Survivor’s Log – Year One of Survivor Incognito

Year One

It’s been a year since I first started Survivor Incognito.

It began simply enough. Playing survival games on the Nintendo Switch, usually on easier difficulties, and adding my own permadeath rule on top.

The Long Dark was where it really started. One run at a time, seeing how long I could last, and writing down what happened along the way.

That was the foundation.

From there, it grew.

I started putting together map pages, partly for myself, partly to help anyone else trying to find their way around. Then came guides — working things out and writing them up properly. Getting things like ProMods running for Euro Truck Simulator 2 on the Steam Deck, documenting the steps so others didn’t have to figure it out from scratch.

Then the Steam Deck changed things.

It opened the door to recording. Instead of just writing about what happened, I could show it. No commentary, just the run as it played out.

Around that time, the rules started to shift.

Permadeath was still there, but it stopped being the default for everything. It made more sense to shape each run around a specific challenge instead.

Minecraft is probably the clearest example of that. The run doesn’t end because of a random death. It ends when one of two things happens — either I kill the Ender Dragon, or it kills me.

Same idea, different structure.

Then came something I didn’t expect to stick as much as it did.

Super Mario ROM hacks.

It started with the Super Mario 64 Randomizer. Then Super Mario 74. Then, after figuring out how to get Dolphin running on the Steam Deck, Super Mario Galaxy ROM hacks.

Different kind of challenge, but the same approach underneath it. Learn the system. Adapt. Keep going until it’s done or I’m stopped.

That’s where things are now.

I’ve naturally started leaning more into the Mario side of things, because that’s where I’ve had the most flow recently. That doesn’t mean everything else disappears — the survival diaries, the guides, the other runs are still there and still ongoing.

It just means I’m not forcing it.

If I’m not feeling a run, I’m not going to push through it just to get something posted. I’d rather wait and do it properly than put out something half-finished.

This project has always just been me, and it likely always will be. So it makes more sense to put the time and energy into what’s actually working, both for me and for the blog.

That’s the biggest change over the first year.

Not a shift away from anything. Just a better understanding of how I want to run things.

So to everyone who’s clicked, read, watched, or stuck around at any point — thank you.

Year one is done.

Let’s see what the next one looks like.

29th Apr 2026 0

Survivor’s Log: Two in the Pipeline

This is another short pipeline note rather than an announcement. Just a record of what’s coming next and why.

There are two games lined up, both relatively contained, and both chosen because they fit the kind of survival experiences I want to document right now.

Slender: The Arrival

The first is Slender: The Arrival.

I originally played it when it first released. Since then, it’s received a 10th Anniversary update that effectively rebuilds the experience and introduces new content, including an additional location.

Because of that reset, this isn’t a nostalgia run. It’s closer to approaching a familiar idea in a form that’s changed enough to warrant a fresh look.

This will sit under Survivor’s Dread, recorded as a single-attempt run, with the logs reflecting how the attempt unfolds rather than aiming for a specific outcome.

Iron Lung

The second is Iron Lung.

Interest around it has increased recently because of the upcoming film adaptation, which is what initially put it on my radar.

What actually held my attention was hearing how personal the project was, and how much of the atmosphere and intent came directly from the game itself.

I’ve been aware of the creator behind the adaptation for a while, but I’ve never followed their content directly. What stood out wasn’t who was making the film, but the decision to make a film at all.

Choosing to adapt a small, largely unknown game suggested there was something specific in the source material that made it worth that level of commitment.

That curiosity is what led me here — to the game itself, rather than the adaptation built around it.

This will be treated as a one-off survival horror run. A single attempt, recorded without embellishment, documenting the experience as it unfolds.

Nothing Locked In

There are no dates attached to either of these yet. They’ll be recorded and published when there’s space, rather than being slotted in to chase relevance.

As always, the point isn’t to follow momentum elsewhere. It’s to document things that feel worth documenting at the time.

Surviving, Not Suffering

4th Feb 2026 0

Survivor’s Log: What’s in the Pipeline

This isn’t an announcement post and it isn’t a schedule. It’s a quick check-in on what’s been drafted, scoped, and quietly prepared in the background.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been tightening rules, reducing sprawl, and making sure each series has a reason to exist beyond “I felt like playing it”.

As a result, there are three series sitting in the pipeline.

Orbis

Orbis is a new survival diary set in Hytale.

The game is currently in early access and exists as an ever-updating world, so the goal is deliberately simple: survive for as long as possible.

Solo only
One life
No fixed end goal
Survival measured by time, not progress

There’s no checklist and no finish line. When death happens, the diary ends.

One Against the Horde

One Against the Horde is a finite series built around Zombie Army Trilogy.

Each entry covers a single map played solo, on Marksman difficulty, with no collectibles and no padding.

One map per entry
Two failures ends the run
No grinding, no clean-up runs

If the horde wins twice, that’s the end of the diary.

Sunburnt & Sinking (Return)

Sunburnt & Sinking will be returning in Stranded Deep.

This time the run uses a simple strike system.

Three strikes total
Each death costs one strike
Lose all three and the run ends

The goal remains unchanged: defeat the three bosses and escape. Deaths are part of the story, not something to be edited out.

Where This Fits

February is already mapped out with scheduled posts and videos, which gives me the space to keep building quietly rather than rushing anything out.

These three series aren’t replacing what’s currently running. They’re sitting alongside it, ready to move when there’s room.

For now, this is about direction rather than output. The work is done early so the writing can happen when there’s something worth writing.

3rd Feb 2026 0