Game: What Surrounds Us
Genre: Adventure, Casual, Indie
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: Florent “Salty” Martinais
Controller Support: Compatible
Price: US $TBC | UK £TBC | EU € TBC
Release Date: July 15th 2026
A review code was provided, many thanks to Game If You Are.
Are those… Donuts?
What Surrounds Us is a game where donut-like creatures dwell and wander through an abstract world bursting with color. At first, it may initially seem confusing, but as you become familiar with the various creatures, you begin to realize that the game is simulating an entire ecosystem. You’ll encounter plants, herbivores, and even carnivores, each exhibiting unique behaviors. Yet, something darker lurks beneath the surface—glitchy patterns spreading across the environment like an infection.
But what do you do?
What truly defines the gameplay of What Surrounds Us? When you start, you have very little information about what’s happening or what you’re supposed to do—you simply know how to move and begin exploring. You will soon realize that this is a puzzle-adventure game, one where you gradually gain powers that unlock new areas and help solve problems along the way.
Exploration is intuitive, even within this abstract semi-open world. You start with a basic ability that lets you interact with creatures, opening new paths. Later, you acquire a new skill that essentially allows you to jump short distances, letting you cross gaps between pathways. This ability also enables you to bump into infected spaces, clearing routes and resolving dead ends.
And that’s essentially it—the rest is up to you, figuring out how to combine these abilities to navigate the world. You’ll need to avoid predators while using your surroundings to your advantage, reaching new areas and advancing the simple story unfolding around you. Along the way, you can collect rainbow-colored dots that will aid you with future challenges. It took me less than three hours to complete the game, which feels a bit brief—though it’s clearly a well-considered experience.
Conclusion – Is it nice?
It’s remarkable how the developers manage to create such a diverse environment with this art style. Typically, you’d expect a wide variety of assets to represent each creature, but in What Surrounds Us, the visual distinctions lie solely in the patterns on each donut-like entity. What truly makes each creature stand out is its behaviour—how they move and interacts with the world around it. Additionally, despite the lack of a map or any indications to new areas, I found it surprisingly easy to navigate and discover new areas.
It’s evident that experienced developers worked on this title; it takes skill to craft such minimalistic gameplay and visuals while still making the experience engaging and intuitive. I do wish the game were longer, and I’m certain that introducing just a few more mechanics could have extended it. But even so, I had a great time and was pleasantly surprised by What Surrounds Us.
Final Verdict: I Like It
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