Award-winning survival game receives Best Student Game Award & releases update 1.1

Student-founded Viscacha Studios is pleased to announce that the critically acclaimed exploration-survival game set in the Atacama Desert has won the Best Student Game award at the Dutch Game Awards ceremony.
That's not all: Inspired by community enthousiasm and feedback, Arid will be releasing Update 1.1 containing much-requested features and QoL changes.

Arid has been in development by Viscacha Studios for over a year and was launched on Steam on June 29th. 4 months later, Arid has won the Best Student Game award and is ready to release Update 1.1. Being a student-made project means that Arid is available for free.

The biggest threat to my survival in Arid, apart from the relentless sun, is my own malfunctioning brain
-- Christopher Livingston, PC Gamer
Welcome to Arid, a small and contained open world survival experience set during the 1930s in one of the driest places in the world: the Atacama.



Plane Crash
It's the 30s. You are the pilot of a cargo flying 8000 meters over the Atacama*, a mysterious failure in the engine and a miraculous landing has left you stranded in one of the largest and most arid desert in the world. Will you survive the harsh temperature and conditions of this unique setting? Is there even a way out?

Survival Open World
As a singleplayer survival open world, Arid aims at delivering a semi-hardcore experience that does not handheld the players. After a guided onboarding the player will be left to explore and progress the story how they prefer. Will you find and repair all the refuges on the map? Will you explore additional resources? How many days can you survive?

Harsh Environment
Shade in the desert is scarce, as it is water. While exploring the mountains of the Atacama, the player must survive severe dehydration, extreme temperatures, sun exposure and other kinds of natural dangers.
Avoid getting sunburn and be careful of the body temperature of the character. Stock up with resources and look for a safe place!

Weather Events
Prepare yourself, extreme temperatures and sandstorms can occur at any time. While they're not lethal on their own, they can heavily affect a struggling survivor.

Day and Night Cycle
Survive the day to embrace the darkness of the night. Find a bed to recover energy or embrace the darkness and explore the desert at night. Vision is scarce but without dangers such as the sun exposure and high temperatures, it will be easier to find resources.
Remember to keep your torch well maintained, you will need oil to be able to explore at night or get deeper in the mining network of the Atacama.

FEATURE SUMMARY
Avoid sun exposure and keep your body temperature low.
Keep yourself well-fed and hydrated. Water will be a scarce resource!
Find abandoned locations and uses them as temporary refuges.
Prepare food and craft all the items required for your survival.
Hide from the lethal sandstorms.
Discover the stories of the people that lived in this mysterious part of the desert.