Serum

Where a failing timer implanted in the player's arm can only be delayed by finding or brewing doses of a mysterious substance called Serum.

The player wakes in a sewer system after the Blight, an unspecified disaster, with a countdown visible on their arm that only injecting Serum can push back. Exploration across different biomes turns up resources, clues about what happened before the disaster, and ingredients used to craft tools, traps and weapons for fending off mutated creatures encountered along the way.

A brewing system lets the player combine gathered ingredients into different mixtures of Serum, each with its own effects on the timer. Health or combat ability, giving dozens of possible combinations to experiment with. Combat relies on melee weapons, bows and thrown spears against hostile creatures, while managing health, stamina and the side effects of whichever Serum mixture is currently in the player's system.

• Implanted Timer A visible countdown on the player's arm creates constant pressure to find or brew more Serum before time runs out.
• Serum Brewing Gathered ingredients combine into dozens of possible Serum mixtures, each altering the timer, health or combat ability differently.
• Biome Exploration Different biomes hold resources, crafting materials and clues about the disaster that created the current world.
• Improvised Weapons Players craft and use melee, ranged and thrown weapons such as clubs, bows and spears to fight mutated creatures.