I've been scrolling through reviews of this game, and the general consensus in my opinion has been mostly positive, but some negative and repeated reviews. So I wanted to throw my hat into the ring with my view of this game and the direction it has taken. For context, I had played with a friend during the trial weekends that were held before the official launch.

This game is incredible, but is meant for a niche audience within the survival games genre group. Most survival games tend to be about construction of homes and the improvement of equipment to get rare materials. Most games, ICARUS included, follow this concept. However, some games put a spin on things (which are both good and bad features). I feel that some reviewers have missed the spin that ICARUS delivers, which is a hardtype take on the genre.

For gameplay itself, ICARUS focuses on character importance and effects rather than how effective one's gear is. Players do not have the ability to unlock all the crafting recipes, and the player's character can either spec their talent points into being a jack-of-all-trades or a specialized character for one to two specific purposes, and there is little wiggle room. This emphasizes the benefit of having multiple people to play with, as your friends can fill in the gaps that you may not have access to. For example, I focused on farming and husbandry, while my friend was more focused on hunting and weapon perks. I enjoy this aspect purely because this enforces the notion that playing with friends makes it easier to work on specific jobs instead of trying to perform multiple tasks at once.

ICARUS is also a game that encourages the player to focus on their character's status, as buffs and debuffs could radically change how the player operates while exploring the wilderness. They affect more than just health-related boosts. Aspects such as stamina consumption and capacity, food/water/oxygen drainage, and even experience can be affected by both buffs and debuffs. I am a huge supporter of this idea, as it enforces the concept that you can't permanently buff yourself to minimize the danger you face.

Now that I have written down my thoughts on the gameplay, I would like to address some complaints I have seen in the reviews:

-There are complaints about the weather system being a general tumor on the community, but I disagree. Why should my crappy Thatch shack be able to withstand a storm with high-speed winds? It's made of sticks, fiber, and wood, which aren't the most durable of materials. I frankly enjoy the storm system, as it provides me with a purpose beyond plopping down some walls and roofing on some foundations and calling it a home.

-To those that say the game is poorly optimized, I do not disagree with your statements. I would prefer to view the hardware and game setting specs on reviews that are based purely on the graphics more, because I have a mid-tier laptop by today's standards and I'm running the game fine for the most part. The only time I have performance issues is when I load into a world. This is probably the only review claim that I do not fully disagree with. To those that have posted their computer specs, I thank you.

-Finally, I've seen some reviews floating around about how predators are a joke. I agree with you that the AI could use some tuning, but you can still get your ass handed to you if you're not aware. For example, I've seen complaints about normal forest bears (which I feel have been nerfed). Bears can be a joke now, but the polar bears in the icy biomes are ruthless and aggressive. Coupled with an ill-prepared prospector that has little to no cold resistance, then you're asking to be mauled to death. Not to mention, that the debuffs that you suffer are no laughing matter.

To summarize my thoughts on paper in a review format, this game is pretty good, especially for the price it's currently at. If you enjoy having a survival game that doesn't really hold your hand, but gives you the basic knowledge of the game functions and leaves you stranded (to a degree), then you may have fun. If you want everything to be explained in painstaking detail with little room for danger to seep in, then you should probably avoid this game.

P.S. If you find anything in my review that you disagree with, shoot me a comment below. I want to hear opinions from other people outside my social circle. As long as it's not to disparage me based on something you may disagree with, I'm eager to hear the thoughts of others.