Several names come to thoughts whenever you consider survival titles this yr, from Palworld and Nightingale to Enshrouded and Sons of the Forest. Nonetheless, only some titles provide an expertise that might actually be billed as “Terraria-like.” It’s not simple to interrupt down – Valheim arguably suits into the class whereas presenting a novel premise, base-building mechanics and perspective.
Nonetheless, PugStorm’s Core Keeper succinctly encapsulates it – and several other others – whereas presenting its personal procedurally generated twists and turns. Out there now on all platforms after coming into early entry years in the past, the premise is easy. As a part of a bunch of explorers, you uncover a mysterious unknown object – interacting with it ends in a visit down the cavernous depths of who-knows-where.
“When you’ve secured some supplies, arrange some torches, and crafted some chests in your ever-burgeoning assortment of products and wares, Core Keeper offers essentially the most primary steering for what you must do.”
From there begins the journey to flee, as you progress from primary survival to base-building and establishing your presence in these seemingly endless catacombs. In the meantime, the Core on the heart of the map continues quietly pulsing, watching your each transfer and seemingly ready for…one thing.
The style isn’t recognized for its story-telling, so don’t anticipate to be inundated with cutscenes. But Core Keeper does current in depth lore via its varied merchandise descriptions – of different explorers who someway ended up on this predicament or long-gone civilizations and their units, seemingly flourishing within the depths. The way it all ties collectively is considerably enjoyable to piece collectively, however the primary plot may be very easy, with a twist that you could be see coming from a mile away. As such, these anticipating a narratively wealthy expertise ought to look elsewhere.
The gameplay loop is easy: Mine, uncover assets and supplies, craft gear and weapons to spice up your survival, and repeat. When you’ve secured some supplies, arrange some torches, and crafted some chests in your ever-burgeoning assortment of products and wares, Core Keeper offers essentially the most primary steering for what you must do. Three biomes await, every with a novel boss. Defeat that boss and return their key merchandise to the start.
Try this, and the Core will awaken, permitting you to entry the Outer Wall. When you arrive on the outskirts of the map and break via, the sport begins in earnest. The target is to take down six Titans and harness their Souls. A number of new biomes open up all through – Azeos’ Wilderness, with its disarming magnificence that hides snipers and harmful vegetation; The Sunken Sea, with its mixture of threatening tentacles and the Forlorn Metropolis with its hostile mages; and the Desert of Beginnings, the place Bomb Scarabs and assassins await. All through the expertise, you cross paths with completely different hostile Cavelings, every with distinctive preventing types, whether or not it’s brute pressure and magic or nimble dagger strikes.
“Whether or not you’re dropping bombs to cease Ghorm the Devourer from working across the map or navigating a hellacious inferno in opposition to Malugaz the Corrupted, the bosses present some hefty challenges.”
After all, there are a number of different threats to beware from Shroomans and Larva to varied sorts of Slimes. Defending your self means embracing completely different fight types, from axes and swords to ranged weapons like bows, crossbows, and staves. It’s additionally attainable to dip into summoning, conjuring bats and ghouls to struggle in your behalf. That is the place the “really feel” of Core Keeper’s gameplay shines, with assaults and traversal feeling responsive. Parrying feels crisp, and although motion choices are initially restricted (the top-down perspective means you may’t leap or fly round), you ultimately unlock off-hand tools for dashing and short-range teleports.
As you hack and slash via the hordes, setting down completely different tiers of crafting tables, stronger tools is offered to leverage, together with gear units. They’ll unlock completely different bonuses relying on the items outfitted. Each motion carried out additionally unlocks factors for passive talent upgrades, be it elevated melee and ranged harm, including a proportion of mining harm to your melee assaults, and so forth. The fight is fairly good, and whereas the common enemies could make for a harrowing expertise – generally somewhat too excessively, even with first rate armor – the bosses shine.
Whether or not you’re dropping bombs to cease Ghorm the Devourer from working across the map or navigating a hellacious inferno in opposition to Malugaz the Corrupted, the bosses present some hefty challenges. That solely turns into extra obvious when coping with the Titans, particularly the Hydras, as every subsequent struggle ends in one other head to cope with. Maybe the one draw back to the Hydras is how annoying they’re to trace down, particularly in the event you haven’t spent the higher a part of that biome mining out paths to intercept the place they could move.
You even have non-compulsory bosses, even when 4 are completely different variants of large Slimes. Maybe the standout amongst them is Urschleim, who resides in The Passage because the struggle always has you on the transfer to keep away from being run down whereas focusing on its weak spots. It’s maybe essentially the most difficult boss within the recreation, even in comparison with the ultimate boss (which nonetheless offers a noteworthy however considerably sobering conclusion to the story).
“Alongside the gameplay really feel, the presentation retains me coming again, from the attractive 2D visuals to the soundtrack, alternating between happy-go-lucky synth and epic orchestral tracks.”
That brings us to one of many largest points with Core Keeper – it’s seemingly over too quickly. Comparisons to Terraria might crop up, particularly because the latter gives far more content material, nevertheless it’s additionally been round for for much longer. Even whereas taking my time to gear up, fishing round, establishing admittedly annoying-to-control Go-Karts, and spending hours discovering pitiful quantities of supplies to craft boss-detecting objects, I nonetheless acquired about 40 hours of enjoyment from the expertise.
Notice that that is with out defeating all non-compulsory bosses, establishing the Legendary sword, opening these odd indestructible doorways, or cooking each recipe within the guide. There’s additionally a frighteningly in depth automation component to the sport – that might doubtlessly drain tens of hours or extra, although it’s removed from vital for achievement.
Some parts, just like the talent development, could possibly be improved. After the ultimate boss fell, there have been nonetheless a number of late-game abilities that I had but to unlock, not for lack of killing, cooking or mining issues. Nonetheless, it’s good to see quality-of-life options like Fast Trash (solely found after ending the sport, satirically sufficient) and crafting from storage, although the chest should be located subsequent to the crafting desk in query.
Alongside the gameplay really feel, the presentation retains me coming again, from the attractive 2D visuals to the soundtrack, alternating between happy-go-lucky synth and epic orchestral tracks. The usage of lighting is unbelievable, as you mine via caves, and the glow out of your tools naturally illuminates contemporary passageways. Every biome can also be visually distinct, using varied colours that pop with out overwhelming an excessive amount of. Additionally, the Core’s eye visibly monitoring your actions as you stroll previous it’s a good contact.
“If nothing else, the one actual draw back is that the expertise leaves you craving extra.”
Core Keeper is an attention-grabbing anomaly within the sandbox style – it doesn’t reinvent the wheel however nonetheless gives a contemporary strategy to the method, full with distinctive boss battles, nice fight, memorable biomes with stable world era, and lovely visuals. It might not unseat Terraria proper out of the gate, nevertheless it does present a compelling expertise to sink dozens of hours into.
Whether or not you’re designing the right base with decorations from all around the map, attempting to piece collectively the mysteries surrounding the Core, or methodically upgrading tools, Core Keeper is a refined, addictive title. Maybe one of the best a part of all of it is that endless sense of desirous to see what every new part of the map holds, even when your end-game path is ready. If nothing else, the one actual draw back is that the expertise leaves you craving extra.
This recreation was reviewed on PC.
