I fucking hate bees. Never had a problem with them before. In fact, I always felt sorry for them after my dad told me how they die after they sting you on a trip to a local reservoir when I was about 8-years old. The hows and whys of why I remember where I was when I heard that information are irrelevant, but just know I never had a problem with them until I played Icarus Console Edition. Survival games are my nemesis, and when death keeps finding me at the hands (or legs) of a bunch of bees, it’s time to give up.
The problem is, I couldn’t give up or else this review would never be written. Thank me later, but just know, I hate fucking bees. Icarus Console Edition is from the team behind DayZ. You find yourself dropped onto a world known as Icarus to understand its biomes, collect resources, and uncover its mysteries. It’s a punishing experience for those not familiar with the genre. Even then, it’s still challenging for the most hardcore fans. So why did I keep playing – keep pushing – into the depths of this dangerous world?
When you first land, it feels like any survival game. Collect the most basic of resources like wood and stone, craft tools, gain XP to unlock more items to craft, and survive. Within 5 minutes of my first run, I was attacked at my drop pod by some freakishly violent half-bull/half-goat creature that killed me almost instantly. I spawned in some random location and went back for my stuff, only to die in exactly the same way. Eventually, I outsmarted the thing and picked up my resources and gear, only to face more of the threats this place had in store for me.
While their are many different creatures that can kill you, the storms can be deadly. Managing hunger and thirst, as well as your body temperature, forces you to do whatever you can to survive. At night, it is so dark, that even a torch doesn’t really help you that much. There are myriad threats for you to overcome (such as those damn bees!). It often feels like a lost cause, until you slowly but surely begin to see your hard work pay off. This is where Icarus Console Edition gets you. It feeds you hope in the darkest of moments.
As you start to become familiar with what you need to do, things begin to click into place. Everything you do feeds you XP. This in turn allows you to research new items, such as respawn points, housing, sturdier equipment, and so much more. You’re no longer hopeless. Every second of your time on Icarus is unpredictable, but these self-made objectives give you a reason to progress and pursue the next step in your journey. I won’t lie and say it becomes a lot easier, as the threats become grander, but progress does start to come more naturally.
Icarus Console Edition doesn’t just leave you without a purpose. There are missions to complete across the original map and the New Frontiers DLC that’s available from the moment you start. I naturally began to complete these after becoming familiar with what I needed to do, but they are timed. Thinking about what you need to do for these corporations while being chased by angry bears was a constant source of frustration, but they are necessary for progression and providing purpose to your time on Icarus.
Each mission felt like a full-on adventure, too. From detailed planning of what items you’ll need to survive, be it food or weapons, to trekking across the wilderness as carefully as possible, the real story of Icarus Console Edition comes from the moments you create for yourself. As annoyed as I was at times, it didn’t stop me from wanting to keep going. There are going to be players that sink hundreds of hours into this, and while I am not one of them, I believe it can keep players engaged, especially if playing with friends.
On PS5, the level of detail in the biomes is stunning. It’s easy to forget how often you court death because of the level of detail in everything. While there’s a level of jankiness to your surroundings, loading screens, and some of the animations, it’s still a gorgeous game. It might not be polished to perfection, but it never hampers the quality of its systems. Icarus begs to be explored, and I was constantly excited to see what each new area looked like. I just conditioned myself to go into every place as prepared as I could possibly be.
While many players might fall off due to the punishing nature of the survival elements, Icarus Console Edition has plenty of feathers in its cap. Sure, you’ll die a lot and lose progression. Storms will kill you, and you’ll be poisoned by fruit. Creatures will kill you like those damn bees (sorry, last time), but you learn. You persevere and survive. Despite its steep learning curve and incremental progression system, players will be rewarded for sticking with it and exploring a world that wants you dead. Defy nature and show it who’s boss.