Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor has finally got its Early Access release date, and it’s not that far off, Dear Reader.
As confirmed today via the trailer that you can see below, it’s just a matter of days before we can get our hands on the Early Access version of the game. That’s because Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is heading to Steam PC on February 14th – how romantic!
The devs shared some bullet points that sum up what players can expect, so have a quick read of that, and carry on reading if you’d like to find out what I thought of the game after playing it last year!
- 4 Iconic Classes – Scout, Driller, Engineer and Gunner will all be available on release, offering players unique class-specific perks to tackle the depths of Hoxxes IV.
- 3 Bustling Biomes – Crystalline Caverns, Magma Core and Hollow Bough will await miners brave enough to venture inward, each biome posing a unique challenge. Rivers of lava and lethal vegetation lie in wait, and can be used to players’s advantage.
- 20 Enemy Types – Macteras, Glyphids and Dreadnoughts of all shapes and sizes roam the caverns of Hoxxes IV, and they will attack you on sight. From small Grunts to imposing Praetorians and airborne Macteras, miners better stock up on lead and slap the dice for good luck.
- 40 Weapons – From iconic Deep Rock Galactic rifles to brand new tools of destruction, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor will have a little something for everyone, usually filled with gunpowder and malicious intent.
Original Article
Ghost Ship Games loves a bit of procedural generation. It’s a studio built on an ever-shifting arrangement of challenging gauntlets, and dwarves, of course. Lots and lots of dwarves.
The creators of the enduringly entertaining sleeper hit Deep Rock Galactic are attempting to bottle the lightning that has served them so well in the past. By partnering with Funday Games in this instance, Ghost Ship Publishing is expanding the DRG license with two new titles that bear the first game’s name.
The other spin-off is Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core, a first-person shooter much like the original, however, we’re here to discuss its sibling, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor.
This new and upcoming spin-off is an isometric auto-shooter with a mining twist. What’s more, I’m happy to report that what was in the demo had me very eager to see more.
The Survivor Demo
I was lucky enough to see a reminder that the demo was about to be taken down, so I made a point of taking a look before it was too late. I’m very pleased with that decision, as Survivor puts a really enjoyable spin on what’s already becoming a very congested sub-genre.
As the name suggests, you’re in command of space dwarves once again. And once again you’re digging for minerals while fighting off hordes of nasty beasties.
The setup here aims to put a bit of sci-fi substance to all the waves of creatures that are coming to get you, and I’m actually all for that. It took no time at all for me to get in the zone – the premise is simple and the mission is clear. Shoot aliens, hit rocks.
For all of the clever packaging, Survivor doesn’t reinvent the wheel. You’re still moving around while the horde chases after you, and you’re still firing bullets in all directions like some sort of celestial being.
I love that your little dwarf is supported by a drone. This flying fella fires at your nearest enemy, and is a constant companion. Your avatar fires at them too, regardless of which way you’re facing. At times I was just running around the map while my little dwarven buddy farted literal bullets at the creature behind him.
Farting bullets
I’m going to gripe now and be a little unfair because the next thing is most certainly not a DRG-exclusive issue. You see, there’s a disconnect between act and action and it’s something that we’ve all accepted from this burgeoning genre. Survivor comes so close to fixing this with the drone.
I’m left just a smidge frustrated that the game doesn’t capitalise on the tech solution it makes for itself and instead lets me fart bullets like every other survivor-like out there. Just let the drone do the shooting while your character does the mining, or something like that.
Ultimately it doesn’t matter and I still had a bunch of fun. Just like every other survivor-like out there, once the action gets going it’s a dissonance that is easy to ignore. Straight away I was happily exploring the Crystalline Caverns (the first of three biomes planned for launch) and lining up my enemies while I searched for gold.
Survivor: like
The thing that elevates this beyond being just another survivor-like is the mining. DRG Survivor creates a whole new meta with its game-defining twist on the formula. I quickly worked out that if I was clever – a rarity these days – I could create bottlenecks and escape routes using the rock around me.
The rock is veined with different minerals, and you’ll need to smash through the various deposits as you go. Naturally, this takes more time than regular mining, which you can do relatively quickly. This change of pace can create a conundrum, especially when the screen is filling up with enemies.
The rare minerals that you find then feed into the meta in various ways. This is most notable during the upgrade phase between levels, when gold harvested mid-level can be spent on upgrading your weapons, for example.
Sticking to tradition
There are different missions to tackle, but the gameplay loop is reassuringly warm and familiar. You’re running around, grabbing the best minerals, killing a load of aliens, and then getting to the chopper drop pod before the timer runs down. Then you get a moment of calm to level up, choosing your upgrades before going back to work.
This setup gives you some agency around how you enhance and improve during each run. You can boost your movement and reload speeds, up your rate of fire, and increase the damage you deal. You can even try out a range of weapons from DRG, from standard rifles to electric boomerangs, upgrading your favourites as you go.
One surprisingly effective upgrade came when I boosted my mining speed. That opened up a whole new way to approach each map. In particular, it gave me new options for how I lured my enemies about the place. I look forward to seeing what else is added to the game and then exploring synergies.
Meta-progression for miners
It seems like there’s a lot going on. For example, your progress is measured by completing major objectives in each mission. You need to tick off enough of these to unlock the next one. It’s a tried and tested way of enforcing a natural learning curve, and I didn’t mind the approach at all in this instance.
In fact, I liked pretty much everything about the game, including, for some reason, the strange little outbursts from my little dwarven fella as he grumbled his way through each challenge. These little barks, while repetitive, created a sense of closeness and personality to my character that I haven’t always experienced playing other games in this genre. It’s good stuff and I want to see and feel even more of the game’s dwarven energy in the final product, please.
There was also a good sense of progression through the demo, which bodes well for the final game. I only played for a few hours, but I always felt like I was working towards something. I’ve got my fingers crossed that they can maintain this sense of momentum, but the early signs are positive.
