Glaciered: Everything We Know

Japanese developer Studio Snowblind has teased the blueprints for its upcoming aquatic action-adventure game, Glaciered. The game, which will look to answer the century-old question of what the earth will look like in 65 million years’ time, will transport players to the core of a planet submerged in ice and crystallized biomes. As a Tuai—“a species that evolved from birds”—you will have the opportunity to peel back the frozen layers of a world torn in two and explore vast new depths and tidal waters. In other words, it’ll be a fledgling marine biologist’s wet dream. Sorry.

It isn’t due out for a good year or so yet, so don’t expect to be delving into the deep blue waters anytime soon. With that said, if you are interested in learning all there is to know about the upcoming indie adventure, then be sure to read on. Here’s everything we can currently tell you about Glaciered.

What Is Glaciered?

Glaciered is a third-person action-adventure game in which players explore the endless depths of the “Everwinter”—an ice-smothered period in which “aquatic plants grow from glacier skies and colorful, bioluminescent fish light the seafloor.” Set in the distant future, the game will follow a new type of winged guardian—the Tuai, whose sole purpose is to protect the sub-level inhabitants from the threats that occupy the surface.

“Discover unique ecosystems spread across an ocean Earth 65 million years in the future,” the game’s description teases. “Visit grasslands growing from icy skies, swim past schools of thermophilic fish coating the seafloor, and fend off members of the Crocodilia family that have been freed from gravity's grip and grown to enormous size.”

From what we’ve gathered so far, Glaciered will feature a mixture of elements, with the most notable being its fast-paced combat and deep-sea exploration. It’ll also include a selection of customizable components, too, which will effectively allow players to create their own guardians, and unlock new abilities to boost their overall performance in and around the battlefield.

Story

So, we know one thing’s for certain: Earth as we know it has been torn apart and left to a new master—a rather cold, uncontrollable force of nature that’s brought forth an endless winter. With that said, an endless winter isn’t the problem here, nor is it the primary focal point of the Glaciered’s story, either. In fact, the story will revolve around the dawn of a new era, and one species’ desperate attempt to keep a lid on the current one — the Everwinter.

“A new species prospers in this new golden age of life,” the description explains. “They are the Tuai, descended from birds and successors of the dinosaurs. The superior intellect and unique metabolism they evolved over millions of years secured their prosperity in this icy environment. The great Ice Age that nurtures this bountiful ecosystem will survive for as long as the Everwinter persists.” The only issue here is, well, there’s a looming threat that yearns to put an end to the Everwinter, which means you’ll need to do all in your power to stop it. Easy enough, right?

Gameplay

According to the devs, players will have the opportunity to customize their characters by “combining various abilities and passive skills like high-speed swimming that creates tunnels of supercritical water, temporal crystal blades, and more.” In addition to this, “Glaciered features real-time, dynamic combat that combines melee and ranged attacks with special abilities.”

As players in this aquatic realm, you will need to “unleash the power within the Tuai avian and dinosaur bloodlines and harness their ability to control heat and cold.” So, if you had high hopes of being able to swim freely without the risk of being exposed to danger, then you might be in for a bit of a shock. As it turns out, these waters won’t be as calm as they appear from the shoreline.

Development

To give you a clearer picture on the game’s current status, Glaciered is being developed by just the one person. As a result of this, the final product isn’t likely to see the light of day for quite some time. Having said that, Studio Snowblind did go on to say a couple of months back that the action gameplay was “mostly complete.” So, with any luck, we’ll be seeing a few more teasers pitch up over the course of 2024.

“The core action gameplay is mostly complete, and right now I’m working on the various creatures and stages to flesh out the world of the game,” the solo developer wrote in a blog post back in November 2023. To see even more of that, you can check out the devlog handle here.

Trailer

Yes, there is a trailer of Glaciered already ashore. If you’re keen to see more of the upcoming oceanic adventure ahead of its global release, then be sure to check out the initial announcement trailer above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Glaciered will be launching on PC via Steam at some stage in 2025. For this reason alone, it isn’t likely that we’ll be seeing the game arrive on the likes of Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch at any point in the distant future. If, however, there is a port in the pipeline, then Studio Snowblind is sure to shed light on the matter throughout the initial rollout phase.

Interested in staying up to date with Glaciered? If so, then be sure to check in with the devs over at Studio Snowblind for all the latest developments via their official social handle here. If anything does change ahead of its hopeful 2025 launch, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Glaciered when it arrives on PC in 2025? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.