ROUTINE News

'If you want to torture somebody, first show them your tools' is one of the better horror game design lessons taught by Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I thought of Amnesia's cistern chapter while playing through a later area in Lunar Software's excellent first-person spookathon Routine, announced 13 long years ago, though only in active development for around five. The area centres on a curious underground tree, with water dripping from a hydroponic ceiling and sealed doors on all sides. You can imagine Amnesia's Shadow manifesting here, clogging the roots with acid rot as it homes in on your comically loud footfalls.

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I was racking my brain trying to figure out where I had seen ROUTINE before reviewing it. It was one of those games that I only remembered in glimpses, and after doing a bit of digging, it turned out this game was announced at Gamescom all the way back in 2012—ending up in development limbo, but popping up here and there.

And if history has taught us anything, it’s that games with that kind of fraught development never end up any good, right? WRONG! Apparently, much like Team Cherry, Lunar Software spent that time being radio silent because they were making something that we’d actually want to play—and a horror game at that, which is no easy feat. 

ROUTINE begins with the player waking up on an abandoned lunar facility with no clear idea of who they are or what has happened. There are some emails pointing to a recent lunar quake and a strange illness that seemed to spread through the colony shortly after. What’s more, there’s a suspicion that the company in... Read more

[p]Hey all![/p][p]Aaron, Jemma, and Pete here from Lunar Software. We still can’t believe there are only 6 days left until the launch of ROUTINE, but we are very appreciative of the community support and feedback over the past few weeks.[/p][p]And since the release is just around the corner, we thought it would be a good time to clear up some questions that came up recently, especially during the AMA.[/p][p]Here’s the fourth part of our Developer Q&A:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here’s the fourth part of our Developer Q&A:[/p][p][/p][p]1. What are the PC system requirements for ROUTINE?[/p]

• [p]Minimum requirements:[/p]
  • [p]OS - Windows 10 64-bit[/p]
  • [p]Processor - Intel Core i5-8600 / Ryzen 5 3600[/p]
  • [p]Memory - 8GB DDR4[/p]
  • [p]Graphics - Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 570[/p]
  • [p]Direct X - 11[/p]
  • [p]Storage - SSD 10 GB[/p]

• [p]Recommended requirements:[/p]
  • [p]OS - Windows 10 64-bit[/p]
  • [p]Processor - Intel Core i5-13600K / AMD Ryzen 5 7600X[/p]
  • [p]Memory - 16GB DDR4[/p]
  • [p]Graphics - Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 / Radeon RX 5700[/p]
  • [p]Direct X - 11[/p]
  • [p]Storage - SSD 10 GB[/p]

[p][/p][p]2. Is ROUTINE going to be verified for Steam Deck?[/p][p]ROUTINE will be in Playable state on Steam Deck at launch. We’ll keep optimizing it and update its status along the way, with verified status as our goal.  We’ll keep you in the loop on our progress![/p][p][/p][p]3. Will ROUTINE have a Performance Mode on Xbox Series?[/p][p]Yes, it will![/p][p][/p][p]4. Will ROUTINE be verified for ROG Xbox Ally X?[/p][p]Yes, ROUTINE will be handheld verified on launch. While our ambition is to achieve the same in the post-launch phase for Steam Deck too, due to the different nature of those two systems, we got there with Xbox first.[/p][p][/p][p]6. Will the game be available on Nvidia GeForce Now?[/p][p]Yes, ROUTINE will be available on GeForce Now from day one.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for the questions. Only 6 days left![/p][p]
-LunarSoftware[/p]

[p]Hi everyone![/p][p][/p][p]With ROUTINE launching in less than a week, we wanted to take a moment to revisit last month’s media coverage.[/p][p][/p][p]One of the main highlights was that ROUTINE was the cover feature of EDGE 417. Released on October 30th, the issue includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at ROUTINE. If you’d like to dive deeper, you can grab your copy here.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]ROUTINE was also featured in the IGN First editorial series. If you missed any of the articles or videos, here’s a quick recap:[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Introducing the C.A.T. Ultraview Module[/p]

[p]This video introduces the C.A.T. Ultraview Module, a tool you’ll be using often while moving through the lunar base. It’s especially helpful for spotting things that aren’t immediately visible.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

• [p]Meet the Megazone Arcade and Playable Minigames[/p]

[p]A look at the Megazone Arcade, an area filled with arcade machines and playable minigames inspired by the 1980s. It’s a space we expect players will spend some time exploring.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

• [p]The Final Preview[/p]

[p]In this preview, Travis Northup shares his early impressions of ROUTINE’s gameplay, atmosphere, puzzle design, and narrative direction.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

• [p]Developer Interview[/p]

[p]We spoke with Travis Northup about ROUTINE’s development, including its origins, influences, narrative [/p][p]considerations, and the challenges encountered over the years. [/p][p][/p][p]You can read the full interview here.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

• [p]Cosmonaut Assistance Tool (C.A.T.) | Developer Walkthrough[/p]

[p]A more detailed overview of the C.A.T.’s features, accompanied by developer commentary from us at Lunar Software. [/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]We hope this recap has been helpful. If you’d like some additional insight, we recently hosted an AMA on Reddit, which featured plenty of interesting questions and answers.[/p][p][/p][p]There’s very little time left before ROUTINE’s final launch, and we hope you’re just as excited as we are.[/p][p][/p][p]See you soon.[/p][p][/p][p]-Raw Fury[/p]

[p]Hey guys![/p][p][/p][p]Aaron, Jemma, and Pete here from Lunar Software. Here's part three of the Q&A for ROUTINE![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]1. Has pricing been confirmed yet? [/p][p][/p][p]ROUTINE will launch for $24.99.[/p][p][/p][p]2. Has the game really taken 13 years to develop?[/p][p][/p][p]While we started ROUTINE roughly 13 years ago in Unreal Engine 3, which set a lot of groundwork for us conceptually and thematically, when we rebooted ROUTINE in Unreal Engine 4 (later switching to 5), we essentially had to make everything from scratch.[/p][p]So content-wise, the version that you will play is essentially a 5-year project.  [/p][p][/p][p]3. What are the system requirements for ROUTINE?[/p][p][/p][p]We will post system requirements next week![/p][p][/p][p]4. Will exploration be linear or non-linear?  [/p][p][/p][p]While ROUTINE is a linear game at its core, there are moments and elements of non-linearity. The environments themselves are quite open to explore, and you will not be constantly funneled down a narrow path.[/p][p][/p][p]5. Is there a DLC expansion planned for Routine? [/p][p][/p][p]There are no plans for DLC or expansions for ROUTINE.[/p][p][/p][p]6. Can we pet the cute four-legged robot?[/p][p][/p][p]That would be ideal, but sadly not ;(

[/p][p]▼[/p][p]
Thank you again for the questions! We are getting very close now
-Lunar Software[/p]