Secrets of Raetikon releases on Steam Early Access in early January

Vienna-based indie developer Broken Rules has announced the Steam Early Access release date for its next game, Secrets of Raetikon.

The action-focused, physics-based exploration game will arrive on Jan. 7, 2014 for PC. Players fly through the Alps and collect parts for ancient machines, and almost anything can be interacted with, such as trees and rocks.

Animals engage with the player and each other, so one predator can attack another, eat a smaller creature, or even lash out at you, forcing you to use whatever's in your environment (such as spiked plants) for defense.

Secrets of Raetikon features a full level editor that includes levels from the game and enables players to create their own and share them through Steam Workshop. The physics sandbox, which is what Broken Rules uses to build the game, will also be made accessible to players and continuously refined as the team continues to work on the title.

The finale is not included in the Early Access build, but players won't have long to wait — the finished game is due in Q1 2014.

Four editions (including boxed copies) will be available via Broken Rules's website.