Once Human has grabbed gamers’ interest as a free-to-play open-world survival crafting game. It stands out due to its mix of genres and cool gameplay features. Starry Studio developed and NetEase published this game. It drops players into a world after the apocalypse.
There, they must stay alive while dealing with weird alien monsters and a detailed setting. This article will look at different parts of Once Human.
We’ll cover how it plays, its visual style how players interact with creatures, and what it’s like to play overall. We’ll use several reviews to give a full picture.
Gameplay Mechanics
At its heart, Once Human blends elements from several popular genres such as survival crafting, multiplayer interaction, and creature collection.
Players take on the role of a “Mayfly,” a character that can sync with “Deviants,” which are Pokémon-style creatures that live in the game world.
The gameplay cycle centres on exploring, gathering resources, making items, and fighting, with players finishing quests that often involve clearing outposts and finding hidden loot.
Exploration and Crafting
The game pushes players to check out its big open world. You’ll find all sorts of places like empty hospitals, factories, and neighbourhoods. These spots are full of stuff you can grab to make weapons, tools, and things to build with.
The system for making items lets you create lots of different things, from simple close-range weapons to fancy equipments. But it’s a bit messy.
Some people who reviewed the game said making stuff can get boring because you have to deal with too many menus and materials.
Combat System
Once Human keeps combat simple, with easy-to-use mechanics that let players fight enemies with close-range weapons or equipments.
The game has many weird creatures, including monsters that look gross, which makes fights more exciting.
Boss battles bring in special challenges forcing players to think and change how they fight to beat tough enemies.
While the creatures look cool, some reviewers said the combat isn’t that great. They pointed out that enemies don’t act very smart, and fights aren’t hard enough, which makes the game less fun.
Doing the same kind of fights over and over can get boring after a while for players who want a tougher survival game.
Visual Design and Atmosphere
Once Human stands out due to its visual style, which mixes scary and playful elements. The game has rich detailed settings that show a world after the end of everything we know.
This world balances decay with bright alien-touched parts. As you play, you’ll see weird creatures that blend living and non-living features. This creates a unique look of body horror that makes the game different from others like it.
The game’s music adds to the mood. You’ll hear classical tunes playing while you ride motorbikes through the game world. This mix of calm music and a chaotic world full of aliens makes for a gripping and deep experience.
Creature Design
The monster designs in Once Human have drawn significant acclaim for their inventiveness and diversity. Gamers come across an assortment of odd foes ranging from creatures with lightbulb heads to living objects such as suitcases and satellite dishes.
This creative take on enemy creation helps to keep the gameplay engaging and motivates players to venture through the game world to discover new confrontations.
Multiplayer and Community Interaction
Once Human has multiplayer features players join forces with friends or others to face challenges as a team. The game uses a whisper system similar to Elden Ring allowing players to leave messages for each other.
These messages can be useful tips or funny interactions. This feature aims to create a community feeling in the game, though some players might find it limiting that they can’t communicate.
Monetization and Accessibility
Since Once Human is free to play, it makes money through cosmetic items and season passes. The game doesn’t push players to pay to win so everyone can have fun without feeling like they need to spend cash.
Reviewers have pointed out that even though you can play for free, the game is still full of small purchases, which might put some people off.
Player Experience and Reception
Players have mixed feelings about Once Human. Some like how it mixes different game types and keeps them hooked, while others say it gets boring and the screen looks messy.
Many people get so into the game’s world that they lose track of time as they do tasks and look around. The way the game keeps going in circles, along with the weird monsters you meet, makes people want to play more.
Strengths
- Cool Monster Designs: The game has lots of creative bad guys and creatures. This makes exploring more fun and keeps players interested.
- Pretty Pictures: The world after the end of the world looks great. The places you can go have lots of details, which makes you want to look around and find new things.
- Community Features: The game has multiplayer elements and a whisper system to encourage players to interact and work together.
Weaknesses
- Repetitive Combat: The combat system can seem simple and shallow, which might bore players over time.
- Cluttered UI: Many people complain about the user interface. They say it’s too busy, with too many menus and options that can take away from enjoying the game.
- Performance Issues: The game sometimes slows down during big action scenes. This can make the game less fun for people with older or less powerful computers.
Conclusion
Once Human stands out in the packed scene of free-to-play survival games. It offers a special mix of exploring, making things, and collecting creatures.
The game has its problems, like combat that gets old fast and a messy user interface.
But its creative creature designs and rich visuals give players an absorbing experience. As Once Human keeps growing, it could make its own space in the survival genre.
It might attract people who want a weird, team-based gaming experience in a strange world after the end of the world.