Sometimes I have to wonder why people like the games they like. That’s not to suggest that there’s something inherently wrong with people – taste is subjective after all – but I have looked from the outside in to games that blow up and wonder just what the heck it was others saw in it, especially when I previously tried it myself and just wasn’t immediately grabbed.
That’s kind of my line of thinking going into Once Human for Choose My Adventure, a survival shooter that, by all apparent measure, is a barely functioning game that’s made some odd design decisions all while raking in some major numbers on Steam. And while this column is as ever not meant to provide first impressions or a full review, it is going to grant me the impetus to try and maybe answer what the draw of this thing is.
I suppose the game’s overall story beats are one draw. People freaking love eldritch anomalies, SPCs, and the world that forms around these kinds of things. As near as I can tell, Once Human really wants to be a second-hand SCP game, what with its transdimensional critters, meta-humans, and a corporation that seeks to contain and ultimately control all this weird crap going on.
And that’s not a complaint, really. I mean, I still managed to find things to adore in a game set in another modern world of old horrors despite its flaws, and as milquetoast as the premise might read on paper, there are an alarming lack of games that leverage this kind of fandom, multiplayer or otherwise. So I’m here for it.
Removing that setting frosting aside, though, I found that the actual gameplay of Once Human so far has been really humdrum. I’ve played third-person shooters like this before. I’ve most definitely played survival sandbox games like this before. Nothing at the brass tracks level makes Once Human rise above others in those related sub-genres. You go out, you gather, you craft, you build a base, you climb different tech trees to unlock new crafting stations, items, and whatnot.
At the very least I will admit that Once Human does all of this competently. While it’s not blazing trails or burning barns, all of these mechanics are familiar right from the very jump while not being too restrictive in the early going. Even the typical annoyances like managing hunger and thirst seem to largely stay out of the way. I’ll take competently done over poorly executed any day of the week, even if those gameplay mechanics don’t try something new.
So then it really is up to the setting to make the game’s sauce, and here I have to admit, this game does it in spades. In my initial personal look at this game during one of its open tests, I was deeply unimpressed with the game’s idea of placing a siren tower or spotlights where the head should go on humanoid bodies and calling them anomalous spooky things, and while I still feel similarly, I’m actually finding at least a little bit of enjoyment in how goofy it sort of is.
Also there was one point when I actually got a fun little scare: I was following a quest step that aimed me in the direction of a nearby facility to scavenge for supplies. As I wandered this outpost, I moved into a dark room and heard a noise nearby. I turned to the sound, turned on my flashlight, and got a little jump scare by a zombie guy who took a swipe at me. That was genuinely pretty fun!
As for that aforementioned narrative, I don’t really hate what it’s doing; I’m just not super invested in it all yet. Obviously I’ve not gotten very far right now – I’ve met a grand total of only three characters so far – but at least I can recall most of their names. It is hard to forget the name of an eldritch bird and a young woman with a butterfly for an eyeball.
I guess I’m having fun enough here so far. I mean, I kind of reported in late for my regular writing work because I was busy exploring, building, and unlocking things, so that’s probably a mark in Once Human’s favor. I guess the best words to describe my feelings so far are intrigue and curiosity. I’m intrigued enough about the story to want to learn more, I’m curious enough about the world to explore it, and I’m looking forward to maybe digging into the whole thing’s atmosphere. Maybe the arrival of unofficial spooky season has helped me out.
Speaking of helping me out, though, it’s time for this week’s poll. As I mentioned before, I have not progressed very far at all, and I’m doing that usual survivalbox thing where I vacillate between following the primary story steps and pushing out into the world to progress a little bit more. So basically that’s the options for the poll this time around.
Should I stick to the story or try and progress?
- Stick to the story. It's likely going to tell you what you need. (64%, 49 Votes)
- Progress by yourself. Push the envelope and see what you can find on your own. (36%, 28 Votes)
Total Voters: 77
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Polling will close on Friday the 13th (muahaha) at the usual 1:00 p.m. EDT time. Until then, I kind of find myself wanting to dive in some more even before polling wraps up. Which, again, is probably a good sign. Maybe I judged this one too harshly.
Welcome to Choose My Adventure, the column in which you join Chris each week as he journeys through mystical lands on fantastic adventures – and you get to decide his fate. Which is good because he can often be a pretty indecisive person unless he’s ordering a burger.
