Set in 2083, decades after the Quiet Collapse, The Caretaker’s Lease drops you alone onto Sagewater Island, a remote wild reserve managed by the Sage Creek Outfitters. You’re the new caretaker assigned to a slice of this island to monitor wildlife, manage camps, and determine if the land is still viable. The last caretaker vanished without a trace. Armed with only a stocked cabin and a crackling radio, you must survive the winter—and whatever lurks in the silence.
(This title is currently in Early Access. Features will expand as development continues, and a public roadmap is planned.)
Gameplay
Grounded survival hunting – No glowing trails, no waypoints. You track animals by reading real signs: footprints in snow, blood trails, and sound. Future updates will expand tracking to mud, broken branches, and more.
Trapping & realistic blood tracking – Set traps to catch smaller game and follow blood trails to find wounded animals. Shot placement matters: every hit determines organ damage, bleed rate, and blood color.
Realistic meat weight & skinning – Every kill counts. Skin, process, and pack what you can carry. Carry weight matters and will affect your movement and stamina in future updates.
Dynamic antlers & animal behavior – Antlers grow based on age, genetics, and nutrition. No two animals are the same, and predator/prey behavior changes with weather and time of year.
Tag system with consequences – Large game requires a limited set of tags issued by your outfitters. Taking the wrong animal ends your contract. Trappable animals and rogue threats may be exempt, but mistakes have consequences.
Poachers & emergent threats – Stay alert: not everyone on Sagewater Island is friendly. Poachers and other human threats can appear when you least expect them.
Legendary animals (“Ghosts”) – Each region hides a near‑mythical animal. Sometimes it’s a predator; sometimes it’s prey. If you see it, you might get only one shot.
Jeb’s journal & story mysteries – Discover scattered pages from the previous caretaker. Learn survival tricks and uncover a slow‑burn horror narrative that explores why the last caretaker disappeared and what the Quiet Collapse left behind.
Other hunters & emergent encounters – Occasionally cross paths with other outfitters. Some trade sightings. Some don’t say a word. None stay long.
Atmosphere
The Caretaker’s Lease blends realistic hunting simulation with a chilling sense of isolation. There’s no plague, no bombs—just too much optimization and trust. The world is quieter, colder, and far more wild. You’re here to do a job, but the longer you stay, the more the land reveals about itself… and about you.
And it doesn’t just whisper back it remembers.
Notes left behind by the last caretaker suggest something deeper than tracks and tags.
“Blood runs warm beneath the frost…”
Some say it’s just a myth. Others say that’s why no one returns after winter.
Locals whisper about old myths things that walk when the snow falls, creatures the Quiet Collapse never erased.
Some say they’re just stories to scare new caretakers. Others swear the woods remember every scream.
