Beyond Contact

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"Beyond Contact" is a science fiction survival crafting game where players join the Space Corps, a division of the United Worlds Congress, to complete missions and help determine game features through a public bug tracker and upvoter. The game uses a top-down art style and encourages players to join the official Space Corps Discord server for orientation and to discuss their experiences.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 452 reviews

story70 positive mentions

grinding82 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and vibrant art style that enhances the sci-fi theme.
Engaging survival mechanics that require players to manage oxygen, food, and health effectively.
Interesting story and character interactions that add depth to the gameplay.

Inventory management is cumbersome with limited space, making resource gathering tedious.
Combat mechanics feel clunky and unrefined, leading to frustrating encounters with enemies.
The game can be overly punishing, with quick depletion of essential resources and harsh penalties for death.

story
208 mentions
34 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally viewed as decent but somewhat basic, with many players appreciating its engaging premise and voice acting, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic or lacking depth. Some players find the narrative enjoyable and immersive, particularly in the context of survival gameplay, but note that it can feel grindy and disjointed at times. Overall, while the story adds value to the experience, it may not be the primary draw for all players, with some expressing a desire for more substantial content and better integration with gameplay mechanics.
- “It's a beautiful game with an interesting story, which starts with you crash landing on an alien planet.”
- “The story presents intriguing moral dilemmas and objectives reminiscent of contemporary science-fiction films, and it does a great job of immersing the player in the game world.”
- “The story line is almost completely unbelievable feel-good nonsense.”
- “The story is basic but decent.”
- “The story is relatively basic but it's keeping me interested when I want to break away from base building and other miscellaneous survival tasks.”
gameplay
104 mentions
26 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating its engaging survival mechanics, crafting, and base-building elements, while also criticizing the steep learning curve and poorly explained mechanics. Many find the gameplay loop enjoyable and satisfying, though some feel it can be grindy and punishing, particularly regarding resource management and difficulty settings. Overall, while the game offers a rich experience with beautiful graphics and a solid story, it struggles with balancing its mechanics and providing clear guidance for players.
- “Overall, beyond contact offers hours of gameplay, with that being either wandering around the world farming nodes, growing crops, slaughtering crogs, or becoming a capitalist by exploiting crabs' weakness for shiny things.”
- “The gameplay features a robust crafting and research system, allowing players to create an array of tools, weapons, and structures to aid in their survival on the dying planet of Ketern.”
- “The overall gameplay loop is an enjoyable and simple one that many of us have seen before.”
- “Totaly bad raid mechanic is the sole thing that can make you turn from initially liking the game, enjoying the atmosphere, surviving, building to hating the game and wishing that you could finally end the campaign if you could leave the base for a second!”
- “Unfortunately, if you're like me and do not enjoy 'Don't Starve' (despite loving the style and the idea) due to its gameplay, then you probably wouldn't like this game either.”
- “The 'cold' at night was more of an annoyance like a rock in your shoe that slows gameplay than a challenge you have to strategize around.”
grinding
84 mentions
1 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious, particularly in the early stages where players must gather resources for survival and base building. Many reviewers noted that the constant need for food, oxygen, and materials can detract from the overall enjoyment, making the gameplay feel slow and repetitive. While some players found the grind manageable or even enjoyable, the consensus is that it can be overwhelming, especially for casual gamers.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Like most survival games, the beginning is very grindy - you have to grind for food, materials, and research points while running from one air pocket to another to keep your oxygen meter up.”
- “The middle part of the game is also very grindy - now you're building up your base and need tons more materials and research points to expand and defend against the occasional enemy raid.”
- “Grinding resources makes it a breeze and generally speaking a great little survival crafting game.”
graphics
62 mentions
65 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive a generally positive reception, with many players praising the beautiful art style, attention to detail, and immersive visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some find the graphics to be aesthetically pleasing, others note issues with navigation and performance, suggesting that the visuals can sometimes overshadow gameplay. Overall, the game's graphics are described as a standout feature, contributing to its appeal despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.
- “The graphics are gorgeous and the game audio is +++.. can't wait to give the multiplayer option a go too.. this is going to keep me occupied for ages :)”
- “With its top-down art style inspired by pulp science-fiction comics, the game offers a visually distinct and immersive experience that sets it apart from other titles in the genre.”
- “The visuals are great, especially the mix of comic-esque effects with the 3D environment.”
- “Graphics disappear and many more... worst is if it happened your progress is ruined.”
- “The graphics is a mix between 2D and 3D and it's horrid trying to navigate using WASD and not your usual mouse.”
- “Storyline and other bugs, graphic, inventory, etc. it really just destroys the game.”
music
12 mentions
67 % positive mentions
8 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create an enticing and immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience with relaxing and well-composed soundtracks. Many players appreciate the attention to detail in the audio, noting its effectiveness in setting moods and complementing the game's visuals and storyline. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature.
- “The soundtrack makes the game world feel enticing and entrancing.”
- “The overall experience is very satisfying and chilled with a good storyline to follow and a nice soundtrack.”
- “The audio and music is superb, the graphics are gorgeous.”
- “The music is very relaxing at the menu.”
- “The music and the AI gave me vibes of Subnautica, with the saturated lighting I loved, coupled with a cool sync style.”
- “There should be more specific music for different times of day and night.”
optimization
12 mentions
25 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
42 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report good performance and noticeable improvements, others experience significant frame stuttering, particularly in specific areas like bases or during day/night transitions. Many users express that the game still requires further polishing to enhance the overall experience, especially in terms of stability and performance consistency.
- “The RPG-esque upgrade system for your character feels impactful as you can clearly notice each little bump in performance.”
- “The story is complete, new player characters with unique features added, and the performance is better than ever.”
- “I had only one issue with audio after a long play, but didn't have any other issues with bugs or performance, which is very good for an early access.”
- “Poor optimization, tedious grind, limited skill trees and even less 'unlocks'.”
- “The game optimization clearly needs work.”
- “Unfortunately for me, due to poor optimization I'm just going to wait until the game is more polished before going ahead & finishing the entire thing.”
stability
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant bugs and connection issues, particularly in multiplayer mode, which is still in alpha. While a few users noted that the game can be fun despite its flaws, others expressed frustration with frequent crashes and glitches that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is considered to be in early access, leading to a generally unstable environment, though some players found it relatively polished for its stage of development.
- “Tired of troubleshooting this sack of crap.”
- “Just connecting to other players' lobbies can be really buggy; like one time it loaded the startup cutscene then sent me back to the main menu without any notification.”
- “Multiplayer is in 'alpha' and pretty buggy, connection slow, map not loading, crashing when joining/playing, etc.”
atmosphere
5 mentions
40 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its vibrant visuals, diverse environments, and immersive sound design, creating an engaging experience for players. Users appreciate the dynamic elements, such as weather events and the need to manage survival aspects, which enhance the overall ambiance. However, frustrations with the raid mechanics can detract from the enjoyment of the otherwise captivating atmosphere.
- “You mine, you farm, manage stamina, health, and oxygen. During the night, you need heat or you freeze. There are atmospheric events too, like meteor showers and sandstorms. When you mine, you also gather data, and collecting organic materials provides different types of data. You can spend this data on research to determine the best progress for you. You build your base, expand, defend, repel raids, attack enemy spawn points, complete mini quests, and engage in market activities. There are so many things to do!”
- “Colorful atmosphere, plenty of different environments to experience, and clean voice acting with small quests.”
- “Colorful atmosphere, plenty of different environments to experience and clean voice acting with small quests.”
- “Love the visuals, atmosphere, and sound.”
replayability
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is considered decent, especially when engaging in multiplayer after a solo experience. Unlocking various characters adds an additional layer of incentive to replay the game.
- “The replayability of the game is quite good, especially when you play multiplayer after experiencing it solo.”
- “Unlocking different characters while playing adds a significant level of replayability.”
- “The replayability of the game is probably okay, particularly if you play multiplayer after playing solo.”
- “Unlocking different characters while playing may provide a basic level of replayability.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-150 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
Character development is enhanced by diverse voice acting, contributing to a multi-cultural atmosphere, while the unique designs of the aliens make them memorable and distinct within the game.
- “The voice acting features a diverse range of actors, which greatly enhances the multicultural approach taken in character design.”
- “The aliens are quite memorable due to their unique character designs.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, leaving me disappointed with their growth.”
- “The choices you make don't seem to impact the characters in any meaningful way, which undermines the whole development aspect.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the humor in the game, highlighting its creative and amusing world that enhances the gameplay experience. The comedic elements, including quirky situations and self-referential jokes, contribute to an enjoyable atmosphere, making the game both entertaining and engaging.
- “I love the ideas and gameplay, and the funny world that has been created to explore.”
- “I've got this long rambling review, jacked several times by random review-thieves (this is actually really funny to me), where I basically go on a long ramble justifying why I played Raft on easy mode.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is criticized for being slow and grindy, with many users feeling that it is designed to encourage microtransactions, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “The game is slow, boring, and grindy, and it feels like it was tailor-made to sneak in microtransactions.”
- “The monetization system is frustrating and makes the game feel more like a cash grab than a fun experience.”
- “I constantly feel pressured to spend money to progress, which ruins the enjoyment of the game.”