Abiotic Factor

Very good game that you don't want to miss out on

Just a simulator of an average day in Black Mesa. [h3]Story - 7.5/10[/h3] Surprisingly enough, the story is pretty good, considering it's a damn survival. But it keeps you relatively engaged, has some neat plot twists, and has you travel through a lot of different "biomes", be it different departments of the GATE, or straight up different universes. Different recurring NPCs, with a small side stories of their own, also help the narrative. It's linear, there are barely any choices to make, but it works surprisingly well. The formula is simple: you get to a new location -> you receive some major quest of what you're supposed to do in this location in order to progress to the next -> you go through the gameplay loop of usual survival gameplay in a new biome. Think Valheim, but with a bit of extra steps and fixed locations. [h3]Gameplay - 7.5/10[/h3] Nothing mind blowing in terms of combat or base building, but it is pretty diverse and fun. You have ranged and melee options. You get to progress from just using whatever stuff you can salvage and turn into makeshift gear, and all the way to experimental, pure sci-fi ♥♥♥♥. Starting off with a bucket for a helm, shield made of cafeteria trays, makeshift crossbow made from rubber bands and rulers, shooting sharpened pencils... and then ending up with hardlight swords, laser guns and black hole grenades. Building is relatively limited, especially compared to it's peers. You barely build anything other than workbenches, chests, farms and barricades. So if you're here to make some sick base builds to share with the community - feel free to move along; this is not where the game shines. The best part, imo, is the whole premise of you not starting off as butt-naked guys stranded somewhere, having to punch wood and slowly progress from stone age technologies, somehow all the way to modern ♥♥♥♥. You are a bunch of scientists, office workers who got stuck in their office and forced to survive as it's being invaded by visitors from other dimensions. Meaning that you have access to a lot of already made stuff, which you can salvage and repurpose. You have PCs to dismantle, you have metal and other more complex materials, you can loot guns and alien materials. In short - it feels fresh, it feels unique in a sense that you're like Mark Watney from The Martian. Stranded, doomed to die, but having access to a lot of high tech stuff and an intellect to use it. [h3]Graphics - 7/10[/h3] Let me make one thing straight: I am NOT a big fan of retro style graphics. In this particular case, though, it's clear what this game used as inspiration and tried to reference. GATE is reimagined Black Mesa, so naturally the game does it's best to look like Half Life 1, in every little way, WHILE managing to keep it's own identity and look unique enough. So... credit where credit is due - it actually worked. Take it from someone who doesn't like retro visuals and is not even a fan of Half Life. If even I enjoyed it, maybe it's worth a try =) [h3]Sound - 7/10[/h3] There isn't too much to say here; there's no banger soundtrack or too much of voice acting, or some dramatic moments. But overall, it's good. Just like graphics, it had a style it was trying to replicate, and it succeeded. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] 7.5/10. If you want a fully procedurally generated sandbox world, to make your bases from scratch and keep making them bigger and better... It's not this kind of game. It's a linear story, but with survival core gameplay loop. You can't just go from point A to point B, kill everyone you meet and interact with the quest objective. You need to farm resources, get better gear, and proceed through each new location whilst opening shortcuts in soulslike fashion. And whenever you complete an objective, you progress the story (yes, actual story, not a notion of one) forward. Great in coop, most likely good in single player, too.