ABSOLUTION release September 1 2026!

The sequel to Alida is almost finished. I have devoted more than seven years on this project, and I am very excited about sharing my new world with you. Absolution will be available through Steam for PC on September 1 2026.

Cos Russo

Absolution on Steam

"I am sending this message in the hope you can return and help us old friend. I am dying and running out of time. You MUST shut down all five Bi-Spheres."

Arin

"I wish Arin and Juno had never found the Bi-Spheres, they should have left well enough alone. I do not want to be in this lonely place anymore. It is a nightmare I do not want any part of. Please help us decipher the clues that Arin left behind. I want to go home."

Julia

"Arin trusted you. I think you should be given a chance as I believe you have the capacity to solve it."

Juno

"Every time I stand here I do not want to believe what I see. It upsets me to see it this way. We didn’t intend for things to get out of control but that’s what we’ve got and we need to fix it."

Arin

"Arin was a very clever man and he certainly made sure no-one could access the Bi-Spheres – except you. He told me you were the only other person besides himself that could."

Julia

"The experiment has evolved into what we call the Entropy, a vortex of uncontrollable and unpredictable force. It seems to be growing exponentially - who knows what it will eventually consume."

Juno

Correspondence between Arin and Juno:

"Since my 'captivating' visit to Alida a few years ago, I have been going back to the Alida island from time to time. As you are well aware I was imprisoned by Kivas, but thanks to a complete stranger sent to Alida by my resourceful wife, I was eventually set free.

I must admit that I am gravely concerned. The last time I ventured back to Alida, I was overwhelmed by the growth of the Water House experiment. It was growing at a faster rate than you or I had anticipated and it won't be long before it begins to consume the nearby structures. My worst fear was realised when an outburst explosion ripped the guitar apart.

It was your idea to start the experiments with the Bi-Sphere and I need your help to try and stop the Entropy. I believe it will grow exponentially - who knows what it will eventually consume. I have drawn the approximate size of the Entropy influence as it is at present in the diagram below, and I trust you will sense the urgency of the situation."

Arin

---

"I have just been to Alida and seen the Entropy influence for myself. Arin was right, we need to terminate this as soon as possible."

Juno

---

"I have learned some details about the Bi-Sphere device recently, and have managed to finally pry one apart - a small indentation on the back surface opens the device in a most graceful way, like a flower opening to greet the morning sun. The miniature machinery inside is not so easy to comprehend, I will need to hasten my study and experimentation.

On a positive note, I was able to build a long crane arm that extends from outside the Entropy influence to the Entropy aperture. I'm hoping that I will be able to pass measuring instruments and cameras into the aperture itself."

Juno

---

"I've had a disappointing day and have not progressed at all. I conveyed a small camera along the long crane arm toward the Entropy aperture, but to my astonishment the camera equipment melted when it was quite a distance from the aperture. The Entropy influence is a source of intense heat.

I'm beginning to suspect that the Entropy influence is not a "space-time hole" as I had previously thought, but whatever the intention, it is powerful enough to alter gravity. I cannot learn any more from the entropy influence and the Bi-Sphere device mechanics are proving difficult to understand.
Perhaps I should go back to the actual Bi-Sphere and explore as much of it as possible for clues."

Juno

---

"The Bi-Sphere was my obsession while I was on Alida all those years ago, and now, I get the same overwhelming feeling when I enter the main outer shell. It was the right decision to venture back to the Bi-Sphere for answers.
The central array of Bi-Sphere devices levitate above a floor plate that has what I had thought to be a decorative pattern, but on closer inspection realise it is actually an indicator panel. The panel has 5 Bi-Sphere symbols in a circular array as I have sketched here.



In my curiosity, I touched one of the Bi-Sphere symbols and was surprised by a holographic image appearing above the panel. Looking at the hologram closely, it appeared to be a planet with detailed topography and a single highlighted geolocation. As I touched the other Bi-Sphere symbols, the same planet appeared but with different highlighted geolocations.



The hologram must be a planet as the topography confirms, but not of any planet I have observed. The Bi-Sphere has undoubtedly been laying here for a long period of time, possibly eons, so could the hologram be of Earth earlier in its history? The geolocations identify where other Bi-Spheres are stationed.



Nonetheless, the astounding conclusion is that there must be 4 other Bi-Spheres."

Juno

---

"Arin joined me recently to help probe the Bi-Sphere for clues, but I expect he is here because of excitement in my recent discoveries. We have made progress in understanding why these ancient machines were built.

The Bi-Spheres were a refuge.

We have come to this conclusion because of many evidence based reasons.

Arin and I took our first steps into the Bi-Sphere with a powerful lamp lighting up the darkness. We saw many, many small translucent fibrous pods above us, filling the complete upper sphere. In some of these pods lay a few small skeletal remains, no doubt ancient, and we took some samples with us for dating. We peered down into the lower sphere but it was completely void with no fibrous pods as in the upper sphere, however we could see the same skeletal remains at the bottom in vast numbers.

The skeletal remains were of small sea creatures dated at around 800 million years ago, which suggests the spheres must have been filled with sea water. The age of the Bi-Sphere is confirmed by the holograms produced by the floor plate indicator panel, showing earth as it was 800-850 million years ago at the start of the Cryogenian period. The topography displayed in the holograms are, however, of the ocean floor and not of the land. The land masses are featureless.

We believe the Bi-Spheres were inhabited by intelligent sea creatures which Arin and I have nicknamed 'Hermers', a whole society living in the upper sphere pods with their food supply in the lower sphere. It is reasonable to assume that humans are not the first intelligent species to arise on Earth. The Cryogenian period was a traumatic time for life as the Earth began to freeze completely from pole to pole. The type of intense heat that I had previously discovered generated by the Bi-Sphere device was easily conductive in sea water, and it warmed the two life filled spheres, providing the Hermers with a home sheltered from the ice.



The Hermers were trying to survive 'snowball' earth. The five Bi-Spheres were their last attempt to survive the climate change they had no control over. They lived in the pods of the upper sphere surviving on their food (the skeletal remains) which they carefully nursed in the lower sphere.

The Hermers are long gone and even though Arin and I are hypnotised by these discoveries, we cannot allow the fascination to impede our quest to terminate the Entropy on Alida."

Juno

A Day In The Life Of Julia:

"I hear you. I hear you catbird. All I can think about is, what the hell is a catbird doing here at Aerabella? This is the first thing I have thought of this morning. I mean, this is what normal people do. They wake up in the morning and rejoice in the birdsong coming from their window. That makes me feel a little better. Another day. Yeah … another day in this place.

Time to get going. I can feel Arin looking straight at me. I should have picked another photo where he is not looking directly at the camera. His eyes are digging into my conscious, questioning my demeanour. I can still remember his demanding posture, not asking but demanding - “Figure it out. This is the most important thing.”

There is still plenty of food. We were never short of money, and Arin stocked this place well. The habitat at Aerabella is warm and comfortable. But it’s lonely here. I can’t think about that. Arin gave me a job to do. A job I have no idea about.

My breakfast is fruit and fresh bread, I make it every day, I am transforming my problem solving to making bread. Cos I know how to do that. Juno took some bread from me, virtually stole it. I knew he was here, but I didn’t approach him. The last time we spoke he was living at Solaris, and I think it literally drove him mad. More than usual? I know how smart he is. His eccentricities disguise his genius, but I don’t like him, or trust him. He makes me feel lonelier.

So today might be the day of discovery, but first can I possibly muster up some courage? The last time I ventured down to the Bi-Sphere, it frightened me. The walls seemed to be seething with Alien life. I’m sure it wasn’t, but it felt like that. If it wasn’t so unnerving, I would say it was beautiful. The colours that appear within the spheres do help to soothe my panic.

I keep thinking if I just had Bowie here, it would help. I could lean on his knowledge – he is such a smart boy. Well, he is not a boy, he is a man. I keep forgetting, but it’s been so long, he was really just a boy when he left. I hope where ever he is he is ok … I wish I knew. I think Arin knew but he never let on. Oh, Bowie my beautiful boy, I miss you so much.

I was so angry with you Arin, yeah I’m looking at those demanding eyes again. Time heals all wounds … is that right? Not this time. Even though he is not here, the place where I stand is his, where I walk is his. The sun rises and sets to his. I can’t shake this parallel existence. Did I love him that much, or was it that I could not live without him? He knew that, and I became his shadow. A shadow that became invisible to Bowie. I think Bowie wanted me to be stronger. How do you do that?

Courage is eluding me. I think I will sit outside by the water and try and calm myself. The water’s motion always massages my worry. No. I must go. The Bi-Sphere colours might have a sequence that may give reason. Arin successfully shut down the Alida Bi-Sphere so it CAN be done. I just have to believe I can do it.

One step after another, each step has to be my own. I leave the habitat doorway into the conservatory … oh my! Who is that? I can’t believe it, it is an old friend who has answered Arin’s plea. What do I say … I must try to be strong …"

Julia

Pages from Arin's Journal:

Artwork by Brandt Robinson

The Islands:

ALIDA:

"This is the island where it all began. Now that I think about it, it really was an adolescent idea to build Alida, the theme park. It consumed so much money, so much time, and what do we have now? A big problem. We can't walk away from this one."

Arin

NUBIA:

"Nubia has been my peace. Even though the trees are dying, I feel rejuvenated when I am here. I am still well enough to visit the tree turret and call on my beautiful birds. I still have not named them. Julia said naming them would lead me to get too close to them, and I would certainly be distraught if one of them did not come back to me."

Arin

SOLARIS:

"What a concept. I had to keep intruders away, but Juno said that the monstrosity does the opposite, and draws attention. Well, it's done now and I suppose it is an unintended sculpture in the ocean. The jagged and spiked metal sculptures embody the loneliness and coldness of the place, the wind and ocean are relentless."

Arin

PORFIRIO:

"The lake is so serene and peaceful, disguising the energy that still lies below. Porfirio is an old caldera that reveals caverns deep in its interior, and superheated water that once travelled through vents to the surface. I built the house for Julia and I, but when I got sick all those plans changed."

Arin

AERABELLA:

"When I walk through the garden with Julia, I feel guilty even though it is beautiful. It is a strange beauty because these plants don't belong here. They don't belong anywhere. They are aliens brought alive by the suspected radiation from the BiSpheres that are deep below the islands. I will not be able to enjoy this garden walk until I fix the Entropy."

Arin