If you yearn for a game that blends the gameplay of Valheim with the setting of a title like Starfield, then you may find exactly what you’re looking for within Icarus.
Developed and published by RockertWerkz, Icarus actually launched back in 2021 but I’ve always thought of it to be a title that somewhat flies under the radar despite simultaneously being hugely successful.
It’s a PvE survival game that can be enjoyed by up to eight players.
“Explore a savage wilderness in the aftermath of terraforming gone wrong,” the synopsis teases.
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“Survive the Open World, complete timed Missions or build your Outpost. Explore, build, craft and hunt while seeking your fortune and prospecting for exotic matter,” it continues.
As you can probably gather, gameplay consists of the typical survival fare; you’ll craft a base, fend off predators, scavenge for supplies, and survive a perilous weather system.
This will include navigating the planet’s cave system which is full of harvestable materials.
Icarus allows you to find a playstyle that suits you with over 100 talents available for you to choose from for your character.
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That way, you can specialise in exploring, farming, hunting, fighting, or a wide array of other skills.
There are also opportunities to trade certain items or matter for new skills or advanced tech that you won’t simply find while exploring.
And if you don’t fancy just going with the flow, you can participate in timed missions for the power brokers overseeing the planet.
Icarus boasts a perhaps mixed score of 67 on Metacritic, but it fares much better on Steam.
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At the time of writing, it holds the ‘Very Positive’ accolade for its recent reviews with developers having put in a ton of effort over the years.
“Coming back to Icarus after taking a break since December 2023, I can confidently say this is the [survival game] that delivers. The depth of challenge, the ability to play at your own pace—whether solo or with others - casually exploring or diving into hardcore survival—is exactly what I’ve been searching for. I play with my 12yr old son now and it is a blast,” wrote one reviewer.
What impresses me most, though, is the developer commitment. Weekly updates, consistent content drops, and meaningful quality-of-life improvements have taken what was already an excellent game and made it truly shine. You can feel the care, passion, and long-term vision behind every patch,” they continued.
“One of the best craft/survival games I've ever played. A huge amount of content. Great replayability. I can recommend it wholeheartedly. At the same time, the developers are still working on the game and adding new content,” added another.
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What more can you ask for? Consider giving it a go.