Once Human is a deliberately surreal game, where a massive open world and a wide range of influences and inspirations come together to create something truly unique. This free-to-play survival game forces players to explore a worldreshaped by apocalyptic events known as the Starfall.
While there is a complex lore baked into the game that follows Meta-Humans as they travel the remnants of the world, contend with the hordes of corrupted humans known as Deviations, and challenge the machinations of the evil conglomerate known as Rosetta, the real appeal of Once Human is to embark on free-roaming adventures across a massive landscape.
The newest expansion, Once Human: Isles of Abyss, takes it even further and opens the world beyond the shores of the game’s primary setting, Nalcott. With the expansion coming to consoles in October for all platforms, now’s the perfect time to enter the world and start prepping your defenses for encounters with the beasties that roam the seas and tear at your sanity.
How Once Human’s Seaside Works
Once Human‘s purposefully surreal sense of world-building is crucial to what makes the game stand out in a crowded field. At the core of the survival mechanics is being forced to contend with truly strange creations. As with any survival game, finding the right gear and crafting the right supplies is crucial, and the lack of easily available ammo makes every encounter a tricky beast.
In a short demo with the development team, I got the chance to drive around in a luxury car, craft some ammo, and steal a yacht. There was a real sense of reckless abandon, like living through Will Smith in I Am Legend, using the ruined world as a sandbox for exploration.
However, that all changed when I sailed the boat into open waters toward a nearby lighthouse, only to watch it start moving and reveal itself as a monstrous creature brought to life by the extraterrestrial forces that changed the world in the first place. Rising up with tendrils and a haunting element, the encounter quickly rattled my confidence.
At first, targeting specific spots to inflict heavy damage seemed easy. However, as the battle carried on, the true nature of the fight became more horrifying. Depleting ammo stores left me more desperate in my maneuvers. The enemy’s surreal nature began to affect my sanity, further reshaping the character’s capabilities.
I grew increasingly desperate and eventually had to flee, the entity remaining in the ocean as a haunting sign of how much the world has changed in this universe. It was haunting in a unique way, the kind of challenge that makes you want to figure it out even while you dread encountering it again. Especially in contrast to the massive world and the soft sunlight that illuminated it, this one encounter changed everything I thought I knew about the world.
The Sea Is Alive (And Very Angry)
The idea that any structure or ship on the open ocean could be a similar kind of monster introduces an inherent paranoia that raises the stakes of any and all adventures out into the wild blue yonder. It’s a terrific way to remix open-world survival games, giving players plenty of power fantasies to indulge in without losing the tension inherent to the genre.
These kinds of games can quickly lose momentum once players get a handle on the world and learn the tricks to crafting, but Isles of Abyss introduces a scope and tone that make it an ideal space for players with a wandering eye and a steely reserve. Once Human is a strange game, one that takes typical extraction/survival tropes and tweaks them to stand out.
That genre can feel like a dime a dozen in the current gaming landscape. Once Human‘s little surreal touches make the limitations feel like features, not bugs. The massive empty world doesn’t feel barren; it feels lonely. The lack of ample supplies doesn’t feel frustrating, but challenging.
The power fantasy is there, countered by the dread of not knowing how the world will next try to kill you. The result is a game that understands how to make the world feel vast and how to use it to a haunting effect. If you’re looking for a new game where survival is a challenge and triumph can only be achieved by the enduring and strong, Once Human and Isles of Abyss are for you.
Once Human
- Released
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July 9, 2024
- ESRB
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Teen / Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
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Starry Studio
- Publisher(s)
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Starry Studio, NetEase, Inc.
- Engine
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Once Human engine
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op