Like many trends in gaming, the Survival Genre boom has risen, peaked and eased off: The genre was particularly strong in the PC indie game scene, and remains arguably so to this day. I’m no stranger to the Survival game bug – I spent a lot of my teens on gems like Garry’s Mod Survival mode, PvP focused faire like DayZ and Rust, and spent hundreds of hours collecting dinosaurs on Ark: Survival Evolved. I found after a while that the mechanics of each survival game became too derivative and one-note, with the last survival game that really impressed me being Valheim (2021) with its Norse mythology inspired world. After around a year of Early Access on Steam, I’m happy to report that there’s finally another cool kid on the block: The multi-platform 1.0 release of Abiotic Factor (2025) from developer Deep Field Games.

The players taker on the role of scientists on their first day at the GATE Research Facility, a Black Mesa-inspired underground facility that has suffered numerous scientific and paranormal containment breaches. It’s your job to survive interdimensional beings, military intervention and the downright bizarre while you figure out what has happened to the facility and how you can escape.

The game wears its inspirations boldly on its sleeve – It game looks and sounds like an homage to Half-Life, with the story/ lore being a nice blend of Valve’s famous game series and the more recent phenomenon of the fictional SCP Foundation. While the style of the game does some heavily lifting, Deep Field Games have put plenty of love and care into the nitty gritty of surviving in the GATE research facility.

For me, there are two intertwined things that bring this head and shoulders above other survival games.

The first thing is the narrative. For those unfamiliar with the genre, multiplayer Survival games tend to focus on the sandbox elements and forgo narratives altogether, sometimes concocting a loose reason why you have to be somewhere punching trees and killing things. Abiotic Factor mixes things up with a brilliantly implemented narrative that you follow, while also giving you plenty of optional extra lore via email terminals, whiteboards and NPCs. The genius of this lies not just in its inclusion, but the small touches – for those of us with friends who like to run off and explore new areas while we’re back at base, all NPC interactions play over an in-game radio so nobody misses out. Incidentally, if playing with friends I’d highly recommend using the in-game proximity chat over external programs like Discord – it adds plenty to the atmosphere.

The second standout element of the game for me is the world design. Not only have Deep Field Games done a great job of making each area of the facility distinct, but they have created a static map which is engaging to explore. Many Survival games tend to utilise randomly generated maps as a way of adding replayability, but the GATE Facility is a well-designed place and it feels rewarding to learn your way around. The map is bolstered by expeditions into a variety of “Perforations”, portals into different times, places and worlds which are full of new challenges and resources.

The variety of content in the game is truly impressive – without spoiling anything, the game does a good job of balancing the silliness of scientist survival with occasional dips into a more horror-like slant that can really have you bricking it. The developers have also done a good job integrating permanent seasonal-themed and crossover content into the game’s narrative and world.

When engaging with the smaller gameplay elements, you can tell that Deep Field Games have tried their best to remove the stereotypical grind from the genre and spruce things up a bit. Upon starting the game, you pick from a variety of jobs which determine your Traits, skills & specialties as well as bonuses to XP gain in those skills. You also pick from a list of point-based Traits, with the option to take on negative traits to add more points to your pool. For example, I took a negative Trait giving me slower healing to enable me to afford a Trait that lets me drink safely from any water source.

In true scrappy scientist fashion, your first weapons and armour are cobbled together out of desk legs, kitchen knives, pens and magazines. The first part of the game sees you really grapple with the day/ night cycle of the facility, as GATE’s power almost entirely shuts down at night: Until your boffin brain figures out how to make batteries, it means no crafting and no easy way to see what’s stalking the facility at night.

Things like sleeping and using the toilet have their own quirky mini-games, farming and cooking are simple but enjoyable to engage with. The optional crafting mini-game, which has you use your powers of scientific deduction to figure out what materials are needed for a new recipe, is always fun – even if I’m pretty bad at it. Your time spent in the facility accrues experience in a variety of skills with interesting unlocks – the only negative I could level at the game right now is that some of these progress at a natural pace during gameplay, while others feel tedious and might represent the only bit of grind in the game.

I think there’s grounds for a slightly more spoiler-filled follow-up feature so I can gush about the game more. However, my final verdict is this: If you have any passing interest based on what I’ve said above, what you’ve seen online or any general love for the Survival game genre, you should play this game. With Abiotic Factor, Deep Field Games have created a unique and innovative entry into the multiplayer survival game space which has plenty to enjoy. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for the future of the game and for Deep Field Games as a team. I’d also note that while the game is really fun with friends, I’ve had my share of fun playing solo too – it gives the game’s atmosphere more chance to soak in when nobody’s screaming over the radio.

And there we have it – a review far too long in the making, but the 1.0 release of the game forced me to stop being precious about it and just do some writing. In other writing news, I’ve popped on to Letterboxd finally: Only one review is currently on there, no surprises which film it’s for, but there will be more to come while I’m on summer break from work. For those of you wanting to have a natter or maybe support me with a few bob, my Twitter and Ko-Fi are linked here too.

Until next time, dear readers, take care!