Arctico

About

"Arctico is an open-world, 2-player co-op game featuring base building, exploration, and collection of resources. Customize your base and equipment, and take care of plants and experiments to upgrade. Discover the island's locations and secrets, and enjoy the exceptional atmosphere, music, and visuals, but be prepared for bugs and grinding."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+13

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,530 reviews

gameplay48 positive mentions

grinding54 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and calming atmosphere, perfect for relaxation.
Engaging exploration with cute dogs that players can name and interact with.
The game has potential for future updates and improvements, with active developer support.

Lacks depth and content, leading to repetitive gameplay and a sense of aimlessness.
Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt the experience, especially in co-op mode.
The survival mechanics are minimal, making it feel more like a walking simulator than a survival game.

gameplay
211 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
65%
12%
The gameplay is characterized as slow-paced and relaxing, appealing to those seeking a meditative experience, but it suffers from numerous bugs and a lack of intuitive mechanics. While the exploration and base-building elements provide some enjoyment, many players find the survival mechanics overly simplistic and the overall gameplay loop repetitive and lacking depth. Despite its charming atmosphere and potential, the game requires significant polishing and quality-of-life improvements to enhance the player experience.
- “For the $3 I spent, I got 10 hours of fun and engaging gameplay with a story that had me actually reading the notes you pick up.”
- “The world is beautiful and fun to traverse with your pups, the music and sounds are good, and the mechanics are super easy.”
- “This is a very relaxing exploration survival game with a good storyline and beautiful, though simple graphics, pleasant music, calm gameplay.”
- “The devs really need to hire game testers and see all the aspects that are not intuitive or just straight up annoying or ugly through the gameplay of these testers.”
- “The inventory menu is a complete mess and is hard to follow, the tutorial is just some floating text and is hard to keep track of what to do and what the tutorial is saying, the dogs all sync up cause they have the same animation, it looks unnatural, the world is boring and flat, the mining mechanic is just right clicking and waiting, and then poof mineral or fish pops out of nowhere.”
- “Eternal winter had so much potential, Arctico feels like the gutted carcass of the original game with a lot of the gameplay mechanics stripped out.”
story
197 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
71%
14%
The game's story is often described as minimal and lacking depth, primarily conveyed through scattered notes that fail to create a cohesive narrative. While some players appreciate the environmental storytelling and the serene atmosphere, many criticize the plot for being uninteresting and the gameplay for lacking direction and purpose. Overall, the story is seen as a secondary aspect, with players either finding it engaging in a relaxed exploration context or feeling disappointed by its absence of meaningful content.
- “Deep narrative story, lots of choices, got this on sale and highly recommend.”
- “For the $3 I spent, I got 10 hours of fun and engaging gameplay with a story that had me actually reading the notes you pick up.”
- “Exploring and slowly piecing together a short and sweet storyline about devoting your entire being into your work and letting go of that existence with the hope that someone will continue your legacy on a snowy wasteland is *chef's kiss*.”
- “There's nothing to do outside of the gathering/crafting loop, no goal, no hook, no story, no emotion, no challenge, no life, no immersion.”
- “The 'story' is mostly told through notes that don't really give you anything meaningful.”
- “The bit of 'story' that is there is so minimal and doesn't hold up in the slightest.”
graphics
188 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising its beautiful art style and soothing visuals, while others criticize the low-quality textures and optimization issues. Many appreciate the minimalist aesthetic and calming atmosphere, though some find the graphics to be bland or lacking depth. Overall, the visuals are seen as charming and fitting for a casual exploration game, but there is a consensus that improvements are needed.
- “One of the best games out there on Steam; this game is truly breathtaking with the graphics and the experience it offers.”
- “The graphics are simple, but pleasing; the game is quiet, and backed up by some faint but very pretty piano music, and it's all just so easy to love.”
- “The changing times of day, the weather effects, and the simplicity of the graphics and objects give the game an almost hand-brushed feel.”
- “It feels dead/soul-less and that applies to the music and graphics.”
- “Graphics are shoddy, the game feel is annoying, and the overall game experience is terrible.”
- “The graphics vanished at one point and I was left with this strange orange wasteland I walked around until I decided to start a new game.”
music
158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
57%
8%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its calming and soothing qualities that enhance the exploration experience. However, some users criticize the lack of variety and volume, noting that sound effects are often too quiet or absent, which detracts from immersion. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally seen as beautiful and relaxing, there are calls for improvements in sound design and additional tracks to enrich the gameplay.
- “The graphics are simple, but pleasing, the game is quiet, and backed up by some faint but very pretty piano music, and it's all just so easy to love.”
- “The music is relaxing and wonderful.”
- “The game is beautiful, the music is nice and soothing, and there's something weirdly compelling about exploring the map on the dog-sled, checking up on the various data stations, and stopping for the occasional target of opportunity or fishing spot.”
- “It's a neat concept, but the rough UI and non-existent sound effects and music ruin it for me.”
- “Aside from the faint music and a fishing bobber, I don't recall hearing any other sounds, which is my only major disappointment.”
- “Music is annoying as hell, and sound effects aren't that great either.”
grinding
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
5%
93%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game can be quite tedious, with many players feeling that resource farming becomes a chore after the initial exploration phase. While some appreciate the building and farming systems, they often find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in meaningful goals, leading to frustration, especially due to glitches and the absence of auto-save features. Suggestions for improvement include enhancing automation to reduce the need for constant grinding and diversifying resource collection to maintain player engagement.
- “If they add more automation so you're not grinding supplies every day for the majority of the day, it might be fun.”
- “You can find everything there is to find within 5-6 hours tops, and after that, it's just resource farming with no endgame.”
- “This isn't a game where you'll find yourself grinding towards a goal, so much so to where it's just a chore.”
- “Game feels like a grindy slog.”
atmosphere
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
82%
13%
5%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its relaxing, chill vibes and beautiful visuals, creating a soothing experience for players. However, some reviews note that while the atmosphere is promising, the gameplay can feel aimless or unfinished, detracting from the overall immersion. Despite these criticisms, many players appreciate the calming ambiance and potential for growth in future updates.
- “This game has a beautiful atmosphere, nice vibes and feels super calm, but maybe too calm!”
- “Very peaceful game, gorgeous atmosphere and some fun music.”
- “I really enjoy the atmosphere, and find it has just the right ambience for a game like this.”
- “The idea and atmosphere is promising, however the current game version is hardly playable.”
- “Where's the sense of speed and atmosphere of freezing and the thrill of going fast in a snowy landscape?”
- “The graphics continue to get better and the sense of place, and atmosphere is there.”
stability
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game is widely reported to be plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, affecting gameplay stability and user experience. While some players find enjoyment despite these issues, many express frustration over persistent problems such as clunky controls, graphical glitches, and a lack of essential features. Overall, the game's stability is considered poor, with many reviewers noting that it remains significantly buggy even after several years of development.
- “The fact that a game is this buggy after 7 years is insane and unacceptable.”
- “Clunky, no controller support, 300% base mouse sensitivity, buggy sleigh; there are so many problems that in 6 years shouldn't still be there.”
- “The current version v.9y is the buggiest; sleeps are long, the post-sleep screen doesn't show the list of production status, and there is no way to dismiss the post-sleep screen.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
43%
43%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance and low frame rates even on capable hardware. Users have noted that the game demands more resources than expected, leading to frustrating experiences, while a few have mentioned that certain aspects run smoothly. Overall, optimization issues appear to be a major concern for a large portion of the player base.
- “Artico is beautiful and runs smoothly!”
- “For some reason my i5-4690k and gtx770 couldn't handle this game at 60 fps with everything maxed... oh well, not that big of a deal, but still I feel that there's been some optimization issues.”
- “Poorly optimized, doesn't run at all on my machine (Ryzen 7, Vega 10, 16GB RAM, SSD hard drive).”
- “For some reason my i5-4690K and GTX 770 couldn't handle this game at 60 fps with everything maxed... oh well, not that big of a deal, but still I feel that there's been some optimization issues.”
- “Absolutely awful optimization, I had less than 25 fps with a GTX 660 and an FX-6200 which should be perfectly capable of running a game like this.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by amusing bugs, such as characters flying through the sky or getting stuck in odd places, which add a lighthearted touch to the gameplay. Players appreciate the game's fun and innovative survival concept, although some find it a bit too easy. However, there are also moments in the soundtrack that detract from the humor, with unsettling sounds that clash with the game's overall tone.
- “There is a small and funny bug in the game; when you descend on dogs from a very high mountain, you fly through the sky.”
- “This game is super fun! It's not a hard game; I enjoy kayaking. It's such a stress-relieving game. Only one bug, and it was a funny bug: my dog got stuck in the roof of the sledge garage. Other than that, it's an amazing game worth the price.”
- “Got it for 5 €, it's a funny game with an innovative concept of survival, but at the moment, it's a bit too easy in my opinion.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be a soothing and heartwarming experience that evokes nostalgia and emotional depth, often leading to tears. The interactive elements and themes, particularly involving dogs, contribute to its ability to resonate deeply with players, making it a memorable and touching experience.
- “It is soothing, interactive, and heartwarming at times.”
- “10/10 would cry again.”
- “The idea with the dogs and how these guys made it can be very emotional.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low due to a lack of procedural map generation, which limits exploration after the initial playthrough. However, the inclusion of random loot generation does provide some incentive for players to revisit the game.
- “Random loot generation adds replayability.”
- “Replayability is quite low when all is done.”
- “I've not played for terribly long, but I can't help but wonder about what happens later on in the game when everything is explored. The map at this stage is not procedurally generated, and as such, there's probably not a whole lot of replayability.”
- “Replayability is quite low when all is done.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is criticized for being overly reliant on advertising, as players feel that watching promotional videos provides a complete experience of the game, diminishing the value of purchasing it.
- “If you watched the advertising video, you already had the entire game experience.”
- “I bought this game for Mac after having seen some of the gameplay on YouTube and watching the advertisements here.”