Xsyon: Prelude
- December 29, 2014
- Notorious Games
- 47h median play time
Get on SteamIn the sandbox MMORPG, Xsyon: Prelude, players are survivors in a post-apocalyptic world that has reverted to a medieval state. Set up camps, scavenge for resources, and craft items to progress, while interacting with a living world and other players in this unique virtual world. A website account is required to play and participate in the game's community and development discussions.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique sandbox experience with a focus on crafting, building, and survival mechanics.
- The community is friendly and helpful, providing support to new players and fostering a collaborative environment.
- The game has a deep crafting system and allows for extensive terraforming and customization of structures.
- The game suffers from performance issues and outdated graphics, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Combat mechanics are clunky and not well-developed, making it less enjoyable for players who prefer action-oriented gameplay.
- The game has a low player population, which can lead to a lack of interaction and make it feel empty at times.
- grinding75 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The game is widely regarded as very grindy, particularly in the early stages, requiring significant time investment to level up skills and craft items. While some players find enjoyment in the slow-paced, skill-building aspects of grinding, others view it as tedious and frustrating, especially when starting out. Overall, the experience can be rewarding for those who appreciate deep crafting and farming systems, but may deter players who dislike grind-heavy gameplay.
“I might recommend this to people who felt that Ark wasn't grindy enough.”
“As for the game itself, it is grindy.”
“The game is without question the most grinding I have ever seen.”
“It is very grindy to get skills up; the graphics are starting to show their age a bit, and it needs a number of quality of life improvements.”
- graphics59 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated and subpar for its genre, with many users noting that they appear better on lower settings. While some appreciate the unique atmosphere created by the graphics, others find them clunky and in need of significant updates to enhance performance and visual quality. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the graphics may not be a selling point, they do not detract significantly from the gameplay experience for those who can overlook them.
“The graphics are not triple A, but they are good and unique, which creates a great atmosphere for the game.”
“The graphics are pretty good for a true sandbox with full terraforming and a piecemeal building construction system, as well as trees that are actually removed when chopped.”
“This game's graphics may not be state of the art, but at least it's very solid with the animations and environment and gets the job done pretty well.”
“The graphics are also sub-par for the genre in this time period.”
“The graphics and controls are terrible for a game that's been in early access for so long.”
“The overall graphics and feel of the game remind me of the old game Vanguard, with the same quality graphics and attempt at a zoneless game.”
- gameplay39 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a slow progression and grindy mechanics, appealing primarily to survival gamers who enjoy complex systems and community interaction. While the game offers a rich world-building experience and cooperative elements, it suffers from some confusing mechanics and a lack of detailed guidance for new players. Overall, it provides a solid, albeit challenging, gameplay experience that rewards investment and teamwork, despite some technical shortcomings.
“The gameplay is a fun survival crafter that puts a big emphasis on teamwork and working together as a tribe.”
“I’ve been playing this game almost since the beginning, it has changed a lot, adding tons of new features, improvements and so on, but the concept and gameplay has been always brilliant.”
“It is a game to discover little by little, exploring, figuring out how the mechanics work, meeting people, having fun.”
“Honestly, communities in this genre are used to buggy games, but ignoring game-breaking mechanics was what strangled this game in my opinion.”
“The world-building aspects of the game have great potential, but it gets lost in some terrible game mechanics.”
“Gameplay is lacking.”
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely player-driven, emphasizing a quest system that allows players to create their own goals and adventures rather than following a predefined narrative. While it offers opportunities for collaboration and creativity in building and quest-making, it lacks a structured plot or missions, making it ideal for those who prefer a sandbox experience over guided storytelling.
“It's designed to be a player-driven RPG with player-crafted quests where each person specializes in a few skills.”
“You can adventure together, and you can create quests together.”
“This game is not Warcraft; nobody tells you what to do. Surviving is the quest, and you make your own adventure.”
“If you are looking for a strong quest system and a lot of hand-holding through an involved plot line, this is not the game for you.”
“This game is not Warcraft; nobody tells you what to do. Surviving is the quest; you make your own adventure.”
“The game has an underused quest system that lets players set goals for other players.”
- optimization9 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The optimization of Xsyon is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues even on moderate settings, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Many players emphasize the need for a graphical overhaul and performance enhancements, as the game struggles with smoothness and responsiveness, particularly in forested areas and during character movements. Overall, the consensus is that without substantial optimization updates, the game will struggle to compete effectively in its genre.
“The graphics do not need to be amazing, just smoother and higher performance.”
“There are performance issues running the game on moderate settings.”
“A graphical overhaul including performance enhancements is an essential first step toward making Xsyon competitive in the genre.”
“Believe me, I have a very good computer as well, so I think the game needs a bit more optimization.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its significant bugs and game-breaking mechanics, which detracted from the overall experience, particularly in a genre accustomed to such issues. However, some users reported improvements in stability after switching to full-screen mode, suggesting that there may be potential fixes for certain problems.
“Honestly, communities in this genre are used to buggy games, but ignoring game-breaking mechanics was what strangled this game in my opinion.”
“It is very buggy.”
“The features were pretty limited and it was buggy, so I didn't play for very long, especially since it's heavily pay-to-win.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with users highlighting its engaging settings and the abundance of activities available, resulting in a perfect score of 10/10.
“I love the atmosphere of the game and that there is so much you can do.”
“The atmosphere of the game is nice, as well as the settings.”
“Atmosphere = 10/10”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game features a reasonable subscription model without microtransactions, which many players appreciate as it allows for a well-designed game world and robust crafting system without the pitfalls of pay-to-win mechanics. The friendly player base further enhances the overall experience, particularly on PvE servers.
“In all, it's got a very well-designed game world, a robust crafting system, and a friendly player base (at least on the PvE server; I've never played on PvP). There are no subscriptions and no microtransactions.”
“The subscription fee is very reasonable, and I prefer it to microtransactions.”
“The game has a very well-designed world and a robust crafting system, but the monetization model feels exploitative.”
“While the game offers a great experience, the heavy reliance on microtransactions detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The review suggests that the game's replayability is lacking, with the user expressing a preference for another game, Wurm Online, despite its own shortcomings. Overall, the sentiment indicates that the game in question does not offer sufficient engaging content to encourage repeated play.
- humor1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is perceived as underrated, with some players feeling that it doesn't receive the recognition it deserves for its comedic elements.
“This game is so underrated that it's not funny.”
“The jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
“I expected more laughs, but the humor is stale and unoriginal.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game effectively complements its open-world style, fulfilling its purpose without overshadowing the gameplay. Overall, it is well-received for its fitting integration with the game's atmosphere.
