Astroneer: The Game

This week,I'm going to "Review" a game name "Astroneer".Astroneer is a sandbox game. There is no set storyline or necessary goal to achieve, and the player is free to explore the land and play as they wish. However, there is still a survival element; as the player has basic needs that must be met. The player's oxygen levels drop overtime, and must be replenished. A lack of this will kill the player.^[2]

The game has no enemies or dangerous creatures, but there are still dangerous occurrences that will set the player back by killing them or damaging their possessions. Some of the obstacles the player will have to face are dangerous flora, dust storms and falling from high locations. The game additionally lacks player versus player combat, which means that players do not have the ability to fight and kill one another (except via use of the terrain editing tool to bury or make another player fall).^[2]

While there is no mandatory goal or mission to achieve, the main idea of the game is to colonize celestial bodies and harvest resources. There are different types of minerals the player can harvest; which allow players to improve their ship, their colony, their machines, or any of their other possessions. The player can construct machines, pods, habitats and other structures to aid in the process of mining and colonization.^[3]

Another important point in Astroneer is exploration and salvaging. The player has the ability to terraform the land to their liking, which can be used at the player's discretion. On many planets, wrecks of spacecraft and former colonies can be found littering the surface, usually somewhat submerged in the terrain. The player can uncover these wrecks and salvage resources from them to be used. The player can also terraform to his or her will, allowing access to certain hard-to-reach locations. Every player is equipped with a deforming tool at the time of their spawn, and this tool is always available to use.^[3]

The player has both power and oxygen bars, which will deplete in different ways. The player will slowly but constantly deplete their oxygen supply as they move around. The oxygen depletes faster depending on how fast or how much the player is moving. Oxygen will not regenerate unless the player is tethered to their spaceship or a vehicle either directly or via a chain of tethers. Power does not deplete unless the player uses certain objects, such as the deforming tool. When the player runs out of power, the flashlight on the spacesuit will automatically power off and nothing requiring power can be used. Power will regenerate slowly when unconnected to a ship, but when the player is connected to a base or vehicle, directly or via a chain of tethers, power can be transferred to them. The player will die without oxygen, but a lack of power will simply hinder their actions. Players can use objects like tanks (for oxygen) or batteries (for energy) to extend the length of time before total depletion.

The player creates tools and objects using an in-game 3D printer. The player's backpack is equipped with a small printer; however, the player must acquire a full-size printer in order to create larger objects. The player can also create land vehicles, such as rovers, to travel across surfaces with ease. Tethers and extensions can be created, which connect the player to their spaceship, regenerating power and oxygen. Tether extensions allow players to reach farther distances and increase the size of their base.

I had seen a few Youtubers playing this game,and i say,this is a wonderful yet fun game,espiecially when its in multiplayer.It hypes up peoples curiousity over time and it has their own speacial"never ending unknown to us".it may sound like "no man's sky"another game .but i prefer this style of game play and design.including the multiplayer setup.i hope it will continue to expand and i hope one day i could buy that day for myself XD