Volcanoids

Developer and published by the company of the same name Volcanoids, is a first-person shooter that mixes nature with steampunk features. Released in early 2019, for PCs the game received very positive reviews from the gaming community. Approaching the survival genre is no easy task, especially because the genre’s popularity created a slew of competitors, yet Volcanoids is able to stand its ground amongst the competition.

Home, Home Again

From the get-go, the game throws us into a brief cutscene that provides a succinct explanation of the world we are about to explore and join in. This cutscene explains that there once was this island that got destroyed by volcanoes erupting, and robotic creatures known as Cogs. The game starts years later as you play the role of a returning habitant of this island with the goal of reclaiming your homeland.

One of the core mechanics and game concepts is the drillship, which is used to navigate the terrain of the island. In single-player, the majority of the time is spent, exploring, expanding, and customizing said ship. As a shooter survival game, Volcanoids can feel tricky for starters, but in actuality, the game simplifies a lot the requirements of survival and taking care of your character’s health.

The island is beautiful and the game runs smoothly, while the mixture of technology, and nature has been replicated countless times in recent memory, Volcanoids is still able to find its unique artwork and style that revolves around the steampunk visuals. The cartoonish look also makes the game appealing for the majority of gamers and audiences, and the fact that enemies are mechanical opponents ensure the game feels non-violent and graphic.

A Little Help From Your Friends

With the amount of exploration, customization, and approaches you can have within the game, you can expect to put in a lot of hours into Volcanoids. Gameplay and mechanics are most likely the things that will keep you coming back to the island, as the narrative itself is relatively simple, and short. This means that once you’ve gone through the game once, there isn’t really any novelty to the events, eruptions, or character development.

Nonetheless, if you have explored the game once in single-player mode, you will have an absolute blast in co-op, which was recently added to the game, and with it new life, and challenges. Coordinating, exploring, customizing, and surviving with your crew is an entirely new experience. Each player has different assignments and responsibilities throughout a co-op session, which provides different experiences for each one.

Summary

Volcanoids is a fun and promising first-person shooter survival title, with a steampunk aesthetic. It shines brightest with mechanics such as the impending doom, and the drillship customization, but mainly through its simplistic approach to surviving. Unfortunately, the same simplicity makes a genre that can feel repetitive and monotony by nature, even more so. The lack of options to customize characters takes its toll eventually. Of course, those symptoms are alleviated briefly when you join co-op with friends or online mode, but shortly after you are right back where you started.

PROS:

• Good Looking Game
• Varied Customization for Drillship
• Simplified Survival Mode
• Impending Doom Mechanic
• Constant Updates

CONS:

• Can Feel Monotonous
• Eventually Becomes Repetitive
• Narrative Isn’t as Enticing as Could Be