I am very good at surviving. So far, I’ve made it 24 years, and I’ve only forgotten how to eat, panicked, fashioned a spear out of a busted broom and a butter knife, and attempted to slay my refrigerator, like, six or seven times. But I can’t take all of the credit for that sterling record. Games taught me countless survival tips and tricks, like how to punch another grown adult until they disappear and leave behind a fully cooked turkey. Eidolon, however, might just elevate my skills to a whole new level – while also delighting me with natural wonderment in the process. It looks to be a fusion of the ever-popular survival sandbox genre and Proteus, so basically the game that a lot of people wanted Proteus to be.

The twist? Eidolon takes place in “a dreary and mystical Western Washington” circa the year 2400. You, meanwhile, are digging up the bones and books that make up humanity’s collective corpse. Proteus meets Fallout? Yes please.

Here’s how it works:

“Eidolon is a game about exploring a mysterious landscape and uncovering the stories of the people who lived there once before. It is a game about history, curiosity, interconnectedness, and the slow and inevitable beauty of life.” “You will be dropped into the dreary and mystical Western Washington circa 2400 c.e. with a bow, fishing rod, and little to guide your way. Awaiting you is a vast landscape filled with wildlife, edible plants, and the historical artefacts of our now-dead culture — journals, newspapers, zines, brochures, transcripts, and more. You must spend your fleeting moments moving through this place, collecting what was left behind, and piecing together what happened to these people, both from a historical perspective and from a much more personal one.”

It really does sound enticingly special (not to mention like My Kind Of Thing), almost a fusion of Proteus’ awe-worthy vistas and Fallout’s pseudo-modern archaeology. Of course, what matters most is how it stands on its own two feet, and a lush painterly art style and interesting concept certainly inspire confidence.

Eidolon is set to release sometime toward the middle of 2014. Apparently, though, we’ll get a trailer in the coming weeks, to compliment some handsome screenshots you can shuffle through on IndieDB. Fleeting morsels, but enough to sate us until the game more fully emerges from the silent woods of game development. Or, you know, until it winds up on Kickstarter/Early Access, as all games of our time ultimately do.

Thanks, Indie Statik.