Play as robots working to reboot a dead city in sci-fi puzzler Reset

Long after we've killed ourselves off with an antibiotic-resistant strain of hyper-flu, our robot friends will keep vacuuming empty floors and pouring drinks that no one will enjoy.

Long after we've killed ourselves off with an antibiotic-resistant strain of hyper-flu, our robot friends will keep vacuuming empty floors and pouring drinks that no one will enjoy. In the slow-paced puzzle game Reset, you play as two service robots navigating your way through the clogged byways of an abandoned metropolis, trying to put the darn thing back together.

Built by a two-man independent team in Finland, Reset features the ability to travel in time in order to solve puzzles with yourself. It's a mechanic that we've seen before, but never in such a vividly realized environment. There's also a moment near the end of the trailer that hints at an accidental (and much larger) jump in time.

“We are both huge fans of sci-fi movies, especially James Cameron's stuff, so I guess a lot of stuff comes from there,” Developer Alpo Oksaharju tells PC Gamer. “Gameplay-wise, Portal and other slower-paced but intriguing titles have had a huge influence on Reset.” Oksaharju refused to talk about the story beyond confirming that the game does take place in two different time periods.

Oksaharju and his colleague Mikko Kallinen are working in the Praxis game engine, which allows them to capture some incredible art straight from the game. As Oksaharju writes on his devblog, “Everything you see in the trailer is straight from the in-game engine, no up-ressed textures, geometry or effects. What you see is what you will get. Except hopefully a little bit better since we're not even in alpha yet.”

Reset will be launching an indiegogo campaign for funds in the next couple of days, but they've already got my attention.