In the year 2115, human civilization has finally left the solar system in search of other life. Only downside to this plan: whatever life they found along the way seems to have kicked the metaphorical bucket, with derelict remnants of civilizations, spacefaring or otherwise, littering the known universe.
You, the player, take on the role of a commander of a group of expendable operatives known as "deadnauts", and command them through whatever derelict ships you come across, complete a given objective (such as destroying alien artifacts or grabbing a flight log), and get everyone out safely, all the while contending with unnerving ambient noise, and various assorted means of alien-induced Interface Screws.
On top of that is the various flaws of your deadnauts, which can include claustrophobia, being inexplicably hated by their comrades, drug addiction, and many more. All from the comfort of a cozy little chamber filled with switches, screens and control panels.
Deadnaut is a squad-based real-time strategy game from Screwfly Studios, released on Steam in December 2014. It plays like a real-time interpretation of Space Hulk, with the relationship and statistical elements from the studio's previous game, Zafehouse Diaries, and the claustrophobic ambiance of CAPSULE.
Deadnaut contains examples of:
- Derelict Graveyard: An entire universe comprises this game's particular example of this.
- Ghost Ship: Every ship you and your crew visits.
- Hacking Minigame: Any deadnaut with the ability to hack can do this in the form of a top-down (instead of isometric) network view in order to unlock doors or turn turrets to their side...at least until the Watchers get involved.
- Interface Screw: Three types, no less. Watchers can dampen the three signal types going to your Deadnauts. If the AUD meter goes down, your crew probably won't receive orders. If VID goes down, the viewport starts glitching up. If DATA goes down, every other part of the interface glitches up.
- Late to the Tragedy: Every ship you investigate ends up invoking this scenario.
- Nothing Is Scarier: What few sound effects there would be on your Deadnauts' end are heavily muffled.
- Send in the Search Team: The entire framing device of the game.
