13 May 2025
In the saturated world of survival games, Outbound sets itself apart not with post-apocalyptic intensity or high-stakes survival, but through a gentle, mindful take on crafting, exploration, and environmental consciousness. Developed by the indie duo at Square Glade Games, Outbound invites players to embark on a cozy journey of off-grid living - in a stylized, hand-built world where every tree, trail, and turbine has a purpose.
I spoke with Tobi, co-founder of Square Glade Games, to learn more about the inspiration, challenges, and development journey behind this beautiful new survival title.
While many games lean into procedural generation to speed up world creation, Outbound takes a different path entirely - one paved by patience and precision.
"We want each corner of the world to feel unique and engaging," Tobi explains. "So we decided to create everything by hand — no procedural tools at all. Every tree you see in Outbound has been placed by hand, one by one."
That dedication to craftsmanship isn’t just for show. Early alpha testers and playtesters have praised the world’s personality and richness - something only achievable through the care of deliberate world-building. But this approach also came with one of the team’s biggest challenges: time.
“It takes a lot of time, but we see the results — and we see that people appreciate it.”
The seed for Outbound was planted during a drive through Germany, when Tobi passed a field of wind turbines. That moment sparked an idea: What if a survival game leaned into sustainability, rather than resource exhaustion?
“At the time, Marc and I were brainstorming ideas for our next title. After returning home, I pitched the idea to Marc, and he loved it.”
That core theme - sustainable, mindful living - evolved into the concept of vanlife survival. Unlike other games where your home base is fixed, Outbound allows players to travel with their base. A cozy van becomes your mobile refuge in a handcrafted wilderness.
Drawing visual inspiration from Firewatch and gameplay from titles like Raft and Among Trees, the team crafted a bright, flat-shaded stylized art style that leans into comfort and charm, rather than realism or grit.
“We wanted something more high fidelity than Above Snakes, our previous game, which had a low-poly style. Over time, we developed our own look — colorful, clean, and stylized.”
Square Glade Games relies on a mix of widely accessible tools to bring Outbound to life:
Unity for game development
Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma for UI and concepting
Blender for 3D modeling
Audacity for audio editing
These tools, familiar to many aspiring developers, are proof that great games don’t require massive budgets - just creativity, vision, and thoughtful planning.
When asked about sacrifices during development, Tobi points out the constant trade-offs that come with being a small team:
“Whenever we implement a new feature or content, we always have to think of scope and performance. We don’t have the same resources that AAA studios have, so we have to be very conscious of what we include — and what we don’t.”
Multiplayer, for example, wasn’t even part of the original roadmap. But as interest in the game grew, so did the team’s ambitions - and capacity.
“Initially, we didn’t plan for it to be multiplayer. Features like that were added later, once we saw strong interest and had the opportunity to grow.”
Tobi’s advice for other indie developers is simple, but hard-earned:
“Start small and build from there. Many projects fail because they never see the light of day. It’s crucial to ensure you have the capacity to finish what you start.”
By focusing on scope, sustainability, and smart pacing, Square Glade Games has turned a road-trip idea into a fully-fledged cozy survival experience - and a game that’s already turning heads in the indie community.
Outbound is currently listed on Steam and already generating buzz for its fresh take on the genre. Whether you're drawn to the idea of a portable base, a hand-crafted world, or just a chill survival experience to sink into, Outbound might be the perfect game to relax, explore, and - yes - place trees one by one.
Keep Calm and waka waka...
