Five years since its initial release on PC, Icarus finally lands on console in the form of ICARUS: Console Edition. Can this survival game stake a claim on new platforms? Or should this brutal sim have been left marooned on PC?
A Long Way From Home
Survival games and playing online go hand in hand. The last decade has spawned some titles like DayZ and Arma which have developed dedicated communities. Icarus never really came on my radar, so when developers RocketWertz (led by DayZ creator Dean Hall) finally announced the move to consoles, they had my attention. Icarus strives to be a brutal, difficult survival game which succeeds for the most part, if not for some glaring issues on launch.
Like many games in this genre, if you are looking for a vastly rich narrative, you have come to the wrong place. You are the story and you make your own narrative. The crux of the narrative is simple: you arrive on the small moon planet of Icarus, which is 4.2 light years away from home. This mysterious planet has been terraformed and when you arrive your priority is simple – survive. There are timed missions for players to complete, but the real story lies in the adventures you have in these missions.
The developers have focused on allowing the players to make their own narrative – and this succeeds. Every mission feels memorable and exhilarating as you come to discover more and more about this mysterious planet. Planning the missions feels memorable in its own right; you carefully choose items for the enemies and storms ahead. It’s a simple plot that seeks to enable players rather than bog them down in vast amounts of lore. Granted, there is some semblance of a story for the player to uncover but for the most part, it’s up to you to write the tale.
Survival Is Paramount
Gameplay in ICARUS Console Edition aims to be a brutal, deep and time-consuming experience. This is a tried and tested survival gameplay loop; veterans of this genre will know and love it. At the start, the mechanics are simple: you gather items and resources such as wood and stone to craft items like a pickaxe, in order to gather more materials. Soon after, you can begin to craft a shelter to store your resources as you hunt and scavenge for food and water. From there, you build bigger shelters and unlock new crafting blueprints to become a master of survival.
Speaking of hunting, the animals of Icarus are surprising in their nature. I had expected a vast amount of alien life, when in fact, many animals which inhabit Earth are present on Icarus. Still, you will encounter alien life as you continue your exploration in this huge game. Each map feels so vast it can be quite overwhelming for the player; this isn’t for the faint hearted. It’s a gameplay loop that requires hundreds and hundreds of hours in order to fully appreciate this game. Sadly, the DLC that is available on launch is all paid extras for players. This is a hugely disappointing choice.
One thing I am extremely pleased with is the combat controls, which feel excellent, especially in ranged combat. I played most of my time solo. However, it’s worth mentioning that this is a game that only gets better the more you play with friends. I can only imagine the moments of despair, humour and genuinely breath taking moments playing in a group of four will bring.
Crash Landing
Whilst there is a lot of good to be discovered in this game, it’s not without problems. It’s a gameplay loop which isn’t new, but the problem I have with the gameplay is mainly the UI. This UI is absolutely awful and can really bog you down and overwhelm you. Inventory management is terrible and so methodical it may very well bore you to death. I can appreciate the developers’ aim of making things realistic and hard for players, but for some, this will just put them off almost immediately.
Similarly, the build mode has major issues. There isn’t a button to click into a build mode, instead forcing you to click ‘deploy’ on an item to place it. This is tedious and slows down the enjoyment vastly. I’m nit-picking to a certain extent, but I really feel the developers haven’t made this game very friendly for newcomers to the survival genre. The grind of a survival game has long been an issue for someone like myself as I don’t feel it’s rewarding enough. Icarus is no different. This game makes it known from minute one that it isn’t for the faint hearted.
Untold And Undiscovered Beauty
When it comes to the visual design and presentation in ICARUS Console Edition, I am simply, blown away. Every biome looks superb and vast in detail. Forests, caves, deserts, mountains (you name it) look awe inspiring. The decision to add a first person and a third person camera perspective is genius. The level of scale the developers have managed to achieve should be commended, in particular when storms hit. Storms are a huge part of Icarus; they can wreak havoc on environments, making it so cinematic that it’s hard not to stand and watch the vicious destruction each one leaves in its wake. Animals and enemies look wonderful and are animated to make them feel truly alive. I could wander around these worlds all day.
That being said, there are some performance issues that can affect your experience. At launch there are too many pop ins, screen tearing and frame drops for my liking. Unfortunately, during my time playing, I had a few crashes, but thankfully not too many. The developers have sought to make this a priority in post launch patches. Still, this is a beautiful game that has to be seen to be believed. Sound design is also top notch in Icarus Console Edition. Every animal sounds wonderful and lifelike, whilst storms roar in a terrifying powerful fashion. Conversely, while the soundtrack fits the theme of the game perfectly, it simply does not show up enough for my liking.
Verdict
ICARUS Console Edition isn’t a perfect experience but when it’s on song, it’s a bold, vast, atmospheric and hugely ambitious survival game. It can be rewarding, satisfying and breath taking. Sadly, some players will be put off by a brutal learning curve and terrible UI. If you can get past that, there is a deeply rewarding survival game where you are the story and your adventures fill the page. Play on your own at your peril! It will take me hundreds and hundreds of hours to fully uncover the mystery of Icarus! Check out the page here- ICARUS: Console Edition
