Lovecraftian extraction shooter Waste The Fallen announced

If the industry latches onto a trend, it will milk it to the very end.

South Korean studio Royal Crow has announced Waste The Fallen — a first-person extraction shooter set in a Lovecraftian cosmic horror setting. The game will be released on PC via Steam.

The developers also announced a closed alpha test, which will run from September 4 to 8.

Waste The Fallen producer Bennam Choi said that the team wanted to create an extraction shooter that doesn't punish players for simply participating. According to him, the developers were inspired by the rich history of Korean horror and sought to transfer the appropriate atmosphere into a first-person shooter with elements of Lovecraftian horror.

At the same time, fear in the game should build up gradually, and the gameplay structure itself should encourage curiosity and exploration. The developers specifically emphasized that they do not want to turn every mistake into a loss of everything accumulated.

Waste The Fallen takes place in the Deep — a ruined world where players face monstrous Fallen, who appeared after a catastrophe, as well as other marauders called Deviants.

Players will have to venture into dangerous zones alone or with a squad of up to three people, collect weapons, materials, and rare items, and then try to escape alive.

Each raid is different: in addition to other players, the Fallen and the environment itself pose a threat. The deeper you manage to go, the more valuable the loot, but at the same time, the risk of encountering monsters also increases.

Collected resources can be used to upgrade a special device that each Deviant possesses. Its development unlocks new abilities and expands the character's capabilities.

Royal Crow relies on gradual psychological tension. The Fallen track players among the ruins, the environment becomes increasingly hostile, and prolonged stays in the zone make what is happening seem more and more wrong.

The game will feature a Sanity system, which must be monitored during exploration. Survival will require not only accurate shooting but also the ability to listen to what is happening around: players will have to pay attention to silence, gunshots, and timely decide whether to engage in battle or retreat.

The developers also aim to make the risk system more friendly. A large safe will allow you to save more loot, and an accessible crafting system should help you quickly recover after an unsuccessful raid.

Players will be able to both avoid encounters with other Deviants and purposefully hunt them for their loot. Thus, each trip to a dangerous zone will be built around a choice between potential reward and risk.

Between expeditions, players will be able to return to their shelter, develop crafting stations, unlock new blueprints, and create more advanced equipment. The shelter will become part of a long-term progression system and will allow players to prepare for further descents into the Deep.