Exoplanet: First Contact

About

In "Exoplanet: First Contact," players explore an alien world, building bases and gathering resources to advance their technology and communicate with Earth. Conflicts with hostile extraterrestrial life forms must be overcome using strategy and the player's arsenal of weapons. The ultimate goal is to establish peaceful relations with the planet's inhabitants and learn from their advanced culture.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+18

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 333 reviews

story36 positive mentions

stability22 negative mentions

The game has a unique space western concept that appeals to fans of the genre.
The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing dedication to improving the game.
Exploration is rewarding, with hidden treasures and a vast world to discover.

The game has been in Early Access for several years with slow content updates and many players feel it hasn't evolved significantly.
Combat mechanics are clunky and unrefined, leading to a frustrating experience.
There are numerous bugs and performance issues, including long loading times and crashes.

story
158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
71%
6%
The game's story has received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating its intriguing world-building and character backstories, while others find it hard to follow and lacking in depth. Many reviewers note the absence of quest markers, which encourages exploration but can lead to confusion about objectives. Overall, while the narrative shows promise and has improved since previous versions, players are eager for further development and more content to enhance the storytelling experience.
- “The storytelling, gameplay, and graphics have improved the most since I last played in 2018. It's a completely different game now.”
- “The game has an interesting story that brings players into the world.”
- “I am curious to see where the writers go with the long-term story as it is implemented.”
- “The story isn't far developed and, if you skip the side stories, finished within a few hours.”
- “I have followed the story of Exoplanet: FC for quite some years by now and am really disappointed how this game has barely changed.”
- “It says open game but it's a railroad story (at least to where I am at - sure I can explore freely but you kind of have to do certain tasks to advance and for some, there seem to be a very narrow narrative line to complete it).”
gameplay
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
64%
10%
The gameplay has seen significant improvements since its earlier versions, with enhanced storytelling and a more engaging environment, though it still suffers from clunky mechanics and primitive controls. Players appreciate the mix of RPG and survival elements, but many criticize the melee and gunplay mechanics as outdated and unrefined. While the game offers around 10 hours of content, it remains in early access, and ongoing updates are needed to address various gameplay issues and enhance overall experience.
- “I last played this game in 2018 for about 2.5 hours, it was a struggle & I had no clue about what the goal was but now in 2023 it's a completely different game & so far I've played for 8+ hours, I mean it's improved in so many ways...the storytelling, gameplay & graphics have improved the most.”
- “The gameplay ensures you will pay attention to what is going on, otherwise you may die from environmental drains, such as water, food, and sleep deprivation.”
- “Despite the game is still in early access, this game delivers a great gameplay experience even though I still found some bugs in this game because it's still early access.”
- “Controls are primitive and broken, animations are cheap and do not connect properly, most sounds are absent, icons missing, mechanics are crippled and dumb, level design is horrible.”
- “I don't know why there is even content being made for this as the very core and basic mechanics are either broken, nonexistent or of such garbage quality that I wonder how anybody could have given this a positive review.”
- “Gameplay is still as atrocious as I remember it.”
graphics
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
68%
5%
The graphics of the game have seen significant improvement, showcasing a graphical overhaul that enhances the visual experience, though they still fall short of AAA quality. While many players appreciate the attention to detail and the atmospheric design, concerns persist regarding the game's optimization and underlying mechanics, which some feel have been neglected in favor of visual polish. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, but players are divided on their effectiveness in relation to the game's performance and gameplay experience.
- “The graphics are excellent, and there is a good size map to explore with at least 2 areas I have found that lead to what looks like they will be new maps to explore with new quests.”
- “You can see the tremendous attention to detail and world building the developers are putting into their world, even more awe-inspiring for the relatively dated graphics.”
- “The graphics are actually pretty beautiful and run perfectly on a mediocre computer.”
- “There has definitely been a graphical overhaul of the game but everything under the hood is barely holding together and it doesn't seem like that's changed based on what other reviewers (even positive ones) have said over the past several years.”
- “I really cannot recommend this game because the screenshots are deceptive (not necessarily on-purpose, but deceptive nonetheless) because it's received more graphical polish than polish to the engine of the game and even for an early access game the quality of said engine is rather poor.”
- “This game could easily turn out to be amazing as a finished product but I would never recommend it in its current state because I feel like the current faults I find with this game are issues that really should have been addressed prior to applying pretty graphics to it.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with some players noting minor bugs and graphical glitches that do not significantly detract from the overall experience. While many acknowledge the presence of issues typical of early access titles, others have reported a surprisingly stable performance and commend the developers for their rapid updates and bug fixes. Overall, players seem willing to overlook these imperfections in anticipation of future improvements.
- “It breaks, bugs, glitches by a lot more than before.”
- “If you're ok with huge immersion breaking framerate drops, if you're ok with a simple, repetitive combat system and gunplay that lacks any kind of crouch button, if you're ok with a game that is buggy and deeply unfinished (this game is in alpha remember) and if you're willing to look past these shortcomings to enjoy what this game is and hopefully will be, then I can certainly recommend it.”
- “Every early stage game will have its bugs and glitches, it's nothing new.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
50%
40%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance, limited graphical settings, and various gameplay issues such as clunky combat and poor hitboxes. Many players feel that meaningful updates to address these concerns are unlikely in the near future, suggesting that the game requires significant optimization and polishing before it can be fully enjoyed. Overall, while some recommend waiting for improvements, the current state is deemed mediocre at best.
- “I recommend this game, but if you have issues with optimization or early access, just wait until the bugs are ironed out.”
- “Need optimization and some polishing.”
- “Unfortunately, after looking through other reviews and checking out the Discord, it doesn't look like there will be any meaningful updates to address any of the issues with the gameplay and performance anytime soon.”
- “Poor hitboxes, poor animations, no crouch, poor terrain navigation, and poor performance.”
- “I know my PC isn't the sprightly lass she used to be, but as with most early access games, the game really needs some optimization.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The game's atmosphere is richly crafted, blending elements of the old wild west with space opera and sci-fi themes, enhanced by subtle details in both dialogue and environment. Players appreciate the soothing guitar soundtrack and the immersive exploration of a mysterious alien world, despite some minor flaws due to its early access status. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its depth and engaging mood, reminiscent of titles like "Borderlands."
- “The game is soaked with the lovely atmosphere of the old wild west, brilliantly combined with elements of 'space opera' and sci-fi.”
- “A genuinely soothing guitar background track sets the atmosphere for exploring an alien world where I need to look everywhere and loot everything, where every one of the numerous nooks and crannies might hold a few more shells for that new shotgun I just took off that unlucky gunman that made me use up all my medikits but was finally bested by my last few .45 bullets.”
- “Graphics well convey the atmosphere of an unknown and mysterious planet, featuring a desert oasis with green water and wonderful animals.”
- “A genuinely soothing guitar background track sets the atmosphere for exploring an alien world where I need to look everywhere and loot everything, where every one of the numerous nooks and crannies might hold a few more shells for that new shotgun I just took off that unlucky gunman that made me use up all my medikits but was finally bested by my last few .45 bullets...”
- “Graphics well convey the atmosphere of an unknown and mysterious planet, such as a desert oasis with green water and wonderful animals.”
- “This atmosphere is thoughtfully recreated with the help of hundreds of subtle details implemented in both dialogues and the environment.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
13%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the witty dialogues, humorous item descriptions, and clever easter eggs. While some found the humor hit-or-miss, particularly in the absence of voice acting, many enjoyed the comedic elements, especially the playful interactions and western clichés. Overall, the game successfully incorporates humor, contributing positively to the experience.
- “Excellent game, great easter eggs, and funny too.”
- “Sometimes it was hilarious to just be a smartass or rude or play dumb, and the humor probably would've failed on many of those conversations if it had been voiced dialogue.”
- “+ Humorous dialogs and descriptions of items.”
- “This game is pretty terrible; is it supposed to be funny?”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
The game's music is described as limited in quantity but rich in style, effectively capturing a space western atmosphere that enhances the overall mood. While the soundtrack is praised for its quality, some players express a desire for more variety and additional audio features in future updates. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's experience without being a detracting factor.
- “The music theme of this game is cheap in amount but rich in style.”
- “- The soundtrack is limited, but fantastic and really sets the game's mood.”
- “- Western-ish background music.”
- “The music theme of this game is cheap in amount but rich on style.”
- “- western-ish background music”
- “I think just that but in the future they will add more things, maybe like transportation (because the NPC mentions the hoverbike and transport animals), more variable missions, more weapon types, add new maps, or add some radio music while traveling around.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers note a significant improvement in combat mechanics, enhancing the overall playability of the game. This increased enjoyment suggests a higher level of replayability, indicating that players are likely to return for more engaging experiences.
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is well-integrated, featuring engaging dialogues and a variety of RPG elements such as crafting, cooking, and a quest system that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the depth and flavor of character interactions, which contribute to a more immersive narrative.
- “The core elements for an RPG are in place, including crafting/cooking, a quest system, interesting dialogues with the right flavor, character development, and some survival elements like hunger, thirst, and fatigue.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has received criticism due to a limited selection of firearms and the absence of weapon upgrades, which detracts from the overall experience. Players express a desire for more diverse weapon options, including assault rifles and sniper rifles, indicating that the current offerings feel inadequate.
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding mechanics tedious, particularly the lengthy animations for actions like eating or picking up items, which disrupt the flow of gameplay.
- “Note for the developers - stopping for 4 seconds to shove a melon in your face, or 1 second to pick up every single item from the ground, feels a bit tedious.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a desire for emotional depth in the game, particularly through the inclusion of a female playable character and more voice acting beyond cutscenes. There is a sense of anticipation for future developments, but some are hesitant to engage with the current build until improvements are made.