Now that Once Human is on consoles, the open-world survival game has expanded its cosmic post-apocalyptic premise to a fresh audience. Once Human is already built around a fascinating concept that sets it apart in the open-world survival genre, but its upcoming Isle of Abyss update is pushing its uniquely dangerous world even further via ocean expansion. Set to launch on October 22, the Isle of Abyss expansion brings a long list of exciting improvements that aim to take Once Human‘s exploration and survival to greater heights.
When it comes to the open-world survival genre, updates that expand a game’s map and mode options aren’t exactly anything new, but the way Once Human is approaching an expansion like this is embracing a biome that doesn’t get as much love in similar games. One of the key components to making a challenging open-world survival game is through its map design. Every region has to present its own special challenges, but for some reason, oceans and other bodies of water tend to be left to the wayside instead of being properly explored.
Once Human’s Isle of Abyss Takes the Survival to Both Land and Sea
It’s not like the open-world survival genre has completely sidestepped water exploration. Games like Subnautica and Raft use the ocean as the core location tied to in-game survival. Even the upcoming zombie survival game Last Harbor uses a houseboat as its main base in a world where players are trying to make it through an outbreak. So, the genre is well aware that water biomes are a fantastic setting for open-world survival. It’s just that very few games opt to blend both land and sea biomes into one overarching experience.
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Many of the Once Human survival mechanics are there to bring a sense of realism in a chaotic, outlandish world that is filled with cosmic monsters. So, it only makes sense that the devs at Starry Studio would want to use a major expansion as a way to breathe some serious life into the game’s ocean. For Once Human to be a convincing and increasingly challenging open-world survival game, every area of the game’s world needs to be part of that equation.
For newcomers curious about checking out the game, the classes in Once Human give players four character options to choose from: Beastmaster, Chef, Gardener, and Free Person (a blank slate character that doesn’t have any specific class perks).
Too often, games that are under this particular genre umbrella keep the dangers solely focused on the land. Bodies of water are either used as scenery decoration or a border that can’t be crossed. Map updates are far more likely to add new land areas than add water-centric mechanics, which makes Once Human‘s Isle of Abyss update that much more intriguing. Every Once Human game mode has its own special flare that shakes up survival in a new way. However, Isle of Abyss is taking things a step further by making the map a deeper and more immersive world in a way that isn’t just through a run-of-the-mill game scenario.
A Look at Isle of Abyss’ Confirmed Gameplay Additions
- A large ocean off the shores of Nalcott
- Various islands scattered throughout the waters
- Five unique sectors across the ocean
- Deep sea exploration
- Ship building and customization
- Naval combat/attacks from other ships
- New bosses, including a giant lighthouse with mechanical tentacles
There are many open-world survival games with good base building, and Isle of Abyss might be a great update for Raft fans who have wanted a similar concept in a different kind of setting. In this update, players will start out with a humble raft but will eventually be able to build it up into a much stronger base to sail around the mysterious ocean waters.
Fans of naval combat games and lovers of Subnautica‘s deep sea exploration might also be interested in giving Once Human a try when the Isle of Abyss launches in October. Bouncing between each island on a custom-built ocean base while fighting to survive against new and terrifying cosmic enemies isn’t just an expansion; it completely forces players to rethink their usual strategies, because surviving on the water is much different than trying to survive on land.
Once Human’s Isle of Abyss Expansions Is Coming at the Perfect Time
Since Once Human just came to consoles, this is the perfect window to introduce a brand-new update, especially one as significant as Isle of Abyss. Now that PlayStation and Xbox players are in the mix, Once Human‘s ocean expansion can impress even more people, which could potentially get gamers talking and convince others to join in. It’s a smart marketing move on Starry Studio’s part, but it also helps fill the horror gap that October is facing.
Granted, Once Human definitely isn’t a full-blown horror title. However, there are a few key cosmic horror elements used to bring its world and monsters to life. Because of the impending GTA 6 release date in November, October’s launch calendar is pretty sparse, especially when it comes to horror offerings. Of course, Gears of War: E-Day and its Locust Horde boast a few horror elements that keep the month from being totally void of scares, but both non-horror and horror games have tried to steer clear of being too close to GTA 6, which is definitely understandable.
Halloween: The Game and Silent Hill: Townfall would usually be titles slated for October, but both are part of the September game release schedule. So, even though Once Human isn’t necessarily a horror game at heart, Isle of Abyss’ new tentacle-clad lighthouse creatures and giant mutant fish bring a dose of Lovecraftian terror to the survival game. Once Isle of Abyss gets added to Once Human, the next big question will be how devs decide to one-up such a big expansion. That might be hard to pull off, but Isle of Abyss’ ambitious shake-up to the game’s formula sets an intriguing precedent for future updates.
- Released
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July 9, 2024
- ESRB
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Teen / Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
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Starry Studio
- Publisher(s)
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Starry Studio, NetEase, Inc.
