Wrongworld Early Access Review

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Could you name three game tags that are responsible for creating an extremely popular genre amongst PC gamers? If I had to choose, it’d be; Early Access, Indie and Survival. Don’t Starve, Rust and Ark: Survival Evolved are all popular titles that have created loyal fan bases by offering different experiences whilst maintaining similar core mechanics the survival genre is known for. Whilst the genre garnered its popularity from the DayZ mod years ago, it continues to offer and maintain popular games within the community. But does Wrongworld deserve a place in your gaming library?

The loading screen is the main source of information regarding plot details. A furry bear-like animal, you, has crash landed on a randomly generated alien world. With each new game, a unique and new world is created each time for that particular save. In the games trailer, it challenges you to build yourself a new life within this world or rebuild a spaceship so you can find your way back home. The only problem here is, apart from some very basic tips and controls, the game doesn’t point you in the direction that you need to go. Wrongworld is a pure survival game and will definitely punish new players of the genre.

Solid gameplay is the key hook to survival games. Wrongworld does do a lot right in this area but at the same time, there are a few problems that could risk alienating causal gamers. Like every survival games, Wrongworld starts you off with the bare minimum of using your hands and head to attack and harvest resources. Health and hunger work side by side, with health regenerating if hunger levels are above 90%. The map itself isn’t gigantic and is split into four sections compromised of desert, grassland, snow and rocky environments. Each environment is filled with various resources and monsters. Given the low poly graphics, the world can feel empty and sparse even though it isn’t nearly as expansive as rival titles. Whilst the game is polished and does offer the chance to capture some impressive screenshots, the lack of assets such as trees and rocks make it harder for players to immerse themselves within this alien planet.

Combat isn’t well implanted in the game. Whilst the game allows you to craft cool weapons such as boxing gloves, an axe and a shovel, the fighting controls are basic and tedious after a while. It became a chore when monsters continued to pester me, mainly because they weren’t posing any sort of challenge. Enemies don’t display a health bar, so time after time I had to punch, slide to the left and punch again. Over and over. As mentioned earlier, crafting in this game is fun and every material and item found does serve a valuable purpose depending on what you want to achieve in the game. Within my first game, I was able to create a small yet functional base on top of a hill surrounded with stone walls. The problem I had with the system is the limited inventory slots when exploring. There isn’t an ability to craft a backpack, so after equipping weapons, food and tools for exploration, it doesn’t leave you a whole lot of space to pick up new items and resources. Unless you’re content with going back to your base every few minutes, it becomes annoying rather than challenging to deal with this issue. For causal gamers, mechanics like this may turn them off from playing Wrongworld on a daily basis, but the game is fully capable of creating its own niche.

Wrongworld becomes increasingly fun to play after a solid base has been built and items have been crafted. Random events occur across the alien planet and the bizarre, surreal atmosphere of the game creates some enjoyable, random moments. Unless you opt for easy mode, each play is auto saved and every death is permanent. In my first game, I foolishly ignored an explosion sign upon entering a half sunken parody of the statue of liberty, only to be exploded and killed. I had survived six days but just like that, it had all been for nothing. Its moments like this that encourage gamers to retry and learn from past mistakes (like ignoring warning signs). The sound effects and general design of the monsters are wacky but unique too. A special mention too for the beautiful night sky which draws inspiration from Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Wrongworld is a niche game within the survival genre, yet I’m struggling to establish exactly who this game is for. Unlike other titles, it does offer a unique, wonderfully-random experience. However, it lacks much more content compared to its rivals and whilst developer Sludji Games hasn’t got the same resources, the current price is £14.99 which is fairly high for an early access title. Like many indie survival games, Wrongworld showcases its potential and with constant updates, I believe the title could create its own large fan base amongst the survival genre. Wrongworld is a fun, original title and if you’re a diehard survival gamer, it’s definitely worth your attention.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary PC code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.

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