Gone Home’s Creator Returns with Springs, Eternal: A Lo-Fi Journey Through Lost Memories

Fullbright, the indie studio behind cult favourite Gone Home, has just pulled back the curtain on Springs, Eternal, its newest game set for PC next year. This is a narrative adventure built around low-fi visuals and an uncanny sense of nostalgia, where lost souls gather in a “half-remembered otherworld.” The game blends wistful exploration with retro graphics reminiscent of late 1990s PC and console classics.

Revealed in a stylishly moody trailer, Springs, Eternal is the latest project helmed by Steve Gaynor. The Fullbright studio of today is a very different beast than it was during Gone Home‘s release. After a public reckoning over Gaynor’s workplace conduct in 2023, the developer now works solo. Since then, Gaynor’s been turning out smaller, offbeat titles, including Toilet Spiders. This new project continues that lo-fi trend with a larger, more ambitious twist.

Lost Souls and Lo-Fi Memories in Stillwater

The setting? Stillwater, an isolated mountain retreat nestled in a vast, shadowy forest. It’s a place of “soothing waters” and “dark, winding paths,” designed to feel like a dream you can’t quite remember. You arrive, drawn by the weight of a past relationship, and those memories start to surface through flashbacks during your stay.

Rather than just another walking sim, Springs, Eternal invites you to roam an open-structure world for two to three hours. You’ll explore pools glittering in purple light, slip into steamy saunas, wander through spelunking caverns, and even poke around the resort’s grand lodge. The visuals are angular and pixelated, with a lo-fi palette straight out of a forgotten PlayStation disc, deliberately keeping things hazy, evocative, and distinct. It’s meant to make you feel like you’re remembering a place from your childhood you’d only ever visited in a fever dream.

As you navigate Stillwater’s secluded grounds, you’ll cross paths with more than a dozen other characters, each with their own intriguing backstory. One moment, you might get roped into a debate with philosophers who could argue forever, the next you’re meeting a tattoo artist “waiting to inscribe you with your future.” Dialogues branch, promising unique perspectives and discoveries, no matter how you approach the world.

A Narrative Legacy in a New Form

If the premise and structure sound familiar, that’s not a coincidence. Springs, Eternal draws clear lines back to Gone Home, not just with its focus on first-person exploration and story, but with its atmospheric approach. The difference now is the lo-fi presentation and the supernatural twist on its setting’s reality.

While the game explores moody, sometimes ominous territory, danger takes on a new form. As the official announcement nods: “The dark paths you walk are ominous, but you can’t die… can you?” The threat is emotional rather than physical, keeping players tense without the risk of an early game over.

So, when can you lose yourself in this eerie spa retreat? Fullbright hasn’t set a specific release date yet, but Springs, Eternal will hit PC, via Steam and likely other stores, sometime in 2026. Fans of narrative adventures and those drawn to surreal nostalgia should absolutely keep an eye on it.

• Springs, Eternal brings Fullbright’s signature narrative style into a lo-fi, retro-inspired world.
• Explore mysterious pools, saunas, caverns, and a grand lodge in the enigmatic Stillwater retreat.
• Engage with over a dozen unique characters whose stories deepen the otherworldly experience.

What’s Next for Fullbright?

With Springs, Eternal, Steve Gaynor and Fullbright are doubling down on their love of narrative games, embracing strange, smaller-scale projects while preserving what made Gone Home resonate. This isn’t just another indie game about wandering halls. It’s poised to be a study in memory, the unknown, and healing, filtered through a purple-drenched, pixelated dreamspace.

Curious? Watch the Springs, Eternal: Official Reveal Trailer and start planning your trip to Stillwater when the game launches next year on PC.