Once Human PC Game CBT3 Review

This is a MMO type survival game set in an apocolyptic world which has been consumed by other dimensional beings that have crossed over from rifts within space and time. How this has been achieved is down to an element that has been subject of experiments referred to as stardust. In short, the discovery and experimentation on this caused a chain reaction which ended civilisation. Whilst this is the current state of the world, others still continue to experiment on the stardust by keeping various rift portals open and trying to use the energy to enhance humans.

The Start Of Your Journey

Before you being playing the game you are introduced to the character creation menu where you will be able to customise your appearance. The game has done well in this aspect and provides you with a lot of options to alter the facial features so you can create a unique appearance however body adjustments are slightly weak but overall this is a very impressive customisation menu, all screen options shown below.

The game places you as someone that has escaped from the labs of Rossetta, which is one of the agencies running experiments on stardust, and with the help of a more powerful guide you set out to try and close all the rift portals, defeat monsters and help the people of Nalcott Island along your travels.

From the start you have nothing but a few basic tools and need to progress by creating a base / home and this is where the survival element fits in. You can choose to grow crops, gather water, minerals such as iron, copper, sulphur… and eventually use these to create weapons, vehicles and more tools to help you progress further. The game will guide you with the essential tools required to progress and the tutorial will see you through a basic build.

The build editor is also designed well however one must note everything is based on square grids or an equilateral triangle so your design will not be round but this doesn’t stop you from buidling anything you choose.

The basic tools to get you started are a cooker, furnace, workbench, supply bench and secure unit. The secure unit is used to store entities known as deviations, which are abilities that can assist with combat, gathering, providing special resources and buffs with cooking / farming.

And at some point you will unlock the garage which provides 3 vehicles, a bike, car and off-road jeep can be upgraded to improve speed, durability, fuel tank size and handling.

Of the three vehicles the bike is the most practical for travelling around due to speed and size as it can fit the narrow paths and climb mountains but all seem to struggle on any form of incline and slow down to the point of a crawl.

Weapons and Gear

Everything is crafted from blueprints which you unlock in the game and can be upgraded or enhanced with modifications. The basic principle of crafting weapons or clothing / armour is that you must have the blueprint of that particular item.

Blueprints can be enhanced with similar category blueprints so that when you do craft the blueprint, it is a stronger item or once the item is crafted it can be improved using the calibration option, or you do both, max out the blueprint, craft it and then enhance further with the calibration option.

Materials, Resources and Gathering

Building or crafting requires materials which are found in the world by performing various actions. Materials can be found everywhere and when out exploring ordinary objects are used to produce materials with the help of a disassembly bench.

Other essential materials such as metals must be gathered from the land and you will find various rocks and ores scattered about which you will require a pickaxe or drill to extract the material. These can then be used to produce further resources such as copper ingot, bricks, glass, steel ingot, bronze Ingot…, all with purpose and required for the production of bullets, building materials for base construction, weapons, clothing and repairs. Gathering also includes hunting for meat from various animals you find in the world which you can use in cooking recipes.

Farming

Living requires food and this means you must create food from what you find and can grow. Farming is simple, you grow seeds and harvest the crop. You can manually water and rely on the weather and lighting conditions to grow the crops or use grow lights and a sprinkler system which will require a supply of water. The game provides a water pump and water filter / purifier to make this possible but you will require a source of electricity.

Water can also be collected and stored in water storage tanks, collected from Rain, Sea, ground or rivers.

There is quite a bit of thought into the farming process and it provides the player with the ability to design their farm to suit their needs.

Gameplay Videos

This is a 3rd person view game so you will mainly play from a camera view behind the character unless in scoped mode with your weapon. The basic character controls are jump, duck, roll, sprint and climb which seems reasonably ok but the game could have incorporated more such as a lean, prone and cover system.

My thoughts on the game

I enjoyed playing the CBT version and if things improve further this game will definitely be around for a while. The ability for players to create a home is a nice feature but this area needs more work, more customistation, more props, furnitures and food decorations. The most disappointing aspect of this game is the AI / NPC interactions, enemies just stand still at points, stealth gameplay is non existent and they appear quite basic.

Player customisation is limited in the CBT, the backpack is my only concern as this appears glued to your back. Maybe at some point it will be removable or an alternative version, smaller or even just a smartwatch type cradle instead? (The backpack is referred to as a cradle in the game)

Boss fights are actually interesting but one must rely on a team for greater success as some missions unless you are maxed out with the most powerful weapons and gear, you will not succeed. There are also other modes that I didnt fully explore, primewar which is a big open world boss that all players must take down. It’s similar to a base purification in the sense that there is a device that needs to be protected so all players can build around it and when the boss show’s up, fight to earn starchrom.

Deviations also could do with more refinement as some just sit in your secure unit automatically gathering. These could also serve as player companions so when you are out in the world they are by your side also providing a buff, such as faster gathering, increased gathering but time will tell if these will be adjusted further. I think this has the potential to be a good game once released provided there is content to retain players and it evolves further, should be out around summer time 2024.