The Crust is a captivating base-building and exploration game set on the lunar surface, offering players a unique and immersive experience. Developed by VEOM Studio and published by Crytivo, The Crust invites players to embark on a journey of lunar colonisation, resource management, and scientific discovery. What secrets does the moon hold? What awaits those who dare to venture beyond Earth’s orbit? The Crust invites you to discover the answers to these questions and more.
Moonstruck
The Crust presents players with a comprehensive and engaging gameplay loop. You assume the role of Director, with several people reporting to you on a daily basis. It is up to you to make the big, important decisions that could either solidify the future of the colony or seal its fate. The primary objective is establishing and expanding a lunar colony and managing various aspects of its operations, including resource extraction, infrastructure development, and research.
The game’s narrative is interwoven into the gameplay, providing a compelling backdrop to the player’s activities. As players progress, they will uncover the secrets of the moon and make decisions that will shape the future of their colony.
The Gears of the Colony
There are several jobs that need to be done to create a lunar colony and, with most base-building games, resource mining is key to getting those processes up and running. Allocating drones specific jobs and even modifying them to enable them to do different things always feels fun. Regular drones can be turned into excavation drones, for example, who dig up resources which are to be carried away to stores by the aforementioned regular drones.
In addition to that, you have to construct solar panels and batteries to harvest and store energy respectively, and you have to ensure that they are also wired up correctly to enable them. If any wiring is done incorrectly, the entire network simply won’t work and it is up to you to determine where the fault lies.
The Crust boasts a robust set of mechanics catering to casual and hardcore players alike. The core gameplay revolves around resource management, construction, and automation. Players must carefully balance their resource allocation to ensure the colony’s survival and growth.
There is also a complex research system that is spread across three specialisms and which allows players to unlock new technologies and advancements.
There are two games modes plus a separate tutorial mode, which allows you to continue with it once complete. Aside from Normal, the other mode that The Crust offers is a sandbox mode for those who prefer a more open-ended experience and which removes any limits found in Normal mode.
Crater Company
While The Crust does not currently offer multiplayer functionality, the developers have implied that they may explore this possibility in the future. The game’s mechanics and setting lend themselves well to cooperative or competitive multiplayer modes, and the addition of multiplayer could significantly enhance the overall experience further.
Moonlit Marvels
The Crust‘s visuals are impressive, capturing the desolate beauty of the lunar landscape. The art style is both realistic and stylised, creating a visually appealing atmosphere. Every visual element within The Crust can be zoomed in on, up to an incredibly close degree, revealing an even more incredibly detailed element than first thought. Every element has been meticulously crafted with exquisite detail, a welcome departure from the often-overlooked attention to detail in similar games.
The sound design is equally impressive, with a soundtrack that complements the game’s mood and setting. Once construction begins on the colony, the sounds of machinery whirring, drilling and banging sound out nicely in the background as you overlook every area.
The cast who voice the characters in The Crust do a great job, with each character sounding believable when compared to their static avatars. Overall, the sound effects across the entire game are well-crafted and contribute positively to the overall immersion.
Lunar Legacy
The Crust offers a high degree of replay value. The game’s procedural generation of resource deposits and points of interest ensures that each playthrough is unique, and the various difficulty settings cater to players of all skill levels. Additionally, the game’s narrative and branching paths provide opportunities for multiple playthroughs with different outcomes.
Conclusion
The Crust is a well-crafted base-building and exploration game that offers a compelling and immersive experience. With its engaging gameplay, rich narrative, and impressive visuals and sound, The Crust is a must-play for fans of the genre. While the game is still in early access, the developers have demonstrated a commitment to ongoing updates and improvements. As The Crust continues to evolve, it has the potential to become a definitive title in the base-building genre.
There are some aspects which aren’t explained very clearly, and perhaps having the option to enable prompts when stuck could make things flow more smoothly. However, this isn’t a major issue as the game is generally well-rounded.
Overall, The Crust is a highly recommended game that offers a satisfying and rewarding experience. Its blend of base-building, exploration, and narrative elements make it a standout title in the genre.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Engaging gameplay loop.
- Rich narrative.
- Impressive visuals and sound.
- High replay value.
- Active development team.
Cons
- Can seem complex at times.
- Some early access bugs and limitations.
- Lack of multiplayer functionality (currently).
