'ROUTINE is an excellent puzzle-focused first-person horror game that, despite its slow pacing, is able to keep you at the edge of your seat for 10 hours straight, with a tense, rich atmosphere created by wonderful execution of its retro futuristic aesthetic and stunning soundscape that immerses you in its world and gets you listening for the sound of a pin drop to avoid getting caught. Its narrative may be unable to shine through, but at the end of the day, it is altogether an interesting game, a game worth playing again, and the game that Alien: Isolation fans should play while we all wait for Alien: Isolation 2.'
Mahi from NoobFeed writes: ROUTINE is a work of focused horror design. It focuses on mood rather than show, immersion rather than ease of access, and conflict rather than power fantasy. The game does a great job with interface design, environmental stories, and sound effects. ROUTINE works because it trusts people to think about what they do instead of just reacting.
Travis Bruno of Capsule Computers writes:
"It came as something of a surprise to learn that when Routine was released it had actually been a game that was first announced over thirteen years ago. Despite the slew of horror games and retro-futuristic titles that came afterwards, Lunar Software persisted with their vision in creating a horror game that does everything it can to make sure players are kept on their toes as well as immersed in the experience as possible by leaving them hanging with every puzzle and navigating the creepy halls of the lunar base. The question is, while the wait was a long one, has Routine turned out to be a success, or a routine failure?"
