steam blog post, published on Tuesday July 8 and shared by publisher Raw Fury, Lunar Software provided an unexpected update on its retro horror, apologising for any frustration caused by its delays and confirming that the game is still in "active development." In fact, the studio is "beginning to approach the finish line."

Lunar goes further. "We've learned a lot from past experiences," the studio says. "One of those is not to commit to a release window before we're absolutely sure we can hit it. However, we're confident that we'll be able to share more news on that front soon."

The studio also shared that Doom Eternal composer, Mick Gordon, left the project in July 2024, though we'll still get to hear some of his work in Routine when it's finally released.

Alongside this update, Lunar Software shared environmental screenshots of Union Plaza, a struggling tourist attraction on the moon. The images are a bit bare bones, but it's the most we've seen from this game in three years.

The blog post didn't, however, provide a release date. Hopefully, though, it's not long until we finally get to play this long-awaited survival horror.

While you wait, make sure to check out our picks of the best survival games and best FPS games you can play right now.

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