Once Human is a free-to-play post-apocalyptic third-person open world multiplayer survival game. Developed and published by Starry Studio, a NetEase subsidiary, the game was released on July 9, 2024.
| Once Human | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Developer(s) | Starry Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Starry Studio |
| Engine | NeoX |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | July 9, 2024 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person open world survival game |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Gameplay
editOnce Human gameplay is a blend of survival and looter shooter mechanics, taking place in a shared sandbox map in an open world.[1] The player loads into the environment and is taken through a tutorial and series of early missions, designed to teach the player how the survival elements work, unlock their individual systems and progress the game narrative.[2]
Survival elements of the game include gathering resources, crafting items, base building, eating and managing the sanity meter system.[1] The player must eat and drink to keep up their hunger and hydration meter. Keeping these meters above a certain threshold grants the player various buffs to health and damage, among others.[1] Certain behaviors, like spending prolonged time in supernatural areas, decreases the sanity meter, which in turn reduces the player's maximum health pool.[3] The player must consume particular resources to restore their sanity meter, or must rest in a bed.[3]
Early gameplay consists primarily of gathering resources and materials to build a base camp, weapons and ammo, in order to explore the map and engage in various main missions, side missions, activities and world events.[2] Strongholds are large locations on the map which occupy particular areas.[2] They are populated with enemies and hold various treasures and resources.[1] Each stronghold has its own unique objectives for completion and its own theme.[2] Every stronghold has a rift anchor, which when activated, gives rewards and helps the player progress between monolith battles.[1]
Monolith battles are pivotal encounters that the player builds towards through progressing the main story and clearing the strongholds in each zone.[1] These are boss battles where the player must complete battle phases to defeat the Monolith.[1] There are currently three unique Monolith bosses.[2] Silos are instance generated dungeons populating the open world, with multiple difficulty tiers.[2] The silos have basic and elite enemies and a mini boss at the end.[2] Each silo offers particular rewards and can be repeated to farm resources.[2]
Plot
editThe player wakes up in an apocalyptic future with amnesia. The world had been destroyed by an event known as the Starfall, where the pollution of an alien substance called Stardust caused most living beings to mutate into violent Deviations. A mystical bird called "V" tells the player that they are a Meta-Human: a biologically enhanced human that can control Stardust. These Meta-Humans were created by a company called Rosetta, who had caused the Starfall with their reckless experiments in pursuit of human evolution.
The main storyline follows the Meta-Human and V as they discover the horrors of Rosetta, and defeat the Deviations that the company created. The world is covered in abandoned towns that the player explores, collecting items and learning about the past. Players are able to collect friendly Deviations known as Deviants, which can help them in battle or collect resources for them.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 71/100[4] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | 3/5[5] |
| GamesRadar+ | 2.5/5[6] |
| IGN | 8/10[2] |
| CGMagazine | 8.5/10[7] |
Once Human received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4] IGN's Justin Koreis gave the game a "great" rating of 8/10.[2]
The game was popular on release, with over 230,000 people playing concurrently on video game service Steam. The developers struggled to meet the demand, and players were forced to wait in queues before entering the game.[8]
On August 16, 2024, the game ranked #1 in the "Top Sellers" ranking on Steam.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Newman, Heather (18 July 2024). "Once Human review Build, farm, shoot, and cooperate in this deep MMO". PC Gamer. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Koreis, Justin (July 17, 2024). "Once Human Review". IGN. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Alston, Harry (12 July 2024). "Once Human Review-In-Progress: Brilliantly Weird And Totally Confused". The Gamer. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Once Human". Metacritic. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ Blake, Vikki (July 25, 2024). "Once Human review - mediocre action limits a cracking open world". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Hornshaw, Phil (July 23, 2024). "Once Human review: "Like a crawling bus, its more original elements hide dull and generic ones"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Walters, David (July 24, 2024). "Once Human (PC) Review". Computer Games Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Wesley Yin-Poole (2024-07-15). "Once Human Dev Struggles to Cope With Huge Number of Players as Steam Hit Exceeds Expectations". IGN. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
External links
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