On July 24, an all-new extraction shooter surfaced on Steam after a couple of years of development. It’s an early-access title that walks the line between straight extraction and horror, fusing an Escape from Tarkov vibe with a Stranger Things aesthetic. It’s from a small indie studio called DeadGrass Games, and it’s managing to do a few things very well, considering it’s super low budget.
It’s called Dreadweave, and it plants players in a post-Soviet world, presents them with a series of quests to complete, and challenges them with surviving a very harsh and haunted environment.
Dreadweave is Small But Mighty
Dreadweave represents a bold attempt to innovate in the extraction space, and it has an ambitious roadmap lined up to facilitate growth through an early access period. It dropped on Steam on July 24 after a few rounds of tests and some demo updates, and right off the bat, it was clear that it had some promise.
In Dreadweave, you wind up in a world fractured by a reality-tearing event. Mutants have found their way into the real world, but you can pass through to the ‘Other Side’, which is effectively a replication of Stranger Things’ Upside Down. It’s the same world, but it’s infested with harrowing creatures, tendrils, red lightning, and thick fog.
This also works as a salvation mechanic, strangely enough. When you die in the real world, you’ll be transported to the Other Side and given one last chance to save your own life, making it back to your hideout and to safety.
There are mechanics that allow you to level up and expand your hideout; there are three simple skill trees, a trading function, multiple quests to pursue, and the need to maintain armor, weapons, and other equipment. It’s all very Escape from Tarkov-coded, but there’s that Stranger Things disturbing horror vibe below the surface.
Dreadweave also has basic survival mechanics. You need to stay warm, keep your health in tip-top shape, and maintain your inventory so you don’t get overweight.
DeadGrass Games intends to fully release Dreadweave in just over a year, and between then and now, there are plenty of updates planned:
- Multiple new districts
- New story missions
- Fresh factions
- Story conclusion
- New weapons and upgrades
- New monsters and AI upgrades
The team spoke on Steam about their mission:
We’re a small team building something we believe in, and early access is part of that process. Dates will shift, plans will change, and some of the best ideas will come from you. That’s the point: we’re figuring out Dreadweave together.
It’s a little janky in parts, but the bones of Dreadweave are pretty damn solid. I can see myself enjoying this game, and it has a negligible price tag that, at the time of writing, is enjoying a launch discount.
It’s well worth a shout if you’re hunting for a single-player extraction title with a neat horror-based twist and some basic survival mechanics. It could evolve into something great.
Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server if Dreadweave is your kind of game.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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