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With work taking up most of my time and leaving me with little else in life, I decided to switch gears and dive into something different. I stumbled upon Core Keeper, a game still in early access but surprisingly polished, offering a refreshing escape from the daily grind.
Core Keeper is like stepping into an 8-bit adventure world, all from a bird's-eye view. You spend your time underground, fighting bosses and building up your own space. While the story feels a bit spare right now, it seems the developers are saving some surprises for later. In this early access phase, they're really active with the community, asking for feedback and making improvements based on what players want. You can tell this game is a passion project for them. They're always tweaking things to make the game better, but without hogging up all your computer's memory or graphics power like some other games do. They are also always releasing community wrap-ups, which talk about some things behind the scenes or what they have improved upon, as well as the community and what they have made about or within the game.
The gameplay in Core Keeper is wonderfully straightforward: mine, fight, farm, fish, decorate, and craft. Yet, despite its simplicity, I'm constantly stumbling upon new surprises. Whenever I return to the game every few months, there's always something fresh added, making each play session enjoyable. Admittedly, there are moments where the grind feels real, but the satisfaction of unlocking new crafting options and beautifying your surroundings makes it all worthwhile. Personally, I find the boss battles a bit challenging, but I know someone who's a Dark Souls fan, and they appreciate the refreshing difficulty and simplicity of Core Keeper's bosses.
Visually, Core Keeper continues to impress with each update. As someone who appreciates eye-catching graphics, I'm constantly amazed by the strides this game has made. The recent improvements to lighting and reflections are particularly stunning; you really have to see it to believe it.
Now, you might think, 'Oh, this is just the standard lighting we see in games nowadays.' But let me tell you, once you're fully immersed and stumble upon a tranquil scene with a shimmering body of water and a glow flower nearby, it's truly breathtaking. What's even more impressive is that you don't need a powerful PC to run this game smoothly. The quality speaks volumes, proving that game companies can deliver stunning visuals without requiring top-of-the-line hardware.
I could go on and on about how fantastic Core Keeper is, but I wouldn't want to spoil the magic of experiencing it for yourself. If you have the chance to give it a try, I highly recommend it! While some may dismiss it as a Terraria knockoff or simply a Grindfest, I believe it's just not their cup of tea. Personally, I find myself playing for a few hours, having a blast, then stepping away feeling completely satisfied. It's not a game you play to check off a completion list; it's about enjoying the journey and unwinding. After all, it's called a sandbox game for a reason.
The game is currently priced at 12.99 on Steam, and it often goes on sale, so keep an eye out for that. However, I encourage you to support indie developers whenever you can; your contribution means a lot more to them than the hefty sums we might spend on AAA titles. I truly hope you enjoy Core Keeper if you decide to give it a try, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! :)
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i think ive seen this game before!! reading you talk about it reminds me of a game i picked up recently named Necesse, but i havent gotten super into that one. its HEAVILY inspired by terraria from what i can tell but has its own settlement and island travel system, id recommend checking it out because it can go as low as 5 bucks sometimes!! ill admit i did dismiss core keeper at first, but hearing you talk about it makes me reconsider that. what do you personally think it does best to separate itself from the crowd of the sandbox survival genre?
Oooo I've heard on Necesse but I haven't played it yet, I will have to give it a go when I have some time. Core Keeper doesn't do anything too dramatic to set itself apart from the survival Sandbox. However, what they do differently, they do it well. The underground system makes it feel more cosy but claustrophobic when the mining gets tight. The mobs in the game aren't too crazy but can be quite overwhelming when there are loads. But one thing I do absolutely love about the game is the lighting and the reflections. My house is built near the water, and seeing the light bouncing off it with the music just brings a sense of peace. It's a zero-bug game for me so far. There is no glitching or crashing, and it is just smooth. Overall, the thing that sets it apart is that it does everything to such a high quality at such an early stage in its life cycle. It has so much potential.
by lozza; ; Report
add comment button had something against u LOL
thats cool then, i might check it out whenever i have some spare cash to throw its way, sounds like a nice game to play on the deck for a couple hours, reminds of of my time grinding away at forager years ago LOL
also, if youre a big fan of pixel art, CrossCode's art and lighting isnt breathtaking by any means but it is very, VERY beautiful at times and has a very colorful and diverse color palette like core keeper seems to have. it does a very different gameplay compared to CK, but if youre curious about a title thats more action heavy and story focused compared to core keeper's sandbox, i think youd really like that one too. you did mention difficulty might be a factor in games for you in your review, and crosscode can be pretty difficult, but it does have accessibility options to let you focus on the fun. id check it out if a narritive driven ARPG with cool pixel art sounds cool!!
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