Indie developer Candleman Games has announced that their game, Exhausted Man, will launch for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC on 25 July 2024.

According to the creator of the game, the idea began like this:

It all started with a phrase: running out of energy, which became the theme of a respective game jam. I like to participate in such events, as making a game from scratch in 48 hours is a great way to relax. Based on the theme, I came up with the idea of “people running out of energy” and built a simple character who was slumped on a couch. I posted a screenshot of it and got a lot of likes—not because of my modeling skills, but due to the resonance of exhaustion the character exuded.

I decided to make a game with this exhausted character—so he couldn’t just stay slumped on the couch, he needed to move. We’re all familiar with how our bodies feel when we’re extremely tired, standing up was not an option, so I made him crawl on the floor. This crawling animation got even more likes. I tested the crawling maneuver on the ground in real life and it hurt all over. But since people liked it, I kept it.

The protagonist needs to complete various events to achieve the goal of the night, and his energy state will change accordingly. For example, eating something raises energy. After eating, the character’s head will shine gold and they’ll gain more speed and strength. On the other hand, when the character fixes a game bug it takes on the opposite effect. The character’s face will become haggard and start to yawn a lot. Yawn bubbles will also knock the character to sleep.

Check out the trailer below: