Empyrion Galactic Survival

Empyrion: Galactic Survival is a sandbox survival game set in the distant future. Players take on the role of star travelers building new stations and spaceships in which they explore the surface of unknown planets. London-based Eleon Game Studios, founded by experienced space sim enthusiasts who wanted to create a production that they themselves have always wanted to play, is responsible for the creation of the game.

The title debuted in 2015 in the Early Access program on Steam. The game was developed for five years and gradually enriched with new features and fixes. Its official release took place in August 2020, but even then for the creators it was just the beginning of the next stage of work on the title.

Storyline

The plot of Empyrion: Galactic Survival takes place in the early 24th century. Earth is struggling with the problem of overpopulation, irreversible climate change and depleting resources. Politically unstable planet is additionally ravaged by armed conflicts. At the same time, the wreckage of an alien spaceship, powered by an unknown form of energy and containing a map of a mysterious galaxy 2.5 million light years from Earth, is found in Antarctica. The finding allows to prepare a powerful, stellar expedition, in which the player takes command of one of the ships. Unfortunately, during the mission he loses control over the ship and it crashes on an unknown planet, where as the only survivor he will be forced to fight for survival.

Mechanics

Empyrion: Galactic Survival combines features of an action game, adventure, strategy and space simulator. The key aspect of the gameplay, however, remains the survival aspect. During the game we travel freely between different kinds of planets. Various dangers await us there in the form of unfavorable climate conditions and aggressive flora and fauna. So we have to be prepared for different eventualities, taking care of the supply of oxygen and food and drink. We can gain this by hunting or breeding animals. Depending on the planetary conditions we can also bet on the cultivation of plants, which some species will also allow us to prepare the necessary medicines to survive.

The procedurally generated game world consists of a huge number of planets and asteroids, so after getting to know the ins and outs of the game and getting off the first planet, we also have to explore - both the vast space and the surface of celestial bodies. Therefore, an extremely important aspect of the gameplay is building.

In the game we can create from scratch various structures: from different types of spaceships to complex starbases. There is also a crafting system, through which we can build various useful tools and unique weapons. We create new structures and items using resources found on planets and in space, such as various minerals. We can explore particular planets both on board and on foot.

Game modes

Empyrion: Galactic Survival offers the possibility to play alone, in survival and creative mode, where we have an unlimited supply of resources and we can freely create new structures without worrying about any external dangers. The game takes place on large multiplayer servers, divided into PvP and PvE zones. Players can cooperate or fight with each other at will, as well as gather in groups and set the direction of the virtual world's economy.

Technical Issues

Empyrion: Galactic Survival runs on the popular Unity 3D engine and in terms of audiovisual design stands at best at an average level. The title uses the Steam Workshop, allowing us to download other players' builds and share mods.