Tears of the Kingdom’s Sky Islands Even Further

There is hardly any doubt that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of the games that gives insane freedom when it comes to exploration. With its floating sky islands and building opportunities, many people would agree that it is just an absolute masterpiece. Being able to travel through the skies is generally pretty exciting on its own, but the upcoming Steam survival game ATMOSFAR seems like it’s ready to take this approach even further, adding an interesting twist to what we’re used to seeing in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

It doesn’t just give players flying vehicles to explore floating islands; players will also have access to the so-called Cloud Cruiser, which is a customizable flying base capable of carrying smaller aircraft. It hands down sounds like a convenient way to travel around the world of ATMOSFAR, but it also raises the question of whether giving players so much freedom could make some of the logistical challenges that define survival games a little too easy to overcome.

ATMOSFAR’s Mobile Base Could Make Survival a Little Too Convenient

Many survival game fans will agree when I say that the most entertaining part of survival games is trying to figure out how to explore distant locations without starving in the middle of the desert or dying because you simply couldn’t carry more equipment when you left the base. After all, having a well-equipped base is all fun and games until players realize that everything they need is on the other side of the map. In any case, it’s all part of the challenge, and ATMOSFAR seems to want to change this challenge by equipping the Cloud Cruiser with hangars, storage facilities, a laboratory, and even a greenhouse. In other words, players just take their infrastructure with them everywhere they go.

This definitely makes exploration way more convenient than most people are used to, but having access to so many facilities aboard your flying base definitely eliminates some of the most difficult decisions that usually come with planning those long and dangerous expeditions. Of course, this doesn’t mean that surviving will be a walk in the park because, according to the developers, the Cloud Cruiser will require constant maintenance, and players will have to keep a close watch on resources such as fuel or electricity. Moreover, the Cloud Cruiser can suffer damage and require repairs, so neglecting its condition is definitely not the way to go. Ultimately, it’s safe to say that maybe this new approach will not necessarily make survival easier, but it will change what players need to worry about. If ATMOSFAR manages to find the right balance between these features, the mobile base could introduce players to just as many challenges as it eliminates.

Different Aircraft Could Keep Strategic Planning Relevant

It’s also important to mention that the Cloud Cruiser in ATMOSFAR will be able to transport several smaller aircraft, and each one will serve a different purpose. For instance, the Utility Wasp can deploy a temporary camp, the Fighter Wasp can stun enemies, and the Cargo Wasp is perfect for transporting heavy materials that players cannot carry otherwise. This basically means that although the Cloud Cruiser will serve as a mobile base, it won’t provide one aircraft that can handle absolutely every situation.

In this case, survival also becomes about knowing which tools to use and when, and choosing the right Wasp could be detrimental to players’ survival depending on their planned activities. This is a great way to preserve some valuable strategic elements of survival without forcing players to sacrifice their exploration freedom.

ATMOSFAR Could Change What Makes Survival Games Challenging

Image via Apog Labs

Whether ATMOSFAR could change what makes survival games difficult remains to be seen, but generally, it is not the first title to experiment with making exploration more convenient. However, it does raise the question of where the genre could go next. If more developers decide to introduce similar mobile bases, traditional challenges like stationary settlements could potentially become way less popular. On one hand, it might be quite sad to see the good old survival mechanics die down, but at the same time, survival doesn’t really have to revolve around the same handful of challenges forever.

When it comes to ATMOSFAR, the developers have also confirmed that the planet will feature dangerous creatures and unpredictable weather conditions, which means that flying will also not always be smooth. So even if players do everything right, these factors could still make the journey itself quite challenging. Overall, this new title could actually give players more freedom without making the world around them any less dangerous, which is undeniably a breath of fresh air. Whether people would generally start preferring this approach over the more traditional survival games really depends on how successfully the developers can execute their plan.

Systems

Released

May 30, 2026

Developer(s)

Apog Labs

Publisher(s)

Shueisha Games

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op

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