A new open-world survival game called Rerouted is heading to PC, challenging players to survive the unforgiving northern wilderness alone or alongside a group of friends.
Developed and published by indie studio Tooman, Rerouted drops players deep into the wilderness after what should have been a relatively simple journey home goes badly wrong. With civilisation far away, players will need to navigate forests, swamps, rivers and mountain passes while dealing with hunger, freezing temperatures and dangerous wildlife.
Rather than relying on GPS markers to guide players around its world, Rerouted puts a greater emphasis on traditional navigation. Players will need to read maps, use a compass and recognise natural landmarks to determine where they are and which direction they need to travel.
Survival also means living off the land. Hunting, fishing and foraging can provide food and resources, while players can cook over open fires and craft tools needed for their journey.
Temporary camps will play an important role as conditions become more dangerous. Players can build and improve shelters, warm themselves around a fire and prepare supplies before continuing deeper into the wilderness.
Wildlife Can Actually Hear You
One of Rerouted’s most interesting features involves its wildlife and proximity voice chat.
Bears, wolves and other animals will react to players entering their territory, but they can also hear players through the game’s proximity voice system. This potentially means that loudly talking to your friends at the wrong moment could alert a nearby predator to your location.
It also means combat isn’t necessarily the best solution to every encounter. Keeping quiet and avoiding dangerous animals can sometimes be a much safer option than attempting to fight them.
It’s an unusual mechanic that could create some memorable multiplayer moments, particularly when a group desperately trying to remain quiet encounters something dangerous in the forest.
Four Player Co Op Survival
Rerouted can be played entirely solo, but it also supports online co op for groups of up to four players.
Friends can travel together, share supplies and protect one another as they attempt to find their way home. Judging by the game’s description, Tooman isn’t taking the experience completely seriously either, with plenty of opportunities for friendships to fall apart when food becomes scarce or a bear appears.
The combination of open-world exploration, survival mechanics, realistic navigation and proximity voice chat could help Rerouted stand out in an increasingly crowded survival genre.
Rerouted does not currently have a confirmed release date, with its Steam page simply listing it as “Coming soon.” The game is currently announced for PC and can already be added to players’ Steam wishlists.