Slimes keep sliding
While it was walking the stale ground in the mining/crafting-adventure space, Core holder is a great way to spend time. Okay, to be honest, a lot of time.
I’ve seen it climb the Steam charts recently, with the latest number at the top 500 thousand copies sold. That caught my eye. But more than raw popularity, I’m intrigued by the idea of a game that has a little Terraria, Stardew Valleyand Valheim in its DNA. Those are the three beloved giants, and Core holder certainly not at that level, but the right kind of comparison, despite the Early Access warning to compete. It’s not finished – but it’s really polished.
Core holder (computer)
Developer: Pugstorm
Publisher: Ignition Game
Release: March 8, 2022 (Early Access on Steam)
MSRP: $12.99
Even though we’ve seen these ideas before in other games, this is the kind of sandbox that I can enjoy while losing myself. Sure you’ll have a goal – maybe you want to find some ore to make a certain helmet with a certain perk in before facing the boss – but it can be as easy as picking one direction, any direction and start digging.
It’s pitch black, so you’ll need to stick some torches down, watch for glittering trails open, and consult your evolving map from time to time.
From the very beginning, I fell in love with this simplicity, even as a solo player. It is ideal for dual-monitor PC setups with YouTube or Netflix playing on the side. Towards the end – and admittedly, in Early Access, there’s really no “end” – I started to feel exploited. My character’s levels were too few and too far, the enemies and biomes were all too familiar, and the trips back to the edge of the world took too long even with a excavator.
But you know, I enjoyed those first 12 hours. I don’t regret playing Core holder obsess.
Like other unfinished or content-tense adventures, the early to mid-game parts are the highlight. It’s best when you don’t quite know what you can find in remote caves and the XP-based progression system still has that satisfying pace to keep you glued.
Core holder rewards exp whenever you perform a related action (which I love), so running around will eventually speed up your movement and slash slimes and crawlers Scary material will help strengthen your melee strength. There are skill trees for investing points, and that also applies to categories like blacksmithing, crafting, gardening, and fishing.
You’ll start by creating a character with one of the class’s specialties, though things get more and more intense as you play, so the choices aren’t as heavy as they initially seem. For example, I am a Gardener who gave me a field hoe and a watering can right behind the bat’s wing. If I had known better, I would probably have preferred a wearable light source to complement my handheld torch, but how is it. All were successful.
A short intro that vaguely (but gripping) introduces your ancient underground surroundings, and it’s immediately clear that you’ll need to grow some crops to combat your appetite , build a base to craft battle-ready gear, and find three boss creatures. The world has a semi-random layout, which is beneficial for Core holdertunnel carving. Somehow, punching holes in the wall is my favorite part. Although I should be through this game loop so far, it’s strangely satisfying here. And it’s relaxing.
For me, it all works just as well because of the nice audio-visual feedback with each spin and mood lighting. Again, Core holder really dark when it wants to, that’s most of the time. But you’ll also come across gaps – like a flower-bright river, or a giant tunnel that conveniently cuts into a perfect circle around the game’s starting area – and atmosphere filled with light will be much more difficult.
Walking my way from one spot to another was fun, even if the actual controls (I mostly play on gamepads) are too simple. If you’re the type of player that enjoys simplicity, this could be your craft. It doesn’t get too bogged down with resources or recipes, and the growing/feed situation is easy to handle. You also don’t have to worry about long in-game days or schedules. And there are no NPCs for you to wonder about (just a few merchants). The main attraction is exploration – that’s the strongest aspect by far.
The melee (and ranged) combat system is fast and hard to hit, and it gets the job done; I really don’t have any complaints. That’s more fun than taking down bats and mummies in Stardew Valley, sure. And the bosses, which you’ll need to physically find (or locate with a scanner), are a fitting challenge. If you die – and you probably will, unless you play extremely cautiously and are boosted with cooked meals – then running back to get your items off the target only problem. However, depending on the circumstances, these trips can be long and arduous. So it pays to prepare.
The main problem currently in the Early Access build, and this goes for combat, base building, farming and some other aspects, is that there isn’t enough variety to maintain a complete sensory experience. correction. It’s a great value at $13, but don’t let it go too far. Just because you can automate magenta ore mining with drills, conveyors, and robotic arms, that doesn’t mean you absolutely need to do it. It can feel like progress for the sake of progress.
Most of what’s included feels pretty good – we just need Pugstorm to iterate a bit, balance here and there, and mostly focus on growing the world more. I finished clearing the three main bosses and then spent a lot of track down time Wednesday. If you’re in that position, honestly, don’t push yourself too far. It started to become a slogan. There is a boss summoning mechanism (for sharpening), but the end game isn’t here yet.
While I was exclusively playing Core holder alone, one of its biggest selling points is co-op. There can be up to eight players in online multiplayer, which I will probably save for a later date. I don’t necessarily think it’s time to do it all Core holder not yet. But if you have a base building team ready to divide and conquer, give it a go. Just know that the fun runs out, and it’s best not to try to use up pieces of content before 1.0.
I’m not sure Core holder may match the quality and scope of best-in-class inspiration, but it’s already worth considering in Early Access, and if the rest falls into place before a full launch, it will be respectfully remembered. I am in a hurry.
[This scoreless review is based on an Early Access build of the game provided by the publisher.]
Jordan Devore
Jordan is a founding member of Destructoid and the one who posts seemingly random pictures. They are anything but random.
