PROJECT D – A Multiplayer Survival Game that lets you Explore a Post-Apocalyptic World on Horseback

Over the past few years – ever since Steam added their “Early Access” feature in 2013, really – the indie gaming world has seen a myriad of Early Access Open World Survival Games pop up, overpromise, underdeliver and get abandoned.

Even now that this DayZ-induced trend has mostly run its course, many players react to announcements in the genre with scepticism. I am no different. And yet, when such an open world survival game promises extensive horse features, I have to keep a close eye on it at the very least.

PROJECT D: Human Risen is just such a game, currently in development by Indonesian studio Cat Games and scheduled for a 2020 Early Access release according to its Steam page.

Project D: Human Risen is a multiplayer survival game with many islands to explore, build unique vehicles, and survive where players are the last human on earth. Each island will have it own biome and weather. Player will also face many life threatening encountered like mutated plant and animal, extreme weather, wild animal, and deadly disease.

— from IndieGogo

On Twitter, the developers promise that players will be able to summon horses from a distance and use weapons on horseback, and that the equine companions will have their own inventory to help carry goods. More notably, horses will have the ability to “eat, drink, attack and endure”, the developers say.

In a horse-focused trailer, Project D shows a richly designed world and decent horse animations. Other screenshots from the game show a crafting interface, basebuilding functionality, vehicles, underwater exploration and more.

To my eye, the project looks incredibly ambitious for an inexperienced team (Cat Games’ Steam page has no other entries), but perhaps the world and horses will be pretty enough for the game to be worthwhile on their own?

I will definitely be following Project D’s development and send a few bucks to their campaign. If you’d like to do the same, find the game’s Twitter account here, or check out their IndieGogo campaign right here.

Project D: Human Risen will be coming to Steam in 2020.