Summary
There is almost nothing likeOnce Human, largely because it is not like any one thing. Instead,Once Humantries its best to be a little bit of everything thrown into one big pot, as it technically falls under multiple genres and borrows many of the elements that make those genres unique. As a free-to-play, multiplayer, open-world, third-person shooter, post-apocalyptic survival horror game,Once Humanhas clearly been inspired by plenty of other titles, with games likeTom Clancy’s The DivisionandFallout 76being some of the most obvious influences.
Once Humanmay be a melting pot of influences, but it still holds its own as a one-of-a-kind experience that is almost impossible to find anywhere else. Frankly, it could be argued thatOnce Humanderives its uniqueness from having a vast library of inspirations to draw from, as it is very difficult to compare it to a single game. Even so, it’s worth looking at howOnce Humancompares to other games likeThe DivisionandFallout 76which share its most prominent features.
Once Human’s Place Among Other Open-World Shooters
How Once Human Compares to The Division
Even within the first hour ofOnce Human, it’s easy to spot itsTom Clancy’s The Divisioninfluences. WhileThe Divisionisn’t a survival game likeOnce Human, the two games have very similar character animations, gunplay, and loot mechanics. There is a natural emphasis on using cover duringcombat inOnce HumanandThe Division, althoughThe Divisionmay encourage players to use cover more often. The loot mechanics in both games are also nearly identical, apart fromOnce Human’s emphasis on survival lootables over gear alone.
One of the biggest differences betweenThe DivisionandOnce Humanis enemy types. InThe Division, players spend their time in the game fighting other human NPCs, whereasOnce Humanpits players against otherworldly andhorrific mutants called Deviants. This ultimately makesOnce Humanmore of a horror experience, whereasThe Divisionis simply post-apocalyptic. Finally,The Division’s open world is far more urban thanOnce Human’s, asOnce Humanoften sees players in wide open areas that are less cluttered than those encountered inThe Division. Nevertheless, there are plenty of worthwhile areas to explore in both games, many of which have an abundance of loot to find.
How Once Human Compares to Fallout 76
Once Humanmay look and feel more likeThe Divisionat times, but it also shares some similarities with Bethesda’s action RPGFallout 76.Once Humanis a lot likeFallout 76in a multitude of ways, from itsbase building and craftingto its farming and looting. At the same time, while the two games offer much of the same from a gameplay standpoint, each one outdoes the other on certain fronts.
For example,Once Human’s story evolves and progresses with each season through its Seasonal Scenarios, whereasFallout 76’s seasons only add minor side stories to the overarching narrative. This ultimately putsOnce Humanat a longevity advantage, as it is more likely to sustain a consistent player count thanFallout 76thanks to its evolving narrative model. As far as open worlds go, however,Fallout 76has much more variety in its world thanOnce Human, which is ironic consideringFallout 76takes place in the series' iconic Wasteland. Most of the assets inOnce Humanare, unfortunately, constantly reused throughout its world, allowing monotony to set in fairly quickly as players explore.
There are certainly other third-person shooters and survival games thatOnce Humancompares to, but the twoopen-world shootersit is most like are undoubtedlyTom Clancy’s The DivisionandFallout 76. Those inspirations haven’t failedOnce Humaneither, as they have made it the solid experience that it is and one of the more successful indie titles currently on the market.
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’re able to 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.
