Magic Design Studios, the developer behind 2022’s excellent Have a Nice Death, has revealed its newest project, called Nautus. It’s double-sided exploration game, where things are cozy and comfortable on the island surface, but when you take your upgradeable and customizable submarine below the water, things get far more mysterious. It’s playable solo or in four-player co-op, and it’s in development for PC.
The team describes Nautus’s setup like this: “After getting an unsettling radio message from your uncle you’ll go out on an adventure, where you arrive at the remote N.A.U.T.U.S. research station only to find the local scientists have lost their memories and developed a paralyzing phobia of the ocean. As the only one brave enough to face the deep, you must take the helm of an upgradable submarine, encounter and at times, fight off mutant creatures, and recover hidden, mysterious artifact stones to restore the inhabitants’ memories and uncover the truth.” Watch the first trailer above and check out the first screenshots in the gallery below.
You’ll craft, manage resources, explore, pilot your submarine, befriend the island’s locals, search for ancient relics along with your missing uncle, and build and customize your own outpost. Nautus is targeting a Steam Early Access launch sometime in 2027. Wishlist it on Steam if you’re interested.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, and a co-host of Next-Gen Console Watch. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
