8Bit/Digi

A Look at Relic Odyssey in Early Access

When it comes to exploration games, it takes a lot to capture my interest. Most importantly, it can’t just be a walking simulator with a unique world. That is how Relic Odyssey: Ruins Of Xantao got my attention, it has a blend of exploration with survival and intense combat. Add in a good sci-fi setting and you have a game with a solid idea and execution.

This is a look at Relic Odyssey: Ruins Of Xantao in its Early Access stage. These are my thoughts on previewing the game in its current state. This is not a review and should not be treated as such. I plan to publish a review once the complete game launches.

Welcome to the Ruins of Xantao

Relic Odyssey: Ruins Of Xantao is a first-person exploration game set on an alien planet. Players take on the role of Samuel, who is deployed to the planet Valtar after contact is lost with a team of relic scouts. However, his ship crashes, leaving him and Sarah stranded. Using their tools and available resources, they must find the surviving members of the relic scouts and find a way to escape. However, there are forces at work that not only stand in their way but also threaten the peace of the galaxy.

Exploring the World of Xantao

This preview of Relic Odyssey: Ruins Of Xantao is based on my playthrough of the first few hours of the game.

Samuel and Sarah crash-land on the planet. With their ship destroyed and most of their gear scattered, they must survive on whatever they can find. They collect salvageable items and resources. Once everything is gathered, they proceed to the base camp in search of survivors. Along the way, they gather more resources and fight off some of the planet’s alien creatures.

Upon arriving at the base camp, we find everyone dead and most of the equipment in disrepair. We discover Clunky, a robot companion, who shows us around. I need to restart the power and get the machines running again. Once everything is set up, Clunky and I head out to search for other survivors. Sarah stays at the camp to learn more about what happened to the crew.

We discover a digging rig but it needs to be repaired. To do so, I need to find some resources and convert them into the needed parts. I explore the area looking for the resources while Clunky explores a tunnel next to the rig. Upon fixing the digging rig, I use it to tunnel my way to an underground facility. However, the facility is populated with hostile forces that I need to fight.

Final Thoughts

My first impression of Relic Odyssey: Ruins Of Xantao was that it evoked the sci-fi games of the 2000s. Those games may not have been the big titles of their time but they had their charm along B-film quality story. That is no different here while players are put in a familiar setup. The gameplay follows the typical setup of exploration games, requiring players to search for resources and explore the world. However, it stands out by incorporating intense combat.

Since this is an Early Access game, performance issues are still present but it should be resolved before launch. I felt the biggest issue was that the game failed to properly explain some of the gameplay mechanics or what you are supposed to do at the moment.

Relic Odyssey: Ruins Of Xantao is set to launch sometime in August 2024 but that could change depending on its development. Gamers interested in trying it but who don’t want to buy an Early Access game could download the demo on Steam.

Disclaimer: The publisher through a PR representative provided the game used for this review.

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