I am operating by a darkish, slim tunnel simply as quick as my little legs will take me. The final time I ran this quick for this lengthy it was as a result of I might stepped right into a chamber coated with slime, heard a deep rumble, and noticed a glowing centipede the scale of a jumbo jet scrabbling out of the darkness at me. I turned and ran and did not cease till I might gotten all the way in which again to my base.
This time I am operating as a result of I discovered a carrot for the primary time and I am unable to wait to see what new meals I can prepare dinner with it. In Core Keeper I could also be trapped at the hours of darkness with unspeakable horrors, however I am additionally snug sufficient to get enthusiastic about making a stew.
Core Keeper is a co-op survival crafting sandbox that takes place deep underground the place sentient slimes, big maggots, red-eyed goblins, and airplane-sized boss bugs slither. However on the similar time it is by some means acquired a comfortable, cozy, heat and completely satisfied Stardew Valley really feel to it. I could also be in a cave with grime partitions lit solely by torchlight, however in that cave I’ve acquired a little bit farm rising beautiful, chunky greens and a cooking pot the place I can mix them for yummy meals. I’ve constructed bridges over darkish, bottomless chasms and slashed by chambers stuffed with wriggling larvae solely to seek out the proper serene fishing spot in a underground pond.
And after killing an incredible boss monster product of orange goo, a little bit bearded man with a hat popped out of the slimy stays of the beast. I constructed him a little bit room with a mattress and now he lives with me.
I normally do not like darkness in video games. When prompted firstly of a horror game to regulate a slider till the emblem can barely be seen, I transfer that rattling slider as far to the suitable because it’ll go. In open world video games with a day-night cycle, I will hop in mattress when it will get solar units and fast-forward to morning. I do not like caves, I do not like mines, I do not like gloom. This is not true of me in actual life, however in video games I am simply an outdoorsy, daytime particular person.
So I am stunned how snug it’s being perpetually underground in Core Keeper. A part of it’s the charming artwork and animation, together with the dynamic lighting results. The game begins within the gloom of the Core chamber, however place just a few torches and filter some grime partitions with a pickaxe, and shortly the room is bathed in heat gentle. Plant some seeds and glowing flowers develop, illuminating all the pieces round them. (Munch on a glowing flower and your character will glow for a couple of minutes, too.) Even within the darkest locations, lightning bugs circle in packs, hidden ore deposits glitter within the gloom, even the slime trails of disgusting monsters give off a welcome little bit of illumination.
Which is not to say there aren’t genuinely spooky areas and scary moments. There are ominous, off-screen sounds once you get near considered one of Core Keeper’s bosses. Breaking by a wall and immediately seeing you are on the fringe of an enormous chasm is alarming, and constructing a slim bridge throughout it would not really feel cozy in any respect (despite the fact that you’ll be able to’t truly fall in). The primary time I noticed glowing purple eyes blinking at the hours of darkness in one of many extra distant biomes I acquired so panicked I wound up swinging a berry pudding I had in my stock as a substitute of my sword. Tunneling into any new space, surrounded by pitch-black darkness and solely clearing a path huge sufficient for your self could be creepy and claustrophobic.
However quickly that slim tunnel is lit with torches, facet chambers have been discovered and dim gentle spills in from all sides, and I am scampering backwards and forwards by these passages like they’re simply one other cheery, acquainted street main again dwelling.
And there is nothing that makes me really feel extra at dwelling in a game than fishing, farming, and cooking, and so they’re all nice in Core Keeper. Fishing works nearly like a rhythm game, with every fish struggling to its personal “beat.” My first few makes an attempt have been failures and the fish snapped the road and escaped, however I ultimately acquired the grasp of it. Reel when it is resting, let it run whereas it struggles, it is actually about recognizing the beat as shortly as attainable after which matching it. Enjoyable!
And I’ve acquired a pleasant grime patch the place I can plunk down seeds, I dug a protracted trench from a pond all the way in which to my base so I can fill my watering can with out having to enterprise out, and I’ve even acquired a patch of rock set as much as develop my new carrots (they’re truly known as carrocks, since they solely develop on rock). Quite than providing you with recipes and telling you what substances you want, you simply take two substances—any two substances, even two of the identical ingredient—throw them within the pot, and see what comes out. Fish, greens, flowers, even a crab crusted in gems I fished out of a pond was a nutritious, stat-boosting meal. No place can actually really feel gloomy so long as I could make some sushi and kebabs.
Certain, Core Keeper horrified me after I knocked a wall down and a bunch of squirming, squeaking larvae jumped in my face. No less than I managed to swing my sword and never a pudding this time. However afterwards I ran again dwelling by brightly lit tunnels as quick as my little legs might take me, and now I am cooking up some glowing larvae steaks.