Starry Studios’Once Humanis soon joining the competitive survival game scene, hoping to stand out with its unique world design, exploration features, and crunchy combat mechanics, among other things. Certainly,Once Humanis chock-full of interesting ideas, which may help it carve out a space in such a crowded market.
AlthoughOnce Humanis releasing in full on July 01, 2025, it has been in closed beta testing since last January. It also has a free demo available on Steam.
For everything thatOnce Humanis doing to set itself apart, it also seems to wear its influences on its sleeve. Naturally, it has quite a bit in common with many of the best survival and crafting games on the market, taking cues fromtitles likeV Rising,Valheim, andARK: Survival Evolved, with a gameplay loop centered on staples like base-building, resource management, and a gradual power creep, but it also seems to be drawing from popular games in other genres. Over its three-year-plus development cycle, it’s clear thatOnce Humanhas looked to the AAA scene for some inspiration, which contributes to the game’s unique, melting-pot style.
Once Human Appears to Channel Various Big-Budget Games
Once Human Shares DNA with Action-Adventure Titles
Perhaps the most obvious point of comparison forOnce Humanwould be theRemnantseries.BothRemnantgames have often been called “Dark Soulswith guns,“and while this is a somewhat reductive description, there’s some truth to it:Remnantis a third-person shooter with a strong emphasis on movement and evasion, folded into a co-op RPG framework with a focus on crafting and steady progression.
Spending some time withOnceHuman, the similarities toRemnantare plain to see, as Starry Studios clearly focused on developing third-person combat mechanics that incorporate movement and stamina management, more than pinpoint accuracy or cover utilization.Once Human’s co-op gameplay, gear system, and even enemy design are also reminiscent of theRemnantseries.
On the subject of visuals and atmosphere,Once Humanalso looks to have a bit in common withGhostwire Tokyo:Once Human’s aesthetic, blending mystical concepts like a surreal spiritual world with more urban design elements, feels highly reminiscent of Tango Gameworks' 2022 FPS.Once Human’s tendency toward weird horror may also remind some players of Remedy’s projects, especially during the game’s intro, which feels eerily similar toControl’s unsettling contrastof austere corporate science and otherworldly phenomena.
Then there are the many miscellaneous parallels betweenOnce Humanand other AAA games. The post-apocalyptic setting feels inspired by something likeThe Last of UsorDays Gone(especially givenOnce Human’s motorcycle mechanics); the MMO elements will surely be familiar to fans oftitles likeThe DivisionandFallout 76; even the Deviant capturing system bears a resemblance toPokemonor similar monster-catching games.Once Humanhas been in development for a little over three years, so drawing upon relatively contemporary games for inspiration is certainly not out of the question. Whether this will help or harm the game is another subject, though.
Once Human: Hopefully More Than Just a Melting Pot
As previously mentioned, survival games are a dime a dozen these days, soOnce Humanwill need to be more than just a hodgepodge of the industry’s hottest games to be properly competitive. As evidenced by2023’s biggest disasterThe Day Before, there’s a fine line between inspiration and imitation, at least in the eyes of audiences. The last thing thatOnce Humanneeds to be thought of as ‘yet another co-op survival RPG,’ pulling excessively from other popular titles.Once Human’s combat mechanics, world design, and side activities are all fun so far—hopefully, Starry Studios can keep the game feeling fresh when it launches in earnest this July.
Once Human
WHERE TO PLAY
The apocalypse changed everything. Human, animal, plant… all are infested by an alien creature – Stardust. As a Meta-Human, you can survive the contamination and use the power of Stardust. Play alone or join others to fight, build and explore. When the world is in chaos, you are our last hope.You wake up in the middle of nowhere. You’ll have to brace yourself for the cruelty of nature (from monsters to lack of food); however, Stardust’s influence does not restrict to living things, it also affects the soil and water. Eating polluted food and drinking dirty water will reduce your Sanity. When your Sanity drops, your max HP would drop accordingly. To eat or not to eat, it’s a question.Battle numerous enemies that are once human, and challenge bosses from another dimension to gain powerful items and ease Stardust pollution. You are not only fighting for yourself, but also fighting for the survivors.
