GTFO is the upcoming hardcore cooperative FPS where players must work together to survive the horrors that lurk in the vast underground Complex and complete missions for an unknown entity. Move quietly, plan ahead, and don’t make any sudden movements or your mission just might end in disaster.

Developers 10 Chambers recently held a closed alpha for the game which I was lucky enough to be a part of. Following that composer and sound designer Simon Viklund was kind enough to shed a little light on what to expect when GTFO releases and talks about some of the influences and ideas behind the development process.

Q: The setting and atmosphere for GTFO is amazing, what were some of the main inspirations when coming up with the idea for the game?

A: Once we had decided we wanted to make a game that is hard and unforgiving – and one that truly requires players to cooperate – it was natural to go in the direction of horror. With a horror setting and scenario, the very atmosphere of the environment that the players explore makes them want to move as a unit. By itself, the theme inspires cooperation. A lot of inspiration for the look of the environment obviously comes from the Alien movies – the epitome of sci-fi horror!

Q: Can you complete it with less than 4 people? I tried with two and felt like we didn’t stand a chance – partly because we sucked.

A: Well, sucking is definitely detrimental to your chances of survival in GTFO, no doubt – but being only two players is an additional disadvantage. GTFO doesn’t currently balance its difficulty, or number of monsters, depending on the number of players in your squad – so it’s definitely recommended you play three or four players together. We know that duos and even solo players have completed the Alpha expedition – and those players have our utmost respect – but GTFO is very much a love letter to the squad FPS community. If duo/solo players have fun with it too, that’s merely incidental at this point.

Q: My friends and I didn’t manage to complete the alpha mission, have you completed it? How many times did it take you?

A: You know what, I personally haven’t actually completed it! As a developer, you play with a different mindset, often just to look at or listen for the building blocks recently added to the experience. If you play the least bit absent-mindedly, you’ll get punished real quick – and that has been my constant downfall.

Q: When the game releases how many levels or missions can we expect?

A: GTFO will not have a conventional campaign and will instead rely on a concept we’ve come up with ourselves but haven’t revealed yet. It’s based on continuous, free updates with new expeditions being provided by 10 Chambers, and we’ll reveal it very soon.

Q: With it being set in a pretty grim looking complex we will see much variety in the locations? i.e possible outside areas?

A: The game takes place in the underground Complex, but it will contain diverse environments – from run-down storage facilities to hi-tech laboratories and beyond. We have some crazy ideas that we can pursue thanks to the game’s sci-fi theme, but those things will be revealed at a later date.

Q: What different types of objectives can we expect to complete during missions?

A: The meat-and-potatoes of it is collecting objects from different parts of the Complex, bringing something in to put in a specific place or turning something off or on, etc. It all becomes truly exciting, however, when the thing you’re doing changes the environment or the conditions of the expedition – when the scenario naturally affects the gameplay. Imagine going in to turn off a power generator and then having to make your way back to the drop point in complete darkness. Or going in to pick up a filter from an air cleansing apparatus and from then on having to move through the expedition with poisonous spores filling the air, forcing you to move between oxygen refill stations to survive. GTFO will be a lot about putting a spin on things by introducing conditions that complicate something that would otherwise be rather straight-forward, and we’ll be exploring those ideas throughout the Early Access phase.

Q: I loved having to use the terminals to integrate for information; will there be much need for that throughout the whole game? And what other things might we use it for?

A: Oh, we love the terminals too! They have such potential – their area of application will definitely be expanded upon! Logbook entries that reveal backstory and lore will be found in the terminals, and new commands and functions will be added that help the players find their way through the Complex and activate systems that help players survive. The terminals will be a core element in GTFO and we have many ideas on how to expand upon its usability!

Q: The alpha had quite a few enemy types for players to get up close and personal with, what other types should we look out for in the future?

A: We’ve shown the “shadow” enemies in a trailer from 2018, and we have ideas – and some prototypes – for many more. Levitating or flying monsters that create more vertical action, monsters that can only be held off with light, and lots of crazy things. We’re trying to think of things that throw wrenches in the players’ machinery in interesting ways, and forces the players to take actions other than just firing their weapons. I have to be a little vague and secretive here – we’d rather say too little and surprise the players!

To catch more of what Simon had to say check out part 2 of our GTFO interview.