If you are endlessly scrolling through your backlog of PC games looking for something that will genuinely make you jump out of your seat, ROUTINE is one title you need to keep on your radar. This first-person sci-fi horror game takes you on a terrifying trip to an abandoned lunar base that looks exactly like how people in the 1980s imagined the future. It is atmospheric, incredibly tense, and drips with that retro-futuristic charm that makes exploring every dark, lonely corridor an absolute thrill.
Storyline
The premise drops you completely alone into a desolate, decaying station on the Moon. Everyone has mysteriously vanished, and your only job is to figure out what on earth—or rather, what on the moon—happened to the station's crew. But as you start poking around the flickering computer terminals and empty living quarters, you quickly realize you are not actually alone. The station is crawling with hostile, malfunctioning robotic entities that think you are the main threat, turning your simple investigation into a desperate, terrifying struggle for survival.
Gaming experience
Playing this game is a delightfully nerve-wracking experience. There is no traditional HUD cluttering up your screen, which pulls you incredibly deep into the retro-tech nightmare. You are equipped with a Cosmonaut Assistance Tool (C.A.T.) that acts as your main gadget to interact with the world, slice into computer systems, and occasionally defend yourself when things get dicey. Because you are not an overpowered action hero and the robots are absolutely ruthless, every encounter feels incredibly dangerous. It forces you to rely heavily on stealth, peeking around corners, and holding your breath whenever you hear something metallic clanking past you in the dark.
