Once Human Review: Is It Worth Downloading Right Now?
Once Human, the open-world survival game with a distinctly unsettling, almost Cronenbergian aesthetic, has finally hit the digital shelves. After a lengthy beta period, players are diving into its mutated world, scavenging for resources, building bases, and battling grotesque creatures. But with so many survival games vying for your attention, the big question remains: is Once Human worth downloading right now? This review will break down the key aspects of the game to help you decide.
We'll cover everything from the core gameplay loop and combat mechanics to the unique world design and overall performance. We'll also touch on the monetization model and whether it impacts the core experience. So, buckle up and let's dive into the twisted reality of Once Human.
What is Once Human? A Quick Overview
For those unfamiliar, Once Human throws you into a post-apocalyptic Earth ravaged by a mysterious Stardust. This cosmic contamination has warped the environment and its inhabitants, creating bizarre and dangerous creatures known as Aberrants. You play as a Meta-Human, someone resistant to the Stardust's effects, tasked with surviving and uncovering the secrets behind this cataclysm.
The core gameplay loop revolves around exploring the open world, gathering resources, crafting weapons and equipment, building and defending your base, and completing quests. Unlike some survival games that focus solely on PvP, Once Human offers a robust PvE experience with challenging bosses and a compelling storyline.
The Good: What Once Human Gets Right
Unique and Engaging World: The Stardust-infected world of Once Human is genuinely captivating. The visual design is striking, with unsettling creature designs and environments that feel both beautiful and terrifying. The atmosphere is thick with dread, and exploring the world feels genuinely rewarding as you uncover new locations and encounter unique challenges. The game's art direction is a major strength, setting it apart from other survival titles.
Satisfying Combat System: The combat in Once Human is surprisingly deep. You have a wide range of weapons to choose from, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The gunplay feels responsive, and the melee combat is brutal and impactful. The Aberrant enemies are varied and require different strategies to defeat, keeping combat engaging and challenging. The boss fights, in particular, are well-designed and offer a significant test of skill and preparation.
Base Building with a Purpose: Base building isn't just a cosmetic feature in Once Human. Your base serves as a safe haven, a crafting hub, and a defensive stronghold against Aberrant attacks. The building system is intuitive and allows for a good degree of customization. Furthermore, strategically placed defenses are crucial for surviving the increasingly difficult waves of enemies that will assault your base. This gives base building a real sense of purpose beyond just aesthetics.
Compelling PvE Content: While PvP is an option, Once Human shines in its PvE content. The storyline is intriguing, and the quests are well-written and engaging. The world is filled with secrets to uncover and challenges to overcome, providing a sense of progression and accomplishment. The game encourages cooperation with other players to tackle difficult content, fostering a sense of community.
Deep Crafting System: The crafting system in Once Human is extensive and allows for a high degree of customization. You can craft everything from weapons and armor to tools and building materials. The crafting recipes are complex and require a variety of resources, encouraging exploration and resource management. The ability to modify and upgrade your gear further adds to the depth of the crafting system.
The Bad: Areas Where Once Human Needs Improvement
Performance Issues: While the game has improved since its beta, performance issues still plague Once Human. Frame rate drops and stuttering can occur, especially in densely populated areas or during intense combat encounters. These issues can be particularly frustrating and detract from the overall experience. Optimization is definitely needed to improve the game's performance on a wider range of hardware.
Monetization Concerns: Once Human utilizes a free-to-play model with in-app purchases. While the game is playable without spending money, the monetization system can feel somewhat intrusive. Certain items and resources can be purchased with real money, potentially giving paying players an advantage. The game needs to strike a better balance between monetization and player experience to avoid feeling pay-to-win.
Inventory Management: The inventory management system in Once Human can be cumbersome and frustrating. The inventory space is limited, and managing your resources can become a chore. The lack of a proper sorting system further exacerbates the issue. Streamlining the inventory management system would significantly improve the player experience.
Repetitive Tasks: While the PvE content is generally engaging, some tasks can become repetitive over time. Gathering resources and completing certain quests can feel grindy, especially in the early game. Adding more variety to the tasks and quests would help to alleviate this issue.
Early Game Difficulty: The early game in Once Human can be quite challenging, especially for new players. The Aberrant enemies can be tough to defeat, and resources can be scarce. The game could benefit from a more gradual difficulty curve to ease new players into the experience.
Monetization Breakdown: How Free-to-Play is it, Really?
Once Human employs a gacha system for obtaining certain powerful items and weapons. While not strictly necessary to progress, these items can provide a significant advantage. You can earn some currency for the gacha system through gameplay, but the rate is slow, encouraging players to purchase more. This is a key area of concern, as it could lead to a pay-to-win scenario, particularly in PvP. The game also offers cosmetic items and convenience features for purchase, which are less impactful on gameplay but still contribute to the overall monetization strategy.
Who Should Download Once Human?
Survival Game Enthusiasts: If you enjoy survival games with a focus on exploration, crafting, and base building, Once Human is definitely worth checking out. The unique world and engaging gameplay loop will keep you hooked.
PvE Players: If you prefer PvE content over PvP, Once Human offers a robust and compelling experience with challenging bosses and a captivating storyline.
Players Looking for a Unique Aesthetic: If you're tired of the same old post-apocalyptic settings, Once Human's Cronenbergian aesthetic will be a breath of fresh (albeit polluted) air.
Who Might Want to Wait?
Players Sensitive to Performance Issues: If you have a lower-end PC or are easily frustrated by frame rate drops, you might want to wait until the game is further optimized.
Players Who Dislike Free-to-Play Monetization: If you are strongly opposed to free-to-play games with in-app purchases, you might want to avoid Once Human or at least approach it with caution.
Is It Worth Downloading Right Now? The Verdict
Despite its flaws, Once Human offers a compelling and unique survival experience. The striking world design, satisfying combat, and engaging PvE content outweigh the performance issues and monetization concerns. While optimization and balancing are needed, the core gameplay is solid and enjoyable.
So, is it worth downloading right now? Yes, but with caveats. Be prepared to potentially encounter performance issues and be aware of the monetization system. If you can look past these drawbacks, you'll find a rewarding and immersive survival game that stands out from the crowd. Download it, give it a try, and see if the Stardust-infected world of Once Human is for you. Just remember to keep an eye on those Aberrants!