What is Deep Haul?
Deep Haul is a 2-4 player co-op sci-fi extraction horror game. Players are Drifters—salvage crews working for the dystopian Salvage Solutions Inc. Explore procedurally generated derelict ships, manage shared oxygen reserves, avoid deadly threats, and extract before the extraction timer expires. Think Lethal Company meets Dead Space with corporate dark comedy.
The Drift
Two hundred years ago, a civilization collapsed. Now, thousands of derelict ships drift in the void—full of valuable salvage and whatever killed the original crews.
Salvage Solutions Inc. has the exclusive contract to recover these assets. Someone has to do it. That someone is you.
The deeper you go into The Drift, the older the ships, the better the salvage, and the worse the things that await you.
Depth Classification System
Salvage Solutions Inc. organizes The Drift into zones based on distance, salvage value, and historical mortality rates.
The Shallows (Depth 1-10)
Recent wrecks, mostly picked clean. Used for training new crews. Threats are primarily environmental: unstable structures, minor system malfunctions.
MORTALITY RATE: 8% | SALVAGE MULTIPLIER: 1.0x
The Belt (Depth 11-25)
The bread and butter of salvage operations. Ships have been dark for decades. Security systems may still be active. Atmosphere is unreliable.
MORTALITY RATE: 23% | SALVAGE MULTIPLIER: 1.5x
The Murk (Depth 26-40)
Century-old derelicts where things have had time to... change. Ecosystems have developed. Security AI has had generations to go wrong. Salvage Solutions Inc. pays well for Murk salvage.
MORTALITY RATE: 47% | SALVAGE MULTIPLIER: 2.5x
The Black (Depth 41-60)
The deep colonial ships. Experimental vessels. Corporate research stations that were never on any official registry. A single good haul could clear your debt.
MORTALITY RATE: 71% | SALVAGE MULTIPLIER: 4.0x
"The Void (Depth 61+) is not recognized by Salvage Solutions Inc. operational databases. Associates who claim to have worked Void contracts are reminded that psychological evaluation is available through the Employee Assistance Program."
Core Mechanics
Oxygen Management
Deep Haul uses a two-tier oxygen system. Each player has a personal O2 tank (180 seconds) that drains based on activity—sprinting, stress, and environmental hazards increase consumption.
Personal tanks refill from the ship's shared reserve when in pressurized areas. When the ship reserve depletes, everyone's in trouble.
"Oxygen is a privilege, not a right." — S.A.L.L.I.
The Extraction Timer
Extraction is mandatory. When the extraction timer hits zero, your ship extracts—with or without you.
Timer changes happen: budget reviews (reduction), additional salvage opportunities (extension), and priority alerts (emergency extraction). Salvage Solutions Inc. reserves the right to modify timers based on "operational needs."
MISS EXTRACTION = 500 CREDIT FEE
Door Protocol
Every door is a gamble. Behind it could be: valuable salvage, environmental hazards, or legacy security systems.
Scanning tools reveal partial information. Motion sensors detect movement. Atmospheric analyzers detect toxins. Thermal scanners detect heat signatures. No single tool tells everything.
"The newest crew member opens the doors." — Drifter wisdom
Threat Response
You are not equipped to fight. The things in The Drift have been there for decades or centuries. They know these ships better than you ever will.
Avoid, distract, and hide. Flares draw attention. Noise makers create diversions. Darkness is your friend—most of the time.
"When Sally says run, you run." — Sacred Rule #5
If You Enjoyed...
Lethal Company
You'll recognize the corporate horror and extraction loop, now in a sci-fi setting with deeper lore. S.A.L.L.I. offers a different kind of AI companionship—genuinely trying to help while being completely unhelpful.
Phasmophobia
Similar information-gathering tension with multiple tools that each tell part of the story. But in Deep Haul, you're not hunting—you're being hunted while trying to grab everything that isn't bolted down.
Deep Rock Galactic
Same blue-collar worker fantasy with a dystopian corporation. But where DRG leans into action and camaraderie, Deep Haul leans into tension and the dark comedy of corporate indifference.