Dead Astronauts has officially unveiled HAEX, a new atmospheric first-person survival shooter that blends co-op exploration, survival mechanics, and paranormal horror. The studio revealed its debut project during Summer Game Fest, offering a first look at a mysterious world consumed by an alien mist.
Developed by a team that includes veterans from Massive Entertainment and Epic Games, HAEX is planned for solo play or co-op groups of up to four players.
Survive an Alien-Scarred Wilderness
HAEX begins after a helicopter crash deep in a sub-arctic region where a mysterious anomaly has appeared.
Players take on the role of members of a scientific expedition sent to investigate the phenomenon. After waking from the crash, they discover that several members of the team have disappeared.
The search for those missing colleagues becomes the foundation for a larger mystery involving strange creatures, alien machines, and a hostile wilderness slowly being transformed by the anomaly.
The Environment Is Just as Dangerous as the Monsters
Survival is a major focus of HAEX.
Players must manage cold exposure, hunger, thirst, and resource gathering while preparing equipment for expeditions into the mist. Venturing farther from safety offers greater rewards but also introduces more dangerous enemies and environmental hazards.
According to Dead Astronauts, the wilderness can be just as deadly as the creatures emerging from the anomaly.
Flexible Combat and Survival Tools
As players push deeper into the world, they will encounter a growing variety of threats that require different strategies.
Combat includes firearms, heavy melee weapons, and specialized survival gadgets designed to help players adapt to different situations. Loadout preparation plays a major role, encouraging players to think carefully before entering dangerous areas.
The game supports solo play but is also built around cooperative exploration with up to three friends.
Reshape the World With Alien Seeds
One of HAEX’s most unusual mechanics involves alien seeds.
Players can discover or craft these seeds and plant them throughout the world. Doing so changes the environment itself, opening new pathways, revealing resources, and altering the landscape’s structure.
Some changes may prove helpful, while others could introduce new risks.
Persistent Characters and Separate Worlds
Progression in HAEX carries across sessions.
Players can bring fully equipped characters into any world, including a friend’s game. Characters and worlds are stored separately, allowing each world to maintain its own story progression and state while preserving individual character development.
Creative Director and Co-Founder Tobias Nyman said the team’s goal is to create an open-world survival adventure that encourages discovery while allowing players to shape the world around them.
HAEX is currently in development. A release window has not yet been announced.
