The Survivalists

The Survivalists

This is a very good title for anyone looking to start or get someone started on survival games! It is also a great game for anyone looking for a low-stress survival/building game. I got my 70 year old Dad playing this and he loves it with over 187 hours logged so far and still counting (he took over the entire home island as his base).

So here are the good, the bad and the ugly of it

The Good: The monkey automation is fantastic at this stage though it does need some tweaking to perhaps assign single monkeys to a specific workstation IE: this monkey only crafts things at the Forge and ignores other work stations.

Real player with 151.8 hrs in game


Read More: Best Crafting Singleplayer Games.


Island Escapists

The Survivalists, by the studio behind prison breakout game The Escapists, has your basic “explore and craft to escape the island” plot.

Hoo boy, is there a TON of crafting in this game. No raw resource that drops is of much use without modification, not even the fruit that you can eat right away.

Recipes come in three basic styles. Items crafted By Hand must have the items in your inventory. Items made at crafting stations or as blueprints set on the ground do not need you to have all the items in inventory at once. Instead, you can put just a few at a time until you have all you need. These latter two styles also require the use of a “multitool,” but it looks and sounds like a hammer, unless it’s stirring food.

Real player with 62.4 hrs in game

The Survivalists on Steam

Lodestar

Lodestar

Lodestar is a crafting, base-building, adventure game that you can play alone but is better with up to 8 friends.

Lost in space, you have to survive by gathering resources to improve yourself and your ship through tech upgrades to help you navigate 8 hostile planets!

Work with your friends to survive the deadly aliens, murderous environments, and be the first of mankind to communicate with an intelligent species.

Features:

  • Multiplayer campaign with online co-op!

  • Upgrade your spaceship and optimize the layout for maximum efficiency!

  • Survive a variety of life-threatening monsters!

  • Explore a series of handcrafted planets that get you coming back for new secrets!


Read More: Best Crafting Resource Management Games.


Lodestar on Steam

In Next Life

In Next Life

In next Life is a crafting, survival, and civilisation building game, where collaboration with other players gives you very real advantages (it is possible to play alone, but it will be harder to survive). Your technology level starts at stone age level, and then it’s up to you and your village members to invent and craft tools and technologies such as fire, baskets, spears, …, in order to survive easier and to advance to new development stages. Time moves quickly and each game played equals one life, including birth, childhood, adulthood and old age.


Read More: Best Crafting Multiplayer Games.


In Next Life on Steam

The Store is Closed

The Store is Closed

The Store is Closed is an online COOP survival game set in an infinite furniture store.

You’re trapped in an endless furniture store, trying to survive against the mutated staff who attack at night. The player must explore the store including the different departments, the underground SCP labs and the floating departments in the sky to find a way out.

When the lights go out and the store closes, the staff get aggressive. Luckily the world is filled with furniture which can be used to craft weapons, and build fortifications to survive the nights.

Unique setting

  • Explore an endless world, filled with different departments such as the show floor, cafes and warehouse sections.

  • Every day the store will close; the lights go out and the staff become more dangerous. Make sure you have a weapon to defend yourself, or hide until the store opens again.

  • Explore the mysterious SCP labs, where you’ll find unique weapons, crafting materials and more dangerous staff.

  • Build towers to the sky and discover what lies above. There are both secrets, and horrors above.

  • Where is the exit? Since the staff aren’t talkative you’ll need to figure this out yourself. There are rumors of SCP scientists wandering about so maybe they’ll know.

Key features

  • The entire world is destructible. Every wall, table, chair can be broken to be used as crafting materials.

  • Fight a variety of staff members. Over time more difficult staff will emerge, with more dangerous foes guarding certain departments.

  • You’ll need a home base to return to at night. Build walls to keep the staff out, campfires to cook food and crafting tables to make weapons.

  • You’ll need to eat. Savage food from the cafes dotted around the world, and return home to cook more fortifying meals on your campfire.

  • Discover the origins of the store, and find out what the SCP foundation are doing in their underground bunkers.

  • You’re not alone. The game features Online COOP; fight the staff and build bases with friends.

Progression

  • The longer you survive the more dangerous the staff become. Eventually you’ll attract the attention of managers. You’ll battle increasingly difficult bosses and combat events as you progress.

  • Venture further into the store’s depths discovering unique locations, crafting materials and weapons along the way.

  • The game features a deep crafting tree. Build crafting benches, tools and explore the world to create a variety of items.

  • Carve out a home in the madness. Fortify your base with increasingly sturdy walls and dangerous traps with the flatpack furniture from the store.

  • Level up. Gain levels and skills as you survive, making you a more formidable customer as the days pass.

License: Content relating to the SCP Foundation, including the SCP Foundation logo, is licensed under Creative Commons Sharealike 3.0 and all concepts originate from http://www.scpwiki.com and its authors. The Store is Closed, being derived from this content, is hereby also released under Creative Commons Sharealike 3.0.

The Store is Closed on Steam

Gatewalkers (Alpha)

Gatewalkers (Alpha)

It’s ALPHA but let me just say one thing, It sure doesn’t play like an ALPHA!

I jumped in the game first thing when the demo came live. I played for 9 hours straight in stream on twitch.tv and you can go check it out. No shameful plug at all. It’s there, go watch it. Anyway, if you want a top down RPG with some amazing mechanics and great elements of game that take you back to some old school classics with modern graphic engine and some amazing snub references to things that seem very familiar this is one for sure to check out.

Real player with 16.6 hrs in game

Pros.

If you are looking for a dungeon crawler type game i highly recommend. This is an actual great game! Great Graphics, awesome gameplay/controls, and even this being in alpha even i personally have not had any bugs or glitches with it. It is similar to diablo with the combat and dungeon crawler game play but with a super cool twist; (if you have ever played albion online) it also shares similar traits to albion with the open world type maps but are not nearly as big and they are procedurally generated so you get something a little different if you go back to the same map. There is also mats for crafting tons of different types of weapons and armor for the build that your running (similar to albion on the weapons; so your skills you use are dependent upon what weapon your using). In that same statement it IS NOT nearly as grindy as albion was with farming mats and not to mention the constant annoyance of other people farming the same mats as you and waiting for them to respawn since it is a singleplayer/co op game. The UI is pretty nice and simple not super complex or fancy. The skill tree is a shtting of the pants moment at first sight so it takes a second but it is easy to understand. There is herbs, berries, etc types of ingredients that you use in crafting various foods and drinks which can give you buffs like, increased healing, damage, damage reduction, stamina regen etc. There is hidden chests and challenges that you can do in the maps which gives you more rare materials. And there is even effects from the world on your character on certain maps like them being filled with gas in areas to even being night time which affects you in different ways.

Real player with 15.9 hrs in game

Gatewalkers (Alpha) on Steam

Gatewalkers

Gatewalkers

Gatewalkers is a cooperative action RPG game with survival elements, where players travel across different worlds in order to save their own. Explore procedurally generated worlds, face hostile inhabitants, face challenges like extreme weather conditions, toxic atmosphere, lack of water and more.

Key features:

TEAM CO-OP

As a Gatewalker, one of the chosen few, you can go through the Gate and explore the worlds that lay on the other side. Team up with up to 3 other players in this team-based survival. Fight terrifying monsters, survive extreme weather conditions, follow the orders given by the Guild, and most importantly, stay alive!

WORLD EXPLORATION

Explore the procedurally generated worlds with unique terrain features, plants, and creatures. Discover new resources and crafting materials. Face various environmental hazards: toxic or unbreathable atmosphere, terrifying darkness, penetrating cold, and much more. Each world type introduces a unique survival mechanic that forces you to adapt. Finding food, water or wood to start a fire may be impossible. Consider carefully what to bring with you on the expedition, as no one really knows what awaits on the other side of the Gate.

TEAM SURVIVAL

Surviving alone in an unknown world is really hard. But with teammates at your side, you at least stand a chance. Share the responsibilities: start a fire to let others warm up, build a tent to let your mates rest, warn them about the dangers lurking in the night. The key to surviving is cooperation between you and your team.

SKILL BASED COMBAT

Isometric skill-based combat without auto targeting. Your skills may miss, and you can dodge enemy attacks! Good positioning during combat, balanced use of skills, proper timing and team synergy are all crucial to victory.

CRAFTING

Choose an item to craft. Discover the appropriate recipe. Raid different worlds to gather required resources. Find or create a crafting station. Finally, build the item and use it!

YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR

There are no predefined character classes. Each item gives you a unique set of skills, so try tinkering with different builds. Take heavy armor and a healing staff to support your mates in the front line by tanking and restoring health. Remember, you are, what you wear!

PROCEDURALLY GENERATED WORLDS

Each time you pass the Gate you will land in a different, procedurally generated world. This gives you countless opportunities, offers constant challenges, and forces you to adapt in order to win in changing conditions! Always stay cautious, modify your strategy, make fast decisions and face their consequences, because you never know what waits around the corner.

Gatewalkers on Steam

ICARUS

ICARUS

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2672308258

To start I tried to avoid all info and most betas of this to go in fresh without any prior opinion or jaded by the opinions of others and I must say… this game is a giant piece of crap.

Runs like trash on a 3080/5900x, 32 Gigs DDR4, and on a NVME SSD to start which doesn’t help. Enemies lack proper pathing, AI spawn out of the air on top of you in scripted “missions”, had 2 bears land on top of me, then figured it was coming the 2nd time and 4 wolves pop out of the air… difference being this time I got them all stuck on each other and they sorta made a wolf pyramid while I sniped at them.

Real player with 29.0 hrs in game

15 hours of play time later edit: Still running smooth, still a lot of fun, has thirty dollars worth of content in my honest opinion. Running 8 player missions is still hilarious.

Oh jeez okay Icarus. Well right off the bat 10/10 is my score for it. 100 out of 100, it’s exactly what I wanted when I first saw the silly trailer a few years back.

Tl;dr: PVE survival game with good coop, good character growth options, fun stuff, decent gameplay loop, really dedicated dev team. I’ve spent more money on far worse games that got less play time than the beta of this game.

Real player with 28.6 hrs in game

ICARUS on Steam

Particubes (Open Alpha)

Particubes (Open Alpha)

Finally available!!

A lot is still to be added but we can create fun games already!! ^_^

Real player with 11.4 hrs in game

⡴⠑⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣀⣀⣤⣤⣤⣀⡀

⠸⡇⠀⠿⡀⠀⠀⠀⣀⡴⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣦⡀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠑⢄⣠⠾⠁⣀⣄⡈⠙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆ play it

⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⠁⠀⠀⠈⠙⠛⠂⠈⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⡿⢿⣆

⠀⠀⠀⢀⡾⣁⣀⠀⠴⠂⠙⣗⡀⠀⢻⣿⣿⠭⢤⣴⣦⣤⣹⠀⠀⠀⢀⢴⣶⣆

⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣷⣮⣽⣾⣿⣥⣴⣿⣿⡿⢂⠔⢚⡿⢿⣿⣦⣴⣾⠸⣼⡿

⠀⢀⡞⠁⠙⠻⠿⠟⠉⠀⠛⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣌⢤⣼⣿⣾⣿⡟⠉

⠀⣾⣷⣶⠇⠀⠀⣤⣄⣀⡀⠈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇It’s good

⠀⠉⠈⠉⠀⠀⢦⡈⢻⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣶⣶⣤⣽⡹⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠲⣽⡻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣜⣿⣿⣿⡇

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣷⣶⣮⣭⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣀⣈⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿

Real player with 9.7 hrs in game

Particubes (Open Alpha) on Steam

Valheim

Valheim

Odin won’t let me go outside anymore and I have Stockholm Syndrome

Early in the year 2021, I heard about this game a decent amount of people were talking about: “Valheim”

It appeared to be some sort of Survival Craft / Sandbox title taking place in a Norse mythology setting, and since I love both, I thought to myself: “Hey, let’s give this a try!”

Several months later, I’m unable to tell if that grunt I just heard came from some creature in the game or my own stomach because of the pasta I ate raw in order to minimize the time spent on something else than building, slaying monsters and gathering materials.

Real player with 961.0 hrs in game

I’m going to start with the good. This is a great game; with I think a great future. There’s plenty to do and it looks good. The simplicity works well. I love the building, really love the building. Yes there are dead areas in the world at the moment; but I know that will be filled in eventually. If you haven’t played this game, please pick it up. It’s worth a spot in your collection.

Now to the reason I can’t play this game anymore, and I have a little story for you. For some time now there has been a world destroying bug in the game. Your world progress will be reset back to the first day. Anyway, during covid lock, I’ve been separated from my girlfriend. UK to US travel has not been permitted until a few days ago. This game was our game. We spent weeks building a huge castle together. We laughed together, we talked about bad things going on in our lives, we got drunk together while playing this game. Some days, we just played quietly while listening to music together. What we built was huge, towers to their maximum possible height. Wide area’s paved with stone floor for housing and other buildings. We had friends come in to help us gather the stone; while also drinking and having a good time. Then about a week ago we loaded in to play after a month break to find everything was gone. EVERYTHING.

Real player with 395.0 hrs in game

Valheim on Steam

Astrodition

Astrodition

In Astrodition, all gamemodes can be played online with up to 8 players! Invite your friends or hop into an existing lobby to play either competitive or cooperative gamemodes! Every playthrough is unique in this procedurally generated world!

Story

After crashing on the dwarf planet Ceres, you will need to grow food, repair the damaged spacecraft, and keep an eye on your suit’s oxygen level! After exploring the planet’s surface, gather resources by harvesting Meteorites, Graphite Rocks, and Iron-Rich Clay Deposits. Once you are self-sustainable, set out on a journey to uncover the mystery of why you crashed! But watch out for radioactive zones and leaking suits!

Space Dodgeball

Space Dodgeball has you moving in all three dimensions to out manoeuvre your opponents. The objective is simple, hit the other team while avoiding incoming dodgeballs! But be careful, dodgeballs can be caught and thrown back! Play 4v4, or 1v7 if you are feeling confident! Let the best astronauts win!

Capture The Flag

Team up with other astronauts and work together! Fight your way to the opponent’s flag and take it back to your spacecraft to score a point! Hit the other team with dodgeballs to stop them from reaching your flag, you will need to work as a team to win!

Free Play

In Astrodition, Free Play can take place both on the ground and in space! Have fun without worrying about keeping your astronaut alive! You can spawn in all items and decide when you take damage! The planet is your playground, so build structures, drive around, and craft to your heart’s content!

Real player with 2.8 hrs in game

Needs more development time and testing alot of stuff only half works and the inventory system needs alot of work. They need to change the inventory system as well as change the way your character gets energy replenished, it is currently too tedious to eat/drink. Cannot recommend this game, especially at that price. I see what they were going for and it is a cool concept, but for the price there is much better games for the same if not cheaper. I would like to recommend this game and give a good review, but in its current state I cannot. Hopefully it will get better and I think they should take ideas from games like Space Engineers on how to execute this games functions much better. For now this review will remain negative until much needed improvements are made.

Real player with 1.1 hrs in game

Astrodition on Steam