Once Human Review

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Once Human provides you with not only a great MMO experience, but it also dives into the bottomless depths of the survival genre within an apocalyptic world where your closest companions are either questionable Mayfly rebels or unique Deviations that don’t offer much conversation. After you wake up with seemingly no memories, you learn that you’re a meta human from an odd-looking bird who calls themselves V, and a sweet girl named Mitsuko who needs you to help save them, and the world. Once Human had loads of potential to be one of the best MMOs I’ve gotten my hands on, but regardless of all its potential, it’s still lacking in some areas.

You assume the role of a meta human, a person who has the ability to control Deviations and harness their abilities, and you’re one of the last of your kind. Paired with the shadow-like bird, V, your goal is to reduce the Stardust Pollution that’s been plaguing the various towns, creating Deviants, and making Earth as you know it, nearly inhabitable. Throughout Once Human, you’ll witness fun mini-games, exciting and involved combat, and all the building and crafting elements you could ever hope for. However, after the time I’ve put in, I’ve noticed a few things that could really use some work.

Story: Taking Down Rosetta

Throughout my many hours in Once Human, I’ve come to appreciate the depth and mystery involved in the game’s story. You’ll wake up in a facility where you were being held in stasis where you’ll meet V and Mitsuko, only to learn that there’s a whole lot more fighting you’ll need to do. Your main goal is to save civilization, but it’s not only the Stardust pollution that’s in your way. Once Human introduces one of the most intriguing antagonist groups I’ve seen in a game to date, Rosetta.

Rosetta gives a strong SCP vibe, having been the cause of the Stardust pollution on Earth, and thus, the mutation of what we now know as Deviants. They brought the world to its knees, and now it’s our job to do the same to them while helping civilization get back on its feet. Once Human’s story is intriguing, easy to get lost in, and purely exciting to watch play out, whether it be in post-boss fight cutscenes, interactions with the mayflies, or even taking down the Vultures and Rosetta members one by one.

However, the biggest and most exciting bits of the story are your regular interactions with the Mayflies in the form of side quests. In my experience, games don’t often add much to the main story through the various side quests that you can take on in your off time from the main story quests, but Once Human definitely doesn’t disappoint in that aspect. The lore, overall, is complex, yet simple enough to follow along with, and just a bit too easy to get lost in.

Gameplay: Craft Literally Everything

I find that when it comes to the gameplay within Once Human, you spend an awful lot of time crafting. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good crafting system, but in a way, it takes over the game. Typically, you’d be able to hop into any survival-type game, MMO or otherwise, and get your hands on some leveling mechanics that allow you to altar your attributes and unlock more crafting materials and recipes as you go. However, in the case of Once Human, leveling equates to crafting more. I mean, who cares about attributes anyway? Luckily, through your crafting, you’ll find ways to boost your capabilities through stronger tools, weapons, and gear. So, while the lack of actual attribute points to spend could have been a decent-sized hit to the game, it’s well balanced and it somehow ends up working out.

Base-building, however, is a whole new issue that comes with some faults of its own. Once Human allows you to build your very own base where you can craft and mold it into whatever your heart desires, but it’s a bit tricky. The game itself is an online one, and thus, there are some rather big overpopulation issues in most servers. While that’s typically okay, it’s a big problem when it comes to putting down a territory to build a base, or even relocating your territory when you get to a more difficult region of the map so you have a closer respawn point.

Finding space to lay down your territory, especially if you have an upgraded territory size, is downright impossible. Well, maybe not impossible per se, but the last time I tried my hand at relocating, it took me over an hour to find a spot where I could set down my territory without it clipping into someone else’s. The system for it could have been much better, and I’m honestly a bit disappointed by this element of the game.

Now, let’s get to the fun part of Once Human: Deviations. Deviations are the NetEase equivalent of Pals or Pokémon. They’re unique, beautiful, and sometimes even funny. Deviations can be synced to your Cradle, a portion of your backpack that allows them to come with you on your journeys, and in some cases, they can be used for combat. In other cases, it’s best to leave them at the base to take on the usual cooking, cleaning, and mining duties. There seems to be a Deviation for ever task, and as long as you can get your hands on enough Securement Units, you can use them all. Deviations are incredibly useful, and they provide an exciting goal when it comes to taking on Silos, bosses, and even just completing everyday activities in-game. There’s nothing quite like finishing up a boss fight and successfully securing that 2.3% chance Deviation chilling in a bubble next to the Loot Chest.

Combat is a whole different story, though. Honestly, if you have some decent aim and the means to craft some of the better weapons available, you’ll be able to take down enemies that are 10+ levels above you. While most of the game seems relatively simple, I was hoping with everything that I had that the combat mechanics within Once Human would add some difficulty to the game, but I was wrong. Similar to most games, all of the enemies have weak spots. If you’re good enough with your aim and you can hit those spots, preferably with a bow, Sniper Rifle, or other powerful weapon, you can take down enemies without much effort at all. Nine times out of 10, if you can hit a headshot, you’ll be able to plow through just about any enemy that stands in your way, which makes the combat aspect of Once Human much less rewarding.

Graphics & Audio: Neon Apocalypse

Boss Cutscene Graphics — Image Source: Starry Studio via The Nerd Stash

As far as graphics go, Once Human is beautiful. There’s really nothing to complain about here. For a free-to-play game, it’s stunning, and far beyond what I was expecting to see when I logged on for the first time. The character creation bypasses that of even some of the best-looking AAA games, while allowing for loads of customization so you can tailor your character to look exactly how you want. However, that’s not where it ends; it’s really only the beginning.

Personally, when I jump into a pre-fight cutscene, I’ve gotten used to the disappointment that comes with seeing a gorgeously portrayed enemy, then going up to fight against something that looks like the generic version of it. Once Human surprised the actual heck out of me when I hopped into that first monolith fight and I realized that the enemy was actually just as stunning as the cutscene beforehand portrayed. The enemies’ looks are detailed, and fit the atmosphere of the rest of the gameplay; grungy, dark, and with bright neon highlights to mark their weak spots. Whether it’s your average Deviant scrounging through their latest victim’s insides, or a world boss, the graphics are absolutely on point.

Speaking of atmosphere, I can’t get enough of the neon-toned, bright, cheery Earth that comes after the Stardust pollution. It’s breathtaking, honestly. The world itself gives off happy vibes, like the kind you would expect to see in just about any type of game other than Once Human. However, while the atmosphere doesn’t particularly match the vibes, it works quite well, providing a visually pleasing platform to brutally murder Deviants. Because, well, balance.

Once Human Dialogue Interaction — Image Source: Starry Studio via The Nerd Stash

When it comes to the audio in Once Human, I was rather impressed most of the time. The enemies make the most terrifying noises, and don’t even get me started on how great the in-game radio is. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve been chugging along, trying to get up a hill on my motorcycle, and I have to stop for a moment to really appreciate the playlist they included in the rock station. I won’t comment on how silly I probably looked, vibing to the tunes with my headset on, sitting at my desk, but that’s entirely beside the point. The music is fantastic.

However, the rest of the audio isn’t perfect. One thing that really struck me as odd was how hit-or-miss the dialogue is. When it comes to your average story quests, most of the NPCs have a decent amount of well-recorded voice lines to throw at you, but that’s about where the “good” dialogue ends. Any time you respond to an NPC, with the exception of one instance that I’ve noticed, you’ll be able to see yourself speaking, mouth moving and everything, but you won’t be able to hear anything. Though, this doesn’t end at your character’s voice lines. When it comes to the side quest NPC interactions, you never know whether you’ll be able to hear the character’s audio lines. Sometimes the interaction will start out strong and halfway through the conversation, you’ll just lose audio before it picks back up 45 seconds later. You really never know.

Conclusion: Surpassing Expectations

Once Human isn’t perfect. The dialogue, finicky base-building, and super simple combat give the wrong idea about the game as a whole. However, after experiencing the other side of the game with all its intriguing storytelling, crafting, beautiful scenery, and the absolute bangers on the radio, I can genuinely say that the good far outweighs the bad here. I greatly enjoyed my time playing Once Human, and while it has some rougher elements, they aren’t nearly as massive as they could be.