Author: Governed

Abiotic Factor

Ed Note: This review is based on playing the game on a multiplayer server, with increased resources, bonus EXP gain for skills, and decreased hunger/thirst depletion rates. Screenshots are from the press kit, and were not taken during gameplay.

Genre-wise, Abiotic Factor is not the most innovative thing. It’s a multiplayer survival crafting game, with some light RPG and FPS elements.

The game has a new header image now, but frankly it’s a bit too heroic for my tastes. This one feels more accurate.

Where it sets itself apart is the setting. Instead of a tropical island filled with monsters, or an infinite world of cubes, you and your friends will find yourself stuck in a combination of Black Mesa and an SCP Containment Facility.

It also looks like Half-Life.

Gameplay

If you’ve played a survival-crafter before, you’ve seen this loop. Set up a base, venture out to gather resources, craft equipment, and then venture out to explore. Rinse and repeat.

The main difference comes from the setting and enemies. I don’t think it’s unfair to call the enemies in this game pretty much just lifted from Half-Life. You have the Not-Head-Crabs, you have the Not-Vortagaunts, and you have the generic military dudes.

There are more enemies, but if you’ve played Half-Life and Halo, you’ve seen 90% of what this game has to offer. And if you’ve played Lethal Company, you can crank that up to 100%. There’s a single spectacle section where you’re forced to sneak past a series of large spooky enemies, but then they never show up again.

One thing that is new are the mini-games. You can turn some of these off, but not all of them. Frankly, I didn’t enjoy having to play these each time I had to sleep, or use the bathroom. Because not using a bathroom will eventually kill you.

Lot less scary once you realize you just have to outrun him, then give him a whack.

Combat is tricky, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag. While some of the later game snipers are difficult, often enemies are hard to deal with because they just out-gear you when you run into them, not because they’re crazy smart or tricky. There was an early game robot that we dealt with by walking up, smacking it, and then running away. Rinse repeat 25 times.

I probably sound a bit more down on Abiotic Factor than I’d like to be. The game is fun, and the setting is pretty novel for this genre. It’s just that a lot of what the game offers is captured more in its atmosphere and lore than it is in the gameplay mechanics.

Incredible atmosphere, gameplay that’s purely a set-piece stealth section.

Building up a base, crafting progressive upgrades, setting up farms, and exploring out for new materials. These are all fun things to do, and Abiotic Factor does them well.

But I’ve also already done them in Minecraft. And Raft. And Satisfactory, VRising, Valheim, Terraria, Starbound, The Planet Crafter, and Don’t Starve Together.

If I was to give any real praise, I want to call out its quality of life features and unlock. You can develop auto-sorting. You can get the ability to pull resources from nearby boxes for use in crafting and repairing. Thank you Abiotic Factor for not making me play inventory Tetris each time I want to craft a single clip of ammo.

The Problem

The real problem though is that Abiotic Factor is currently Early Access. It feels like you can only play about 30-40% of the game. By the time you reach the end, you’ve been introduced to the world, and its factions and monsters… and just as things are getting exciting, there’s invisible wall that says “Future Content Here.”

And then there isn’t really an end game. While the base building can be fun, unlike Valheim or Minecraft, it doesn’t have enough freedom to turn into the focus of game. We built about 2-3 bases on our playthrough, and that was “good enough.” Sure, we could have built them better, or improved them, but we never felt any need to do so.

The same is true of other factors. There are no raids, rare mobs, weapons, or really anything to do. And that’s fine, Abiotic Factor doesn’t need these things. It can be a survival-crafter with a complete story and arc like Raft… but it doesn’t that story yet.

And as a result, I can’t really recommend playing it until it’s actually finished.

Conclusion

Abiotic Factor has a lot of promise, and there are all sorts of hint and nods lore-wise toward interesting things that might happen. For example, there’s a large red chair that appears to just teleport you into a backrooms style area where you have to solve a puzzle while avoiding invisible monsters to get out.

It’s fresh, and hits a certain itch when played with friends. It’s new and unique enough to be a good time. But it’s hard to view as a long term game, especially with no real end-game or purpose currently available, and with its story incomplete.

Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero?

You can do it, dood!

Ed Note: Images are from theSwitch re-release press kit.

“Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?” was re-released for Switch back in 2020, after originally being released on PSP. It’s a game that I first played on a whim, but grew to love and play religiously. And what with this being Disgaea Week, I figured now is as good a time as any to talk about it.

I was still in high school when I heard about its release, and while I thought the animation looked good, and the gameplay seemed cool, I knew nothing about the Disgaea series. Still, I grabbed it anyway, and on a cold day after class while waiting for the bus, a friend passed me his PSP and I was off on a journey where I learned the most important lesson in life: “Gotta be smart, dood!” 

Starting the game, you’re introduced to our expandable super cool hero, the Prinny, a penguin-shaped husk that houses the spirit of a criminal sentenced to hell. After a quick meeting with your master, Demon Lord Eta, you’re told someone ate her Ultra Dessert and that unless you and your fellow Prinnies get her a new one, you’re all dead. With this promise of an asskicking should you fail, Etna gives you a magical scarf, and it’s off to the races.

Take three hits, and it’s the end of the line dood!

 Once the story begins your UI shows you the main helpful info: your scarves, combo bar, points, a timer, and the total number of Prinnies left. The UI’s not overwhelming when playing and all of the elements are spaced out nicely, so you never have a moment where the action is covered or blocked. The game has a very roguelike feel considering how your Prinny can take three hits, and then they’re gone.

1000 Prinnies might seem like a lot, but they disappear quickly and watching the life counter in the bottom left adds a very fun sense of impending doom. I’ve always been a fan of watching the counter go down as I struggle, getting closer and closer towards the end but also getting better and better, learning boss and enemy mechanics.

Overall, the game is a very snappy side scrolling platformer, and it feels great; there are only rare moments where I felt like a death was due to confusing level design or weird controls. One thing to note is that the game changes perspective when you do an air attack from 2d to a pseudo-3d. This can be awkward at first, but once you get used to the perspective shift it can be helpful for platforming or trying to find hidden areas. 

For combat, your character has a ground slam attack and a sword slice that can be used at short range. The slash attack can be used on the ground or in the air which will cause your Prinny to float while the attack is active. 

Combat is simple and honestly that’s what I loved about the game. Prinnies are supposed to be a weak throw-away characters, and while they are (sorta) the hero of this story, you can tell they’re not traditional overpowered protagonists. 

Enemies and boss fights feel challenging but absolutely beatable. The level design is streamlined and makes it hard to get lost. Additionally, if there was ever a moment where I entered a boss room and didn’t immediately know how to complete the fight, a quick look around the room always guaranteed I knew what was needed to beat them. 

The music and voice acting is also a huge part of what makes the game great. The soundtrack has a very Nightmare Before Christmas/Disgaea vibe. It’s always very fitting for the level and really gets you bobbing with music. As for voice acting, the Prinnies have their go-to catchphrases that after 4 hours I found myself yelling as I beat enemies or made lots of progress: “Gotta be fast dood!” They all have an attitude and speech type that makes you want to help these doods.

Additionally, the supporting cast of demons and lords are hilarious and as an unassuming Prinny walking up to these powerhouses, you get amazing dialog as they ridicule you or even pay no attention. And when you end up interrupting, rest assured, it may end with you running for your un-life.

In short, the game is a great time. If you’re looking for something to pick up and play mindlessly for a few hours, or just laugh at all the crap the hero endures, only to see him finally succeed, it’s still worth it. It’s a simple joy to play and one that shouldn’t be overlooked. As I noted above, the game was released on PSP before, but your best bet at this point if you’re interested is to grab the Nintendo Switch re-release.