Highrisers vs Novus Inceptio
Highrisers
Highrisers is an “escape from the tower”-style survival-slash-resource management game that’s fairly similar to the first Skyhill game, except that instead of traveling to the lobby, your end goal here is to scavenge the resources you need from the lower floors to fix the helicopter on the rooftop so your team of 4 survivors (if none of them died, that is) can escape the tower. It’s basically a quarter of the plot of Zack Synder’s most recent and relatively controversial zombie flick, Army of the Dead, really… and like the film, the game is fun but it has its own caveats.And of course, there are the zombies… ahem… I mean, mutants that will attack your team and any fortifications you’ve put up if they spot you… so there’s that.
For what it’s worth, I really liked resource management-based survival games like Highrisers and I have had a pretty good experience with the game myself, minus all the issues I’ve pointed out. The game definitely has some good stuff going for it, but the dev team really needs to work on the game more to revamp some of the gameplay designs and also to fix the game-breaking bugs reported by their players. Only then I would be comfortable recommending the game. For now though, it’s probably wise to keep it in your wishlist.
Novus Inceptio
Novus Inceptio has all the hallmarks of a great sandbox game in the making, despite still being in early access. Aside from its mysterious sci-fi theme, the game features a variety of fun anomalies (mini-worlds) where you can discover, explore and possibly piece together story snippets about the stuff that had happened in the past. The game also has a more complex and in-depth crafting system, auto-harvesting feature, and a potentially fun underwater exploration/harvesting aspect that will definitely elevate the overall gameplay quality. However, the developers definitely need to make sure the game’s fundamental features, such as its action-based combat system.In addition to being an indie game, Novus Inceptio is also a work-in-progress. However, from what can be seen and experienced, it already has most of the winning features it needs to “make it” in the sandbox genre. It has a very interesting anomaly game concept that allows players to discover and explore multiple mini-worlds. It also offers an in-depth crafting system and farming, though its building and combat aspects are still pretty rudimentary. If you enjoy playing survival/sandbox games, Novus Inceptio is a breathtaking game that you wouldn’t want to miss!