Magic Design Studios announces closed beta for underwater adventure NAUTUS

Magic Design Studios, the developer behind ‘Have a Nice Death’, has announced a closed beta test for its upcoming PC title, ‘NAUTUS’. The game is a 2D survival craft adventure set in a tropical island environment, featuring up to four-player cooperative play.

Players will manage a base on a colorful island, interacting with residents and crafting materials to upgrade submersibles for deep-sea exploration. The gameplay transitions from a cozy island life experience to a Metroidvania-inspired survival action game once players dive into the ocean to encounter coral reefs, shipwrecks, and mutated marine life.

Game designer Damian Carmona noted that the project represents a stylistic shift from the gothic, monochrome visuals of their previous work toward a more vibrant, cartoon-inspired aesthetic. The closed beta test is scheduled to begin on August 31 on Steam.