DERELIKT brings its PS1-style sci-fi horror to GOG next year

Indie developer Visuwyg and publisher Hyperstrange are releasing their retro first-person shooter DERELIKT in 2026. The game was previously announced for Steam, and it will now receive a simultaneous DRM-free launch on GOG. It commits heavily to early 3D aesthetics and takes a slower, narrative-driven approach to the genre.

Rebuilding 32-bit hardware quirks

The project began as a technical research exercise to see how accurately a modern engine could replicate 32-bit visual constraints. The developer specifically cites the 2000 PlayStation port of Alien Resurrection as a primary influence for the art direction. The graphics engine replicates early 3D hardware limitations with affine texture warping, dynamic subdivision, and dithering effects.

Instead of relying on modern dynamic lights, the environments use hand-painted vertex colors to simulate lighting. The presentation extends to the story sequences, which use full motion CGI cutscenes built in the same era-appropriate low-poly style. The character models, like the outpost's Dr. Vlodnikov, have the distinct blocky geometry and low-resolution faces typical of late 90s console games.

The Saturn anomaly

The game takes place entirely on the Von Neuman Outpost. This research station is grafted directly onto the carcass of a giant space creature orbiting Saturn. You play as a solo investigator sent into the depths of the anomaly to figure out what went wrong.

The station scientists are already paranoid. They report hearing an "old song" worming its way into their heads. This sets up a cosmic horror tone heavily inspired by Doom 3 and System Shock 2. The environment blends the metallic, industrial corridors of a standard space station with the organic, fleshy interiors of the alien carcass it is attached to. You will encounter massive cave structures inside the creature. These open areas look out at Saturn's rings through gaps in the alien biology.

Survival and exploration

This is not a fast-paced arena shooter. The campaign spans 12 levels with a Metroidvania approach to progression. Players have to manage a limited inventory and solve puzzles modeled after early survival horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

You can interact with over a dozen different NPCs using a branching dialogue system. The developers have stated that talking to the remaining scientists is the only way to piece together what happened before your arrival. Combat involves both standard firearms and more outlandish weapons to fight off the organic mutations wandering the halls. You will fight spider-like alien creatures and grotesque, floating multi-eyed monsters in places like the station's mess hall. The progression is tied to a unique glyph upgrade system. You need these glyphs to access new areas of the outpost as you explore deeper into the alien structure.

Publisher Hyperstrange has built a large catalog of retro shooters over the past few years. Their lineup includes titles like Blood West and Slaughter Void. Most of their games focus on fast, aggressive combat and high enemy counts. Slowing things down for a claustrophobic, narrative-heavy survival horror game gives their publishing lineup some needed variety. The retro shooter market has plenty of fast-paced run-and-gun games right now, so a deliberate, puzzle-focused approach is a good change of pace. It hits PC storefronts in 2026.