Encased tells the story of a disastrous research project inside an anomalous zone - the Dome - built in the middle of a desert by an unknown civilization.

The events of the game happen under the Dome - an artificial construction of unknown origin that is shaped like a sheer half-sphere with a small aperture at the top. The Dome is indestructible. Technology, items, and relics can be extracted from it, but people who enter the Dome cannot leave. Beneath the earth, yet more mystery awaits, as the Dome is just the cap of an enormous complex hidden under the sands. Ancient underground labyrinths contain bountiful artifacts, weapons and artificial intelligence systems that control the whole complex… not to mention lethal traps and curious anomalies that guard these riches.

Research and exploration of the Dome are conducted by staff of the C.R.O.N.U.S. Foundation - an international corporation and a state-within-a-state. To the outside world, little is known about the inner workings of C.R.O.N.U.S. Those that sign up for a life within the Dome do not speak of their experiences, and those managing the Foundation from outside speak even less. Thanks to the bounty extracted from the Dome, C.R.O.N.U.S. have become powerful enough to hold sway over the leaders of the world. Now, the fate of the entire planet rests in the hands of the soldiers, businessmen, scientists and even criminals who comprise their ranks.

However, within the Dome, something is changing. Another power has arisen - something never faced by explorers before. As a direct result of actions performed by the expedition of the player’s character, an intelligent entity has awakened in the depths of the underground complex - an unstable AI nicknamed Maelstrom. Upon breaking loose, it will change the world under the Dome beyond recognition - all connection to the outside world is lost, and the denizens trapped within the Dome become desperate and split into warring factions.

Encased takes place in an open world consisting of more than 200 locations, with over 100 side-quests and 75 random events. During the main story, featuring 30+ hours of gameplay, players can choose to join one of the five main factions or remain neutral. The player’s every action, decision and criminal act will affect our hero’s reputation and the development of the plot.

Redesigned role-playing system, new abilities and skills, rebalanced battle mechanics, stealth and non-lethal weapons, updated locations, additional side-quests, tons of new weapons and equipment, additional animations and effects and a lot more is waiting for you in the new content expansion for Encased.

Thanks to the spring patch number 2 we got amazing feedback from the players! It was as always concrete, passionate and at the same time motivating. That’s why in the third update we added long-awaited mechanics such as stealth and reworked the most important element — the role-playing system.

The purpose of the changes in the role-playing system is to expand the player's options while creating an in-game character. We want you to be able to distribute the attributes on your own and get serious combat advantages.

Now the whole system works differently:

• Action Points no longer depend only on Agility, now both Luck and Agility increase them equally.
• Each branch of combat skills is now tied to two main attributes, rather than one, and has a number of additional attributes.
• Options for creating a character with the most personalized tactics were expanded. The player is free to choose his own path, rather than follow the only road left to him by a game-designer.

You waited for it, and we finally added: Stealth! Now the protagonist can go into stealth mode to avoid uncomfortable enemies or complete a quest in a new way. Stealth Mode reveals additional aspects of many abilities. It not only increases damage, but also the chance for additional action.

We know that for you, avid RPG players, the atmosphere is very important! We want the Encased world to feel realistic and alive. To get closer to this goal, we have updated many locations. Not only do they look different, now you will meet new NPCs that can give you additional quests, tell a joke or trade with the player. Your companions will also react to in-game events, other characters and generally behave in a very different way now.

Even though the third content patch is the last update for the early access of Encased, this is not the end. Right now the Dark Crystal Games team is coming to the finish line, beyond which is the full Encased release. In the third patch you will encounter new side-quests, but the main plot will remain a mystery until the release version. Now we will focus our attention on the story content and polishing of already existing mechanics. So get ready, adventurers. More Dome puzzles, wasteland adventures and battles with crazy enemies are waiting for you.

In addition to that, today we launch a special offer for everyone who wants to get under the Dome. 20% discount on an unforgettable journey with our Steam partner!

Now we're going to reveal the full list of changes, fixes and modifications of the version 0.18.813.1850:

New objects and art

• Building types: research modules, town buildings, underground structures;
• Biome elements;
• Weapons of different degrees of deadliness: particle accelerator "Supernova", dart gun "Wasp", acid gun "Viper", disc thrower "Slingshot";
• Non-lethal weapons: sprays with pepper and sleeping gas, taser;
• Models of inventory items: food, items, books;
• Models of tools: teleporter, cloaking devices;
• Equipment of the Phalanx and the Church factions;
• Models of truck vehicles;
• Redesign of weapons to match manufacturer styles;
• NPC portraits for the Phalanx and the Church factions;

Updated and renewed locations

• Concord station;
• Parking lots of Magellan and Nashville;
• Renewed Sonora bunker;
• Radioactive cemetery;
• Crossroads location;
• Location with weapon dealer shop;
• Enter into Kaleidoscope project bunker;
• Kaleidoscope project bunker and ventilation on the technical floor of Magellan;
• Technical floor of Magellan;
• Some smaller locations were completely remade;
• Sewers;
• All toilets on all location :);

Technical changes

• Status effects active within a certain radius from the object or character have been improved;
• Reworked companion behavior;
• Reworked combat system;
• Reworked addictions to alcohol and various other substances;
• Reworked death status;
• Difficulty levels;
• Profile system;
• Added new character parameters: Learning ability, Skill Points, Inspiration and Authority. "Learning ability" shows how much experience a character gains from certain actions; "Skill Points" shows how many corresponding points the character will gain as his level increases; "Inspiration" increases party evasion rate from enemy attacks; "Authority" increases the chance of critical hit for your party;

New animations and effects

• Visual effects for new combat abilities and the weapon itself;
• Visual effects for non-combat abilities;
• Ability sounds;
• Combat animations: jumps, knockdown, push forward and back;
• Turrets animation;

Story and plot

• New random encounters;
• Random encounters during sleep;
• New side-quests;
• Companion reactions to in-game events;
• NPC reactions to player companions;
• Added an option to skip a part of tutorial;
• Added the path for the Orange Wing in the "Detective" quest;
• Puzzle in the Nashville cave;
• Special prologue playthrough for the mentally powerless character (with the Indicator of Brains equal to no more than 2 points);

Combat, equipment and weapons

• A lot of new abilities for each weapon class;
• Dozens of new perks, reworked old perks;
• New types of weapons and equipment of different quality with new icons and models have been added to the game;
• Reworked properties and parameters of weapons and equipment;
• New equipment: portable teleporter;
• New items: training books, strengthening and health restoration items for robotic partners;
• New equipment for Wings;
• Fleshed out recipes and the possibility of gradual improvement of weapons, with improved quality and transition between tiers;
• New relics;
• New enemies with new abilities;

Gameplay mechanics

• A redesigned progression of skills such as Hacking, Stealing, Barter;
• "Leadership" skills are now combined with "Communication" skills;
• "Gambling" skills are now combined with "Criminal" skills;
• Some psionic abilities now increase fatigue after use;
• Added "Teleportation" ability;
• Some weapons now have a "cone" damage zone (flamethrower, chemical sprayer, etc.).;
• Added spread of shotgun pellets (multi-target attack);
• Added stealth mode;
• You can now play through the game without killing anybody.

Key Features:

• Combat: The combat mechanics of Encased are turn-based and battles have a wide variety of tactical options. The player will be able to target the enemy’s key fighters or the enemy’s support, exhaust the enemy, attack using the environment, use non-combat skills to weaken the foes, and more. In developing Encased’s combat system, we are guided by the following principles: battles should be brief, dynamic and complex, each one a tactical puzzle with multiple solutions.
• Role-Playing: Experienced players will quickly notice similarities with Fallout and other classic RPGs. This will let the player quickly figure out the role-playing system of the game without reading manuals or failing builds. Layered on top of the familiar, we add our own system of perks and skills, forcing the player to make a complicated and interesting choice every time they gain a new level.
• Maelstrom: The unstable AI Maelstrom is one of the unique features of the game. Maelstrom is intelligent, it can interact with the player and even fulfill their wishes (but everything comes at a price, of course). However, Maelstrom is more than just a character: it’s an enigmatic power that destroys the minds of intelligent beings. Its influence is especially potent within the center of the Dome, so wise players will stick near the borders in the beginning of the game. In addition to the above, Maelstrom affects the performance of some skills and perks.
• Crime System: When committing crimes against society, the player character receives various penalties and begins to accrue a reputation: from ‘Petty Thief’ to ‘Enemy of the State #1’ or even ‘Threat to Humanity.’ Crime begets punishment. The player character can be fined, imprisoned and even executed. There are options to bribe judges, organize a jailbreak or pass the trial in the ‘Labyrinth of Death’ (needless to say, surviving this is a challenge).
• Character Creation Prototype: Although the game isn’t ready to play yet, you can already take a sneak peek at character creation and make a lasting impact on the finished game in the process. Our character creation system includes choosing stats and making a biography for your character. Each and every character created in the Encased character creation prototype will be added to the records of the C.R.O.N.U.S database, leaving a permanent mark on the finished game. The best biographies will also be used as prototypes for C.R.O.N.U.S. employee NPCs.

Currently available through Steam Early Access, Encased is in development for PC scheduled for release in 2020.