Routine Review

A Retro-Future Nightmare

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Title: Routine

Release: December 4, 2025

Platform: PC Xbox One X|S

Developer: Lunar Software

Publisher: Raw Fury

Genre: First Person Horror

ESRB: T

Reviewed on: PC

Time Played: 8 Hours

Where it starts

You wake up in a small room with a small computer welcoming you to the lunar base. As an engineer, you are there to help fix some of the faulty equipment. A nearby computer will ask you to perform some stretches before you can print an ID card and head out on your mission. Once outside, you will be greeted by a lot of loud noises and flashing lights, guiding you to the only available room at the end of the hallway. That room is a small classroom that teaches you all about the C.A.T., a very important tool necessary to make it through the lunar base.

Working with the C.A.T.

The Cosmonaut Assistance Tool is the only way forward in many cases. You need it to connect to computers so you can save your progress. You’ll find mods that add more functions to the C.A.T., like a black light that shows hidden clues for solving a code or puzzle and a security module that opens some doors. If you find yourself in danger, it can also be used as a deterrent by shooting the threat. Using the C.A.T. drains the battery with every use. But no need to worry; spare batteries are scattered throughout the base. You won’t be able to carry extras. When your battery isn’t full, it will automatically swap out for a new one when you pick one up.

Navigating a Lunar Base

Routine is broken up into chapters and sections of the lunar base. You will be given tasks to study at save points, guiding you through each area. Most objectives are hidden behind puzzles in the form of code discoveries or key items. You will need to read every note and diary entry you find to point you in the right direction. Items you can pick up do not shine or stand out; you will need to look directly at them before you know they can be grabbed.

The codes required to unlock computers and doors are randomized each playthrough. Because of this, you won’t be able to look up the code if you can’t find it. However, you can get some assistance on where to find the clues that lead you to a solution. Some of the puzzles get very intense, inundating you with a lot of information to sift through while searching for the answer. While some codes are complicated, a couple can be solved through brute force if the hints are few and hard to follow.

The Horror

Exploring the lunar base isn’t without its dangers. Between the malfunctioning security system and grotesque monsters prowling the hallways, you will constantly be looking over your shoulder and stopping at every noise, no matter how minor. While your C.A.T. can stop some enemies, it’s only temporary, your best option is to hide under tables and move quietly. Regardless of how sneaky you are or how comfortable you feel running around, odds are you’re going to get surprised and caught.

Can the kids watch

There isn’t much in terms of language you’ll need to watch out for. The biggest issues would arise from the freaky looks of some enemies and the overly gruesome deaths that could occur when you’re caught off guard. A lot of the game is spent on the edge, exploring dark corridors with unknown sounds constantly following. If you’re looking for a fun, scary night with the kids, it will definitely deliver.

Final Thoughts

I would love to hear any thoughts or questions you have about the game or my review, so leave me a message in the comments below. While you do that, let’s move on to my final thoughts and ratings.

Routine was described as a look into the future from the perspective of the 80s, and it did an excellent job of creating that kind of environment. However, the biggest issue with the futuristic retro look was trying to navigate through a fuzzy lens that made it difficult to decipher what I was looking at. The first couple of hours were difficult as I traversed the dark corridors. Eventually, I got used to it, and it wasn’t as bad.

There was hardly any assistance when I needed to find key items for progression. Unlike other games, the items here didn’t flash, glint, or glow. I had to move my camera just right to center an item on my screen. If I was close enough and it could be picked up, a special icon would appear. Some items were very small and easy to miss, so I ran around the same area for way too long before I found them. Most of the time, it was my fault for missing crucial hints, like a sticky note on a computer or a sentence in a journal. Paying attention in this game is key to finishing in a timely manner.

I found a few of the puzzles entertaining to solve, and I love that most of the numbered combinations in this game can differ from someone else’s playthrough, requiring the work involved for each solution. But, as fun as some of the puzzles were, there were plenty that I did not like, either by giving me too much information, practically forcing me to brute-force my way through, or by giving me convoluted instructions I had a hard time understanding. And I couldn’t get comfortable while trying to figure things out. In some areas, the enemies would patrol and attack me from behind if I stood in front of a computer screen for too long, but that added tension to the gameplay that kept it from going stale.

I finished the game after playing for eight hours, and I can honestly say I don’t know what the story was about. I understood some of the world-building parts, like equipment going awry and a lot of people dying, but I never got solid answers, and that may have been the point. I’m not a fan of artsy stories with huge meaning behind metaphors and odd imagery. I could always go through the story again and maybe glean more from it, but it wasn’t good for a second go-through of everything.

Ratings

With that it feels like it’s time to boil these thoughts into numbers and place this game on one of my shelves.

The visuals were unique, but I didn’t care for the fuzzy lens from which I had to view everything, that’s a 2

The story was kind of interesting throughout, but became very convoluted by the end, I’m giving that a 1.

Gameplay had it’s ups and downs, most puzzles were good, getting lost and avoiding monsters became tiresome, that’s another 2

There is no longevity here, after the initial playthrough I will not be playing this game any longer, earning it a 0.

I didn’t have much fun here, some of the jump scares were great, but the rest felt tedious, getting another 1.

Giving Routine an average score of 1.2 out of 5. Earning it a spot on my Bottom shelf. I didn’t enjoy much of this game. Although it made me jump a few times, those moments were all in the final hours of gameplay. Before that, it was easy to avoid danger and move along. I couldn’t make much of the story, but you might if you played it yourself.