Polish developers CreepyJar stormed onto the scene back in 2018 with their Early Access game ‘Green Hell’, a game that was positively received by critics and has since then also seen a VR version release as well as being released on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Through Green Hell CreepyJar proved that they have a solid understanding of what it takes to create a fully functional and engaging survival game, so it is no surprise that they are sticking to their survival roots with the release of their new game StarRupture. Thanks to CreepyJar we managed to get our hands on an early access copy of the game and take it through its paces.

StarRupture moves on from the jungle environment from Green Hell and instead moves into space and a futuristic universe where corporations where the Claywood Corporation uses prisoners as pioneers and explorers in an attempt to find a new home for humanity whilst they pay off their debt to society at the same time. You are sent down to the surface of a planet named Arcadia-7 in the Ruptura system and tasked with exploration, resource gathering and base building and uncover the mysteries of the planet to see if it is suitable for inhabitation.

There is currently no character creation in StarRupture and when you first launch into the game you will be asked to pick from four different characters, biologist, scientist, engineer, and soldier. There doesn’t seem to currently be any difference in abilities or skills between the characters, hopefully this is something that is implemented in the future. You are then dropped down onto the planet and introduced to a short tutorial (this can be skipped if you wish) that will introduce you to the basics of the game mechanics such as resource gathering and building, basic stuff that you have seen hundreds of times before if you are a fan of survival games. I do feel that the tutorial could do with being expanded in the future especially when it comes to explaining how building rails to connect different types of buildings together work, but the rail system does become second nature after a bit of trial and error, especially if you have played games like Factorio before.

There is nothing super innovative about the gameplay loop in Star Rupture, but the mechanics are well designed and engaging. You set up a base, set up mines to extract materials and refineries to assemble components, and then choose which corporations you want to send off your finished products to. Completing assignments for corporations will increase your standing with them which will then unlock new gadgets, weapons and facilities to help you survive longer on your quest to explore the planet. Being efficient with resource gathering, refining and manufacturing is one of the key components of being successful in StarRupture and is where on of the most engaging components of its gameplay kicks in through the drone and rail system. The way you connect your various structures via the rail system dictates how quick you can complete orders for corporations so it quickly becomes addictive to try and design your operations to be as efficient as possible, it is also highly satisfying to sit back and watch what you have created come to life and start producing resources.

Exploration is also a key component to the gameplay in StarRupture, through exploration you will find mysterious alien artifacts, remains of previous expeditions and also blueprints for new technology that you can create back at your base. You will also pick up snippets of lore from exploring abandoned facilities scattered about the map told through the voice logs of previous explorers. Traversing the surface of Arcadia-7 doesn’t come without danger though, some of them environmental, some of them in the form of alien lifeforms, mostly swarms of different spider-like creatures who will stop at nothing to turn you into a lifeless husk. Whilst the gunplay feels pretty good when shooting your way through the waves of creatures that swarm you the AI itself is pretty basic and tends to just try and move in a direct line towards you rather than try to manoeuvre around intelligently and flank you, unfortunately this means that even though it is initially enjoyable comeback can become tedious after a few hours due to the lack of challenge involved in most encounters. The most challenging mechanic in the game comes from the firestorms that engulf the planet in place of a day/night cycle, a warning of an impending storm can send you on a mad scurry back to the safety of your base in order to avoid becoming a smouldering stain on the landscape.

Graphically the game shines, the various environments on Arcadia-7 are well designed and vibrant and are practically begging to be explored, the game is also incredibly well optimised and runs extremely well in both single player and co-op. The voice lines that trigger occasionally to flesh out the games story are also very well done, however the environmental sounds could use a bit of work, especially when it comes to general ambience.

I had fun with my time in StarRupture, especially when playing with friends, the game is polished and offers plenty of hours of gameplay in its current form and has a developer roadmap that promises plenty of more content planned for the future. The game has a solid foundation, satisfying game mechanics and an engaging building system when it comes to how you can optimise your production through how efficiently you connect structures in your base. Given CreepyJars well-deserved reputation gained through the constant updates their previous game Green Hell received, I have no qualms recommending StarRupture as a must purchase, especially at its current price. If you are into survival games and designing efficient resource management and production systems you will definitely spend several hours enjoying yourself on Arcadia-7, I can’t wait to see what future updates bring to the game.

The game is currently available in early access, you can pick up the game for yourself here and join in on the fun. Our access was made possible with a code supplied by Creepy Jar.