Survival and crafting games have started to drop in popularity recently, with Battle Royale games proving to be the new “in” game genre, and boy have they proven to be popular. Late to the party and just out of Game Preview is Conan Exiles. I first got a copy on release day, and in all fairness it wasn’t all that fun to play. Now it’s a final product, is it worth exploring further? My review will let you know.
One of the more popular games in the genre is Ark: Survival Evolved. Conan Exiles takes the genre in a different direction, away from the beautiful tropical island and carnivorous dinosaurs, to a harsh, dry, and desolate land filled with a diverse landscape that threatens at every turn. With nothing but a loin cloth to protect your modesty, unless you’re going for the full monty, your first job is to see to your current vulnerability. Food, water and shelter are a must if you wish to survive this world, and the best way is to start walking.
Of course you can easily cheat if you fancy making yourself an admin and using console commands to aid you in your quest to not only survive, but forge ahead with crafting a place to live, tools and weapons. But where is the fun in cheating your way to the top? A little bit of hard work never killed anyone. Unless you’re in the world of Conan Exiles. Then it gets pretty dicey. There’s monsters and more waiting to make you their lunch. Or supper.
The crafting system in Conan is vast, and will keep you busy for quite some time if you wish to craft all the high end gear and weapons. After all, there’s monsters that need slaying. Can’t do that with your bare fists now, can you? Needless to say, you will need to invest a lot of hours to not just be able to source all the materials, craft the items you require, but also level up your character, and survive the harsh sun drenched desert. A slow process of course, but a rewarding end result if you keep forging ahead.
Now, in a game such as this, co-operative play is vital to your success and ability to explore the lands. After all, having a friend to watch your back gives you a huge boost to your survival and combat. Not only that, but twice the people means twice the resources harvested. More the merrier is certainly applicable here. The game runs quite well, and only a couple of times did I notice lag when playing. Given my internet connection isn’t at its best given where I live, it could well be the reason.
Character creation is quite in depth as well, offering you various options to create the man or woman you so desire. Any shape and size along with a choice of religion. As with any character creation menus l spent far longer on it than initially planned. But once happy with my bald Kratos doppelgänger, I set off on my journey.
One issue I have to knock points off for, is the textures on character models. They do look washed out, and given how well the game performs in other areas, it’s a shame that this lets the game down. The game world is large to say the least, with a grasslands area and a huge volcanic region north of the huge wall that solid the land. If you wish to get lost in Conan, then it’s entirely possible that you’ll be able to do just that.
As a game, it doesn’t do anything that really sets it apart from its peers to lure in any prospective buyers. That’s not to say it’s not worth splashing out the cash though, there’s plenty of content inside, and with a large sprawling map and monsters galore. The price is reasonable too, considering how many hours can be invested to fully explore and discover everything the game has to offer, and the genre has to be of interest in the first place.
Now I enjoyed what I played, and have played several titles in the genre on Xbox and Steam, and it does enough to convince me its one of the better games available. A bit more polish wouldn’t go amiss. But there’s also the fact that thirst and hunger are an issue far too early on in the game if you’re a first time player, and totally unsure of what to do first. The text is also a little bit on the small side for me, even when wearing my glasses. Why is this becoming an issue in recent years?
Verdict
Despite a few down points, Conan Exiles can be a fun game to play but as with other titles, it’s a better experience with friends unless your a solitary Nolan who prefers peace and quiet when they game.
Overall Score 7/10
Developer Funcom
Publisher: Funcom
Release Date: 8th May 2018
Price: £41.99
File Size: 46.16GB
Xbox One copy provided for review purpose.