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[LegendOfKage]

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Who? Deep Field Games
What? A co-op crafting and survival game set in an underground facility.
When? Right now. The game was released on the 22nd of July. Before that, it was in early access for over a year.
Where? PC, PS5, and Xbox.
Why? Co-op is fun, exploration is rewarding, and crafting bases anywhere within a large indoor complex is a unique change for the genre.
How? $35 to purchase, but it's also included this month on PS Plus Extra and Game Pass.


What is this game?

Abiotic Factor is a a co-op crafting and survival game set in an underground facility. You play a scientist working in the facility when things start to go wrong. Hostile alien life forms are now roaming about the sprawling complex, and you're going to have to figure out how to survive and escape.


Can the game be played solo?

Yes! Co-op is not required to play.


Is there cross-play?

Yes! There's full cross-play support across PC, PS5 and Xbox.


How does progression work?

All progression is tied the the host, and you cannot take a character back to your world, or to another friend's game.


If this is a survival game, does that mean I have to worry about eating and drinking all the time?

Thanks to a large number of sandbox settings, you can make Abiotic Factor as easy or as challenging as you want. You can raise, lower, or disable all sorts of settings, which includes how long it takes before you're hungry, thirsty, tired, etc.


How punishing is this game on default settings? I know survival games can be pretty difficult.

With the default settings, when you die you drop everything in your inventory, but you get to keep anything equipped and anything in your quick access wheel. It's not really frustrating, and you don't lose progress.

 

[Generic]

I will give it a try.

 

[Trogdor1123]

I remember seeing it and thought it looked pretty neat. I'll wait to hear what folks think.

 

[forsakkenSoul]

I played it with some friends, but I didn't like it. I requested a refund on Steam. I don't know, I just don't have the patience for this kind of game anymore.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Anyone play the PS5 version? How's the port?

 

[Punished Miku]

Just played a bit of the tutorial. The dialogue is definitely humorous. I'll try it when I'm in the mood for it. Really feels like a PC game with tiny font and mouse- centric menus. So that was a little off putting on console.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Just played a bit of the tutorial. The dialogue is definitely humorous. I'll try it when I'm in the mood for it. Really feels like a PC with tiny font and mouse- centric menus. So that was a little off putting on console.

I'm weary of games like this on console by now. The controls are always annoying.

 

[Neolombax]

Just tried this yesterday, played the tutorials, a bit dull for my tastes.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Amniotic Fluid.

 

[Buggy Loop]

I played it a lot on PC coop with friend

Really fucking fun and hilarious moments.

The map is one of the best made one I've seen in a long time, full of shortcuts and secrets

 

[ryantetric]

Just played a couple hours crossplatform PC to PS5 with a friend and didn't have any issues. Really fun so far exploring the facility and crafting along the way with some nice QoL coop stuff, would be more fun with a couple more people. Loving the Half Life influence.

 

[LegendOfKage]

I remember seeing it and thought it looked pretty neat. I'll wait to hear what folks think.

I'm enjoying it enough to make an OT thread, and I don't make a lot of them.

Anyone play the PS5 version? How's the port?

Seems good to me so far. Maybe watch a review or two if you still have concerns.

Just played a bit of the tutorial. The dialogue is definitely humorous. I'll try it when I'm in the mood for it. Really feels like a PC game with tiny font and mouse- centric menus. So that was a little off putting on console.

I'm weary of games like this on console by now. The controls are always annoying.

You can enlarge some of the smaller text with an option in the settings, and you can also play the game using keyboard and mouse.

 

[Branded]

Me and a few friends played it for about 3 hours back in early access. Really enjoyed it but it's also a bit of an investment as far as time and attention goes. Some of the level design can get rather intricate (even with the eventual shortcut unlocks) and the enemies are no push overs either.

Definitely looking forward to getting stuck back in but we'll probably start on a fresh save though.

 

[Rocinante618]

looks cool, wishlisted.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I played it a lot on PC coop with friend

Really fucking fun and hilarious moments.

The map is one of the best made one I've seen in a long time, full of shortcuts and secrets

Is this viable solo at all? Not anti-MP but just sick of all my MP gaming bros right now and not in the mood.

 

[Roman Empire]

Heard about it from my brother. I'll give it a try.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Is this viable solo at all? Not anti-MP but just sick of all my MP gaming bros right now and not in the mood.

Yea for sure you can solo

 

[Cynical_Aries]

Going to start soon, looks fun.

 

[Pimpollo818]

I gave it a few honest tries before calling it quits. I like the exploration, but the crafting kept putting a fat STOP sign on my fun. I finally quit when it had me craft the Power Cell. You need to Craft J, but you need to craft H O and Q to craft it. To craft H, you need to craft D and N. Oh fuck off....

 

[wigsplittin4fun]

Does it have a campaign/ story mode?

 

[archangelmorph]

I can't with these modern 3D games with intentionally shit graphics.

It's just not cute.

it's not 1998 anymore and even if it were, these games would have looked better on native 680p CRTs.

Give us at least reasonable hi-res textures, even if you don't want to commit to PBR materials and a modern lighting model.

Sheesh…

 

[LegendOfKage]

Does it have a campaign/ story mode?

It does have a story. You meet NPCs who talk about being suck in their given situation, and who suggest things you should do to progress. Not sure how deep things will get beyond that.

The pace of the game is pretty slow, though. If you think you're only going to be entertained by the story elements, there's going to be a lot of crafting, exploration, and combat between the parts that move the story forward. If that doesn't interest you, I wouldn't play it, unless it's included in a subscription service that you have.

I can't with these modern 3D games with intentionally shit graphics.

It's just not cute.

it's not 1998 anymore and even if it were, these games would have looked better on native 680p CRTs.

Give us at least reasonable hi-res textures, even if you don't want to commit to PBR materials and a modern lighting model.

Sheesh…

This game is a strange mix of somewhat more modern textures, along with some that look considerably more dated. It's an interesting choice that somehow works, IMO.

I guess that's subjective, but less subjective is the lighting in the game. You might not be able to tell from trailers and reviews, but the lighting is actually pretty good. You can take lamps from all over the facility, and use them in other rooms to light areas however you want. The lighting is honestly one of the last things I'd criticize in this game, but I also can't find much to criticize.

 

[Roberts]

This has been influenced by Grounded so much but not as nearly as good.

 

[ClanOfNone]

This has been influenced by Grounded so much but not as nearly as good.

It definitely gives a Grounded: SCP/Half-Life Edition.
If this sounds good to you, I'd say it's worth the dough. I like the setting, but these crafter/builder games never seem to hold my attention for very long.

 

[bitbydeath]

I took a look at the store entry and it doesn't mention co-op, just online stuff. No interest from me until it gets actual co-op.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

Good game! playing solo pc.

 

[Kerotan]

With the vomrile war over could we get more games coming to PS Extra and GP simultaneously?

 

[Cynical_Aries]

I'd like to play co-op. If anyone would like to join up, let me know.

 

[Roberts]

It definitely gives a Grounded: SCP/Half-Life Edition.
If this sounds good to you, I'd say it's worth the dough. I like the setting, but these crafter/builder games never seem to hold my attention for very long.

I'm generally not really into crafting/survival games but something clicked for me when playing Grounded and it ended up being one of my favourite games ever. Nevertheless I appreciate this game's sense of humour and it seems like it could be a lot of fun but I don't really feel it just yet. Need to play more.

 

[LegendOfKage]

I took a look at the store entry and it doesn't mention co-op, just online stuff. No interest from me until it gets actual co-op.

What do you consider co-op? If you mean you only want to play games with local co-op split screen, you're correct that this game doesn't have that. If you mean the ability to play cooperatively with other players online, then this game has that. It allows online co-op for up to 6 players.

It's actually the most co-op focused crafting survival game I've ever played, seeing as all times players players have to accomplish one specific goal in order to move forward. Maybe you have to build a specific item, or reach a certain point, or find a way to open a door, but all players are always working towards the game goal.

I'd like to play co-op. If anyone would like to join up, let me know.

Now that I understand more about the co-op in this game, I should probably explain how it works.

There's one major downside to how co-op works in this game that people should probably know about. The first time another player enters a world for the first time, the character they make, the items they collect, and the perks they unlock cannot be taken to any other game. Progress is only kept for the host, and all characters are forever tied to the host's game. Other players can come and go, but they can only enter the world when the host is playing. When other players return to host's game, they do keep all the progress that they made in host's world.

It's not that bad for people who have a friend or two they play co-op games with often, and maybe a couple more who play less often. But if that's not the case, all you can really do is decide who will likely play more often, and then the others just join them when they can.

 

[bitbydeath]

What do you consider co-op? If you mean you only want to play games with local co-op split screen, you're correct that this game doesn't have that. If you mean the ability to play cooperatively with other players online, then this game has that. It allows online co-op for up to 6 players.

It's actually the most co-op focused crafting survival game I've ever played, seeing as all times players players have to accomplish one specific goal in order to move forward. Maybe you have to build a specific item, or reach a certain point, or find a way to open a door, but all players are always working towards the game goal.

Yeah, local co-op.
No interest in an online multiplayer version.

 

[Denton]

92 on PC Gamer who call it one of the best games they played in years.
94% positive reviews on Steam from 34 000 people

Abiotic Factor review

Abiotic Factor is an instant survival classic, and one of the best games I've played in years.

www.pcgamer.com

I suppose for fans of the survival/craft genre (which I am not) this is going to be a classic, despite the lowend graphics.

 

[Bry0]

I gave it a few honest tries before calling it quits. I like the exploration, but the crafting kept putting a fat STOP sign on my fun. I finally quit when it had me craft the Power Cell. You need to Craft J, but you need to craft H O and Q to craft it. To craft H, you need to craft D and N. Oh fuck off....

Yeah, it's one of the best survival games I've played but I hate this loop of constant roadblocks (super typical for this genre), the thing is I have friends who are obsessed with this stuff. I log in and they're like "here's 200 rounds of ammo I farmed and a set of armor".

They do all the boring crafting and farming and I get to be the enforcer. Lol

 

[LegendOfKage]

I gave it a few honest tries before calling it quits. I like the exploration, but the crafting kept putting a fat STOP sign on my fun. I finally quit when it had me craft the Power Cell. You need to Craft J, but you need to craft H O and Q to craft it. To craft H, you need to craft D and N. Oh fuck off....

Pretty early on, you can get a crafting bench upgrade that pulls items from any nearby container, and you can pin crafting blueprints so you can see exactly what you need. I guess if you hate any crafting aspect in video games, this would definitely not be the game for you, but they've made everything as easy and painless as possible when it comes to how everything works.

The map is one of the best made one I've seen in a long time, full of shortcuts and secrets

Now that I've progressed even more, I can really see what you mean. In many ways, it feels like the art isn't the only "old school" design aspect here. It's great playing a game where you really have to explore again.

92 on PC Gamer who call it one of the best games they played in years.
94% positive reviews on Steam from 34 000 people

Abiotic Factor review

Abiotic Factor is an instant survival classic, and one of the best games I've played in years.

www.pcgamer.com

I suppose for fans of the survival/craft genre (which I am not) this is going to be a classic, despite the lowend graphics.

And yet only two reviews on Metacritic, for a game that just might end up being my GOTY. This game deserves so much more attention. It's already one of the best co-op games I've ever played, and the best crafting game I've ever played. I'm normally not a big fan of the genre either.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Now that I've progressed even more, I can really see what you mean. In many ways, it feels like the art isn't the only "old school" design aspect here. It's great playing a game where you really have to explore again.

Spoiler

Did you notice also there's paths open only at night? When the electricity shuts down, you can have an air duct with a giant fan turning during the day and when its stops during the night, its an open opportunity

 

[Mr.ODST]

How does it run on Series X or is there a PS5 Pro patch? looking to play this as I've done some games on PC

 

[geary]

Bought it today...Saw is pretty praised...

 

[dorkimoe]

I can't with these modern 3D games with intentionally shit graphics.

It's just not cute.

it's not 1998 anymore and even if it were, these games would have looked better on native 680p CRTs.

Give us at least reasonable hi-res textures, even if you don't want to commit to PBR materials and a modern lighting model.

Sheesh…

im with you. I booted it up on xbox and dipped out quick. I may go back and try it but just seems silly to be that dated looking.

 

[Riptastic]

I am about 5 hours in and absolutely loving this. Playing solo on ps5 pro.

Tbh I think I rather play games like this solo, I think id be missing out on the atmosphere if I was playing with others.

One of the things I love about it is the fear of getting lost. I feel every corner I take is leading me to another maze like area, always loved the feeling of losing track of where I am in a game. Would get the same feeling on a large deep rock level.

 

[duck_sauce]

Im also playing solo on my ps5. Im loving this and the survival aspects are great and there is not much hand holding. I absolultly adore the halflife feeling. Takes me back.

 

[mèx]

Maybe a stupid question, but does this game have an end? I would be interested to play it in a one and done way in coop.

 

[LegendOfKage]

Maybe a stupid question, but does this game have an end? I would be interested to play it in a one and done way in coop.

I would say this is easily the most goal-focused co-op survival and crafting game I've ever played. Unlike most games in the genre, everyone is always working towards the same goal, with the ultimate goal being to escape the facility. I've yet to finish the game, though. I've heard it can take about 40 hours to finish the game, but that also likely depends on how much time you take to explore, collect resources, craft gear, work on improving your base, etc. I'm more than 60 hours in, and I still haven't finished the game yet.

 

[Mikado]

Give us at least reasonable hi-res textures, even if you don't want to commit to PBR materials and a modern lighting model.

Ironically, they did turn on every checkbox in the Unreal Graphics features - for something that looks worse than Quake I, it spins my GPU fans up to absurd levels - even with vsync and frame-limiting on.

I guess they have Lumen GI on or something, but I see almost no visual degradation in turning it off except my GPU no longer sounds like a Harrier taking off.

 

[Dynasty8]

Started the game yesterday. Only a couple hours in. Pretty overwhelmed but I can see it's something special for sure. There's a lot I need to learn and discover. Any early tips would be appreciated.

 

[LegendOfKage]

Started the game yesterday. Only a couple hours in. Pretty overwhelmed but I can see it's something special for sure. There's a lot I need to learn and discover. Any early tips would be appreciated.

Some early tips. No actual plot spoilers or anything, but I'm using spoiler tags for those who would rather figure everything out on their own.

Spoiler

Make your base somewhere at least somewhat close to water. The starting area with the kitchen / breakroom works, and so does the upstairs pool / gym / kitchen area. There's also a fountain on the third floor of the starting area. Anywhere in or close to these areas will work.

A base starts with a crafting bench and a bed.

Learn to make soup as soon as possible. Keep using a stove top and frying pan to cook meat until you can make soups.

You can put tainted water in a pot and place the pot on a stove top to make it drinkable. Once you can make soup, you can fill a pot with water and meat in order to cook it. Check your gate pal tablet for more soup recipes. Some soups will fill hunger more than thirst, some soups do the opposite, and most soups give you a temporary buff of some sort.

Many items have a chance to break when you try to take them, but certain items will never break. Because of this, take all the water coolers, lamps, art, and other collectables that you can find.

You can use tech scrap as an extension cord. Just have it in your hands while you use a plug.

If you don't know how to progress, explore every area and kill every type of enemy. Also check to see if dismantling or trading an item can get you something that you've never seen before.

 

[geary]

I would say this is easily the most goal-focused co-op survival and crafting game I've ever played. Unlike most games in the genre, everyone is always working towards the same goal, with the ultimate goal being to escape the facility. I've yet to finish the game, though. I've heard it can take about 40 hours to finish the game, but that also likely depends on how much time you take to explore, collect resources, craft gear, work on improving your base, etc. I'm more than 60 hours in, and I still haven't finished the game yet.

CohhCarnage is ~70 hours in it and is not near ending... From what i understand is ~100 hours.

 

[Riptastic]

Started the game yesterday. Only a couple hours in. Pretty overwhelmed but I can see it's something special for sure. There's a lot I need to learn and discover. Any early tips would be appreciated.

Try and make a few storage boxes early game, you will desperately need the inventory space.

 

[Krathoon]

Yeah. I am going to have to try this one out. Sounds like a goodie and the price is right.

Amazing, a decent priced game.

 

[LegendOfKage]

Yeah. I am going to have to try this one out. Sounds like a goodie and the price is right.

Amazing, a decent priced game.

The developers also warned people that the early access would be ending and the price would be going up a bit, gave everyone with the early access version a free supporter's pack DLC, and had some fun with the announcement of the full version price.

 

[geary]