Development Update - What We’ve Been Working On

Today we want to share an update on how development is going and what we’ve been working on these past months.

The Team Has Grown

We’ve been joined by several passionate people who truly believe in the project. Thanks to them, development has picked up speed - the story, worldbuilding, and custom assets are all moving forward much faster now.

Playtest Has Started

We’ve opened playtest sign-ups and are already sending out keys in waves. Thank you so much - we’ve received around 3,000 requests already!

If you want to take part, just go to the game’s Steam page and click the Request Access button under the screenshots.

You’ll also be able to invite up to three friends once you get access.

Story Progress

We’ve been actively working on the narrative structure. The story will feature mystery, tough choices, and even a bit of romance.

The plan is four major acts, each with around 10 quests. The full story is still in development, and for now the game ends with a free-roam phase where you can explore the world freely.

Monsters

We’ve commissioned a custom model for the main monster, giving it a more unique and unsettling look fitting the world of the game.

We’re also actively working on its AI. The creature now has multiple behavior states: Hunting, Searching, Stalking, Patrolling, and more to come — including a fake retreat behavior where it pretends to leave before attacking again. The monster will adapt and become more aggressive based on player performance.

There are also several other enemies in the game: spiders, larvae, stalkers, reapers, and even hostile survivors. Enemies can fight each other too, so you might stumble into some unexpected encounters.

The World & Level Design

The player’s bunker is now fully built, and we’re working on buildable devices that can be crafted using resources found in the world.

The city itself is well into production - a huge amount of work has gone into level design and atmosphere. About two-thirds of the map is already built, with more coming: random events, hidden stashes, traps, and environmental storytelling.

We’re aiming for an authentic Soviet atmosphere while keeping traversal tight and engaging - and of course, performance in mind.

The Other Side

The “Other Side” has also received updates.

Environmental hazards like barbed wire have been added, forcing players to move carefully. More deadly mechanics and traps are planned.

Player Progression & Systems

We’re actively working on skills, balance, items, crafting, and progression systems.

One idea currently being tested is a shop system — while we want the world to feel isolated, a delayed delivery system (items arriving to your bunker later) might strike a good balance. Let us know what you think!

What’s Next

We’ll continue expanding the playtest and giving out more keys. Our goal is to participate in Steam Next Fest with a playable demo and move toward Early Access in Q2 2026, with ongoing updates and story expansions after that.

Thanks for sticking with us - more updates coming soon!