When I first heard about Beyond Contact, I saw the pitch as “Don’t Starve in space” and I was drawn in without hesitation. The open-world survival crafting genre got stale for me half a decade ago, but the exemplary titles in the genre (like Raft and Astroneer) still get some playtime when the mood hits. There’s just something about never knowing when you’re going to be in too deep but gauging that risk before leaving safety that makes this genre leaps and bounds more exciting than pre-planned events. Here’s hoping Beyond Contact can capture that intensity now that it’s introduced a new update.

From the get-go, Beyond Contact has a lot of DNA from your typical survival game of this mold. The basics, like harvesting plants and figuring out priorities, are spoon-fed to you for the first half-hour. Let’s be honest, anyone who’s touched a game like this already knows the gameplay loop. Since the tutorial is optional, it’ll be a cinch getting your bearings as you enter playthroughs with other characters. Sadly, you’ll have to survive several in-game days to even unlock them. As such, it’s a grind to get the most out of your time in Beyond Contact.

The biggest gripe gamers had with Beyond Contact’s 1.0 launch was the miniscule amount of inventory items you could hold. At the time you could only hold up to six. This is a pittance when you have to hoard weapons, consumables of several types, and somehow have to make room for crafting materials. It’s even worse with no chests or storage to utilize.

Thankfully, these concerns were heard. Now you can hold up to fifteen stackable items. I found this to be much more manageable, but I was frustrated that every time I foraged and found a new item, it was automatically equipped while I dropped my currently-equipped item. I would much rather the new item stay on the ground so I could decide for myself.

Combat in Beyond Contact is a system you must work your way up with. Once you get past rudimentary melee sticks against tanky creatures, you can flex with ranged weapons that do feel great to wield. The natural progression in this game is rewarding for those who can get through the slow initiation period that games like these present to welcome newcomers in. There’s a much more involved story to unravel with dialogue and lore that is competent and serviceable for a title of this scope. Tons of hours of content are available to explore.

With update 1.2 welcoming new character Blott and some much-needed quality-of-life updates, Beyond Contact has become a decent (if not milquetoast) entry in the open-world survival crafting genre. Going solo, it never felt restrictive. I know I would have had even more fun with a friend, though, as games like these shine in the shared chaos. I wasn’t sure what to expect for a bloated kind of game but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. This is a great example of a team listening to the audience and implementing changes in a succinct fashion.

A PC review code for Beyond Contact was provided by Deep Silver for this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Beyond Contact

19.99

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Well-Polished
• Diverse Character Gameplay
• Easy To Learn, Hard To Master

Cons

• Gets Tedious Quick
• Inventory Management Is Painful
• Poor Graphics