Once Human is a new survival game for PC and mobile. On Steam it has high player numbers, but some don’t trust the peace.
Which game is it about? The crazy survival game Once Human launched on July 9, 2024, and immediately recorded high player numbers, but rather mediocre ratings on Steam.
The title combines multiplayer action in an open world with the ability to build creative bases and populate them with crazy creatures. The principle is so much fun for some players that they become suspicious.
Too good to be true?
What do the players say? In a post in the subreddit of the game, a player with the username “Big_Salt371” asked on July 14: “What’s the catch?” He wants to know at what point the game becomes “unbearable” if he doesn’t spend money.
The player says he just can’t understand how he can have so much fun without spending money. CoD Warzone is also free but has no PvE element and better weapons are hidden behind a paywall. It makes no sense to Big_Salt371.
This is how the community reacts: Some fans have been around for a while and report not having encountered Pay2Win elements so far.
Dapper-Shame2840 writes: “No P2W in sight, so feel free to spend nothing. I bought the Battle Pass for $10 to support the developers because I’m having a blast and love this game.” (via Reddit)
Decaptare responds to the player’s question of when it becomes unplayable without real money: “It won’t, [I] played it thoroughly in beta. Everything I’ve seen so far behind a paywall has been purely cosmetic.” (via Reddit)
Nomigo99 also reports a similar experience: “I have been participating since the beta tests and haven’t lost interest. I am now a paying player, but even then my gaming experience is not ahead of that of a F2P player […]” (via Reddit)
For the original questioner, it seems “too good to be true.” The genre of live-service games has disappointed him in this regard (via Reddit).
Players brace for a nasty surprise
What could the catch be? In fact, not all players are so optimistic. deadering expresses concerns about seasonal wipes and suspects that they want to get players “hooked” in the current phase to then introduce “the worse stuff” later in the season (via Reddit).
There are already theories about what the “worse stuff” could be:
- Among the wipes, “time-saving” packages with XP and loot could be sold (via Reddit)
- A user suspects that the game’s gacha mechanics could lead to more aggressive monetization in the future (via Reddit)
- Others suspect that the monetization could revolve around controllers: This item is needed to get better loot from bosses, otherwise you only get basic loot
Some fans of Once Human refer to a quote from the developers, stating that they must remove all obstacles before Pay2Win can enter their game. Whether they can keep this promise to the players will probably be known by the next wipe.
Another possible “catch” of Once Human is evident in the game’s privacy policy. Because the privacy policy of NetEase raises concerns among some players. Players fear the game could be a data octopus. A cyber expert on Twitch, however, gives the all-clear
