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Astroneer Review
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Posted: 19 months ago, last updated 6 days ago.
Author: @GeekDadGamer, Jo Robertson and Ben Kendall.
Overview
Astroneer is an open-world space adventure where you colonize planets by creating habitable structures, farming and mining resources. There is no specific story, although the challenges of each planet give rise to struggles of achievement to placate the wild landscape.
As well as build a home on a far off planet, you can also sculpt the hills and valleys with the terrain tool. This creates space to build different structures (storage silos, atmospheric condensers, research chambers, component smelters, batteries, generators, turbines, and solar panels) and explore with different craft (rovers, buggies, space shuttles).
The game has a complex hierarchy of building and materials. You develop production sequences that take the raw material you find and turn it into more useful substances. You need considerable patience and time to achieve this.
For example, Ammonium can be converted into hydrazine fuel for an Astroneer's spacecraft, or used in its raw form to create a limited-use thruster. When low on oxygen, the Astroneer recharges by staying near craftable tethers, which can be chained over long distances to prevent suffocation. As of the game's full release, an "oxygenator" is required to provide an extended reach of oxygen when tethering.
As well as build a home on a far off planet, you can also sculpt the hills and valleys with the terrain tool. This creates space to build different structures (storage silos, atmospheric condensers, research chambers, component smelters, batteries, generators, turbines, and solar panels) and explore with different craft (rovers, buggies, space shuttles).
The game has a complex hierarchy of building and materials. You develop production sequences that take the raw material you find and turn it into more useful substances. You need considerable patience and time to achieve this.
For example, Ammonium can be converted into hydrazine fuel for an Astroneer's spacecraft, or used in its raw form to create a limited-use thruster. When low on oxygen, the Astroneer recharges by staying near craftable tethers, which can be chained over long distances to prevent suffocation. As of the game's full release, an "oxygenator" is required to provide an extended reach of oxygen when tethering.
Game Details
Content Rating: PEGI 7
Skill Rating: 10-16 year-olds
Release Date: 16/12/2016, updated in 2019
Platforms: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
Genres: Action, Adventure, Open World, Simulation and Strategy
Accessibility: 23 features
Lists
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Commitment
Costs
Astroneer usually costs £23.74 to £24.99.
Additional in-game purchases are offered for items that enhance the experience.
Astroneer
 | Xbox One | £23.74 | – | Free Xbox Game Pass |
 | PS4 | £24.99 | – | – |
 | PC | – | – | Free Xbox Game Pass |
| Xbox Series X|S | – | – | Free Xbox Game Pass |
Additional in-game purchases are offered for items that enhance the experience.
Age Ratings
Content Rating
Rated PEGI 7+ with mild violence that lacks any apparent harm or injury to human like characters and violence that lacks any apparent harm or injury to fantasy or mythical beings and creatures. The reaction of the astronaut to all forms of impact or aggression from the flora are mild. The character just falls down when hit by, the air runs out or is exposed to the aggressive flora. There is no emphasis on violence or the death of the character. When the character dies, the screen fades to black and the character respawns. While exploring, players may face occasional dangers: suffocating due to lack of oxygen; worm creatures, and plants with toxic gas.This game offers players the opportunity to purchase in-game items in the form of which some parents or carers may want to be aware of. It should be noted that the game can still be played without the need to purchase such items.
Skill Rating
This game is enjoyed by 10-16 year-olds as it's a good match for their ability and maturity.
Accessibility
While there are no difficulty settings, the game is designed to be simple to grasp and the focus is more on exploration and creativity than difficulty.
The game only saves if you are in a shelter or vehicle seat, so if you are deep exploring a cave or far away from your base, it may be some time until you can save. When you are not tethered to your base, your oxygen level slowly decreases, placing a time limit on how long you can explore from your base without a tether or the resources to make one.
Your missions and other important information are displayed as text, which is generally quite small and not adjustable and, while much of it contrasts well with the background, there are some parts that can be quite difficult to read, for example white on light blue.
Because the world is procedurally generated, there is no map, meaning you could have to spend a while looking for things you need before you find them, and you'll also need to remember how to get back to your base, although a tether line will help with this. The world is generally bright and vibrant, although at night it can be dark, but your torch can counteract this. The simple, cartoon art style also helps to make each item easily distinguishable and recognisable.
Our Astroneer Accessibility Report documents 23 accessibility features:
The game only saves if you are in a shelter or vehicle seat, so if you are deep exploring a cave or far away from your base, it may be some time until you can save. When you are not tethered to your base, your oxygen level slowly decreases, placing a time limit on how long you can explore from your base without a tether or the resources to make one.
Your missions and other important information are displayed as text, which is generally quite small and not adjustable and, while much of it contrasts well with the background, there are some parts that can be quite difficult to read, for example white on light blue.
Because the world is procedurally generated, there is no map, meaning you could have to spend a while looking for things you need before you find them, and you'll also need to remember how to get back to your base, although a tether line will help with this. The world is generally bright and vibrant, although at night it can be dark, but your torch can counteract this. The simple, cartoon art style also helps to make each item easily distinguishable and recognisable.
Our Astroneer Accessibility Report documents 23 accessibility features:
Games Like Astroneer
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