Developer: Apog Labs
Platform: PC
Genre: Action, Adventure, Early Access
Publisher: Shueisha Games
Atmosfar is developed by Apog Labs and published by Shueisha Games, with the game launching into Early Access on PC on October 29th. This review is based on the PC version, which I got access to almost two weeks before release.
Atmosfar was a game that looked really interesting when I first heard about it because it kind of reminded me of No Man’s Sky. The game starts off with you playing as a convict extracting scraps to collect ‘volarite’. You’re trapped in this prison until you ‘pay off’ your 1 million volarite debt. However, a huge storm shuts down the prison’s security bots and systems, and you find yourself, along with your friend if you’re playing in multiplayer, escaping from this hell on a broken Wasp on your way to a distant land.
The game allows you to play in multiplayer with up to four players, or you can explore the planet on your own. When it comes to connecting with friends, there isn’t much of a problem. Though, let me just mention that the game is coming to Early Access, and we got access to it almost two weeks before its release. That being said, it was quite buggy and laggy at times. Some of the bugs we encountered included being able to interact with the security bot’s dialogue options from halfway across the room, as well as being able to phase through the world. These bugs are bound to be evident in Early Access, but to be fair, we still enjoyed the game when looking past them.
Now, the game is an open-world planet-exploring sort of scenario. You’ll use your Wasp, which is like a mix between a car and a helicopter, for accessible travel across the world. The flying mechanics are pretty handy, and getting around in your Wasp makes exploring the different islands much easier. You can even pack it with a base camp that has a crafting station and other essentials for you to use as you progress. There are also different types of Wasps, including the Utility Wasp for your mobile camp, the Hauler Wasp for carrying heavier scrap, and the Fighter Wasp for travelling at higher speeds.
The game is all about collecting resources and materials, crafting, and upgrading your equipment as you progress. You’ll have a toolset that includes things like a flashlight, a welder (used to repair items), an excavator (used to extract resources from scrap), and more. The only ‘tool’ I wasn’t a big fan of was having to equip your finger just to point and ping things. With the game being a bit laggy and buggy in its current state, sometimes switching between the tools itself was a hassle. Though, I will say that I like how the tools work and how they all serve a purpose in the game. I always found myself trying to figure out what could be extracted, as these items usually have a glow to them, which added to the exploration. You can also use the welder to fix things like doors and your Wasp, which makes it feel like you’re actually maintaining your equipment rather than just using it to get around.
The game has various points of interest and bits of narrative that you can follow, which I think is perfect for a game like this. Sometimes the quests are a bit vague, which leads you to go around exploring the different islands before progressing with them. You’ll find things like logs left behind by others or come across other vagabonds on the planet, giving you little bits of information about the world and what happened there. I liked that the game doesn’t always hold your hand, as it gives you a reason to explore instead of just following one objective after another.
There’s also more to the game than just flying around and collecting scrap. As you progress, you can expand your camp, discover new technologies, and eventually take command of the Cloud Cruiser, a massive, customisable airbase. This gives you something bigger to work towards while exploring the different biomes across Tycos. There’s plenty to discover, from alien flora and fauna to the different islands scattered across the skies. You’ll also have to deal with the planet’s weather, including thunderstorms, strong jetstreams, and other extreme weather conditions, which can make travelling around a bit more challenging.
We are very thankful to have been given several codes to try the game with others. One of the players, Vroggo, had the following to say, “Atmosfar is a co-op sky survival game that places very heavy emphasis on exploration. My first impressions of the game were that the open world was very scenic, atmospheric, one might say. The game reaches out to players with a sense of wonder, curiosity, and adventure. There is also a story, main objectives, points of interest, and a tech tree to refer to so that players aren’t completely directionless and have a purpose to follow in the game.
The main way to explore is by traversing through the air using the Wasp, a customizable sky vehicle that occasionally needs maintenance. It was an enjoyable experience using the Wasp to hop between islands to look around, collect natural resources, and loot abandoned facilities. This definitely scratches the itch to explore. Flying can be disorienting at times, though, especially with the changes in the air currents.
It’s always exciting to see what’s new on each island, like the different biomes, remnants of abandoned facilities and campsites, and the wildlife. Although I find the wildlife a little lacklustre in terms of population or population density. I don’t like that I don’t encounter enough of the wildlife on some islands. The islands feel lifeless that way despite the green and beauty all around. I do like that not all of the wild life are passive and that some actually harm the player and the Wasp.
Something else I also liked is the nomadic take on player bases. Everything that the player needs to progress through the game is portable. There is no need to stay attached to one island, so just take what you need, do what you need to do, and then just pack up and dip.
I would rate Atmosfar a 7/10 in its current state. There are some minor bugs to tweak out and optimisation to improve, but they had little impact on my experience playing the game. I look forward to the game’s future updates!”
Overall, Atmosfar has a really interesting premise, and I can see the potential it has, especially for anyone who enjoys open-world exploration and survival games. I had fun flying around with friends, collecting resources, and figuring out what the world had to offer. The bugs and lag did take away from the experience at times, but considering this is an Early Access release, I’m interested to see how the game develops from here. With more polish and improvements, I think it could become a really enjoyable survival adventure, and it’s definitely one worth keeping an eye on!
Overall: 7/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
