Hi, Steam!
I just wanted to let you all know that I appreciate your patience so much, and I'm still working on getting Surrounded: Rebuild ready for launch. This last year has been packed with a lot of work, and though I've tried to keep the Discord as up to date as possible, I figured it was time for a Steam post. This will have some new information, but also info that’s been previously accessible in the Discord.
First off, we’re still aiming to release this year. I'm a one-man team and the only one working on it, so it still does take some time, but progress is steady.
What's new in the rebuild compared to the old Surrounded?
Well, a lot. Such as:
For the OGs (Day & Night)
If you’ve been following Surrounded since its early TikTok days in 2020–2021, you know we’ve always planned to include a dynamic day-and-night cycle as a core feature. That feature is finally returning! Surrounded will now have a fully integrated day-and-night cycle that drastically affects gameplay depending on the time of day.
Way Better Visuals
Surrounded now utilizes Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen and Nanite systems, delivering outstanding visual quality. Lumen’s advanced lighting significantly enhances the atmosphere, creating a more immersive and realistic experience.
Protecting Yourself
In the Surrounded rebuild, you protect yourself not with weapons, but through strategic gameplay. Find something lying around? Throw it! Old cans, rocks, branches, use whatever you need to escape tricky situations. You’ll also be able to lock doors, barricade yourself inside rooms, or even block access to ladders leading to attics. Co-op players will be able to hold doors shut if there’s ever something on the other side trying to break in.
Puzzles
The puzzles in Surrounded are vastly different from what you might expect, they aren't randomized in the typical way. Our puzzles are primarily story-driven, meaning you won’t necessarily need specific items to advance. Instead, you’ll progress by learning what to do and when to do it through exploration and gameplay.
Map Progression
Progression throughout the chapter is vastly different from what you’re used to. The map is divided into zones, separated by gates that serve as checkpoints. Each zone introduces new monsters, puzzles, mechanics, environments, and lore to uncover.
Reworked Creatures
The monster designs previously felt unfair and lifeless. This has completely changed in the rebuild, ensuring every creature now feels fair and balanced. Most of them have received texture updates, rescaling, and improved animations. We’ve also added some incredible new, hand-crafted creatures that we can’t wait to show you all.
Personal Note
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you’re just as excited as I am to share what I’ve been working on. Surrounded was my childhood dream game when I was 14, and I started development of it when I was 16 with no prior experience, which led to it being a mess on release, there’s no denying that. I was uneducated, unaware, and way too young to take on that big of a game, especially with the game being in "development hell," switching engines, switching routes throughout development, and never having a clear vision.
Years later, I’m a lot older, with industry experience and a properly structured workflow, which really reflects on the final result of the game.
I hope you enjoy these new, never-before-seen & discord-exclusive teasers of the rebuild. A trailer is also in the works!
Cheers,
Patrick @ Nightmare Studios
