Works in the survival genre are now well-established on PC, console, and mobile platforms, and many players enjoy survival games set in various worlds.
At Game*Spark[Craft survival directory]The author, who loves the genre, introduces and explains the appeal of works in the craft survival genre, with a focus on standard works. This time we will introduce the empty sandbox survival game “Aloft"is.
A great adventure in the vast world of the sky!
"Aloft" is a work created by Canadian game studio Astrolabe Interactive (published by Funcom). The studio was established in 2018 and has beenSacrifice Your Friends” and the design of board games.a variety of jobsWe are doing
Production of this work was announced in 2022, and development continued while checking the game's development status and distributing a trial version. In 2024, it was introduced as the most played trial version at "Steam Next Festival June 2024 Edition", andAchieved over 300,000 wishlist registrations. After one release delay, it was released on January 15, 2025.
The setting of the game is a world in the sky where islands of various sizes float. Players take on the role of survivors who are stranded on a small island by a storm and explore the vast world. In the game, you can not only fly in the sky with the wings you create, but also convert the "island itself" into a ship and sail.
During the epic flight, players will have one of their main objectives: to treat an island that has been invaded by fungi, and to restore an island whose eco-balance has been disrupted to its original form. Lost cultures remain on the island, and various materials are available, so the more you adventure, the more the world and your range of activities will expand.
At the time of release in early access, you will be able to experience systems such as resource gathering, crafting, building, and caring for animals. You can also explore by flying or navigating around the island in three different biomes. The game also supports multiplayer for up to 8 players.
The beginning of free air travel
In the game, you first create a character. The character creation is relatively simple, including body shape, hair, and hair. Next, we will create a world to play in, but this can also be used as a multiplayer world.
The story of this work begins when the player is cast adrift on an island. First, as a tutorial, you will learn the basics of the game while collecting wood and stones, crafting a stone axe, and building a bridge. ``Aloft'' seems to have a lot of help such as quest explanations.
Crafting in the game is a "combining materials to find recipes" system, for example, if you combine two stones, you can make a sharp stone. The idea is that by combining the sharp stones with rope and wood, you can create new tools. You can combine up to 2 items with your craft, or up to 5 items if you create a workbench.
In order to create facilities such as workbenches, you need to search for objects called "knowledge stones" hidden in the world. Furthermore, there are places such as stone tablets that unlock important facilities that are essential for progressing in the game, so exploring the world directly leads to important strategies in the game. In-game, you can learn these basics well on the first island.
Using the knowledge gained from the stone tablets, the protagonist builds a glider to fly, allowing him to explore beyond the island. There is probably undiscovered knowledge hidden in the outside world. It's time for the adventure to begin!
A sense of scale that “turns an island into a ship”
As the game progresses to a certain extent, players will learn recipes for things like sails and rudders to attach to the island. In this game, which is set in the sky, you can fly around freely with a glider to a certain extent, but flying alone to a distant island is still difficult. That's why it's important to directly control the island.
Operating the island is really easy; once you've installed the parts and it's ready to sail, just pick up the helm and change the speed, height, and direction. After that, you can move freely in the sky to some extent, so all you have to do is stop when you get close to your destination island. If you don't fold the sails properly, the island will move on its own while you explore, so be careful.
There are many benefits to moving around on an island. If you register it as your home base, you can respawn even if you run out of power, and you can also move with your facilities and materials, so you can work while you're on the move. Above all, the sense of scale during the voyage is overwhelming, and you can enjoy scenery such as huge rocks flowing past as the ship (island) moves toward an island in the distance.
You can also switch if you find a new island you like. Of course, moving a large island requires a large number of parts, and in order to navigate deep airspace, you must also have high-performance parts. However, when searchingThis island is great! I want to ride!”, which is a big appeal of the game because it allows you to get ideas that you can't get easily in other games.
Fight against erosion and the collapse of the eco-balance!
During your journey, you will come across various islands, some of which are being invaded by fungi. On the eroded island, you must destroy the node that caused it, but monsters will also appear to protect it.
There are also nodes hidden deep in caves on the island. The island in Aloft has a lot of exploration elements, such as finding paths blocked by rocks and entrances that can only be entered from below. If you successfully destroy all nodes, the island will be healed and return to its original beauty.
But that's not the island's only problem. Each island has a set status such as the number of trees, number of animals, number of insects, etc., and if the number does not meet these values, the island has an "unhealthy eco-balance." Knowledge stones and materials cannot be accessed if there are problems with erosion or eco-balance conditions.
In order to restore the eco-balance, it is necessary to respond to necessary needs, such as transplanting insects and seeds collected from other islands and removing disease-causing trees. It is also important to visit as many healthy islands as possible and collect any surplus materials. For that reason, movement on the island is still important.
By the way, at the time of release, there were places where you needed ``10 or more animals'' to restore the eco-balance. However, there is a principle that animals can be taken from islands that are in good health, and animals that exceed needs cannot be taken from islands. Additionally, there is currently no breeding system, making it difficult to regenerate islands that require too many animals.
There were many complaints about this issue in the community, but nowlatest patchThe number of animals in need has decreased significantly. The numbers may change in the future with the introduction of a breeding system, but it has become much easier to play.
The game becomes more interesting depending on how you learn
Aloft has been translated into Japanese, but it's still a game with a lot of elements and is a little difficult to understand. For example, when mining, logging, or flying, there is a white point on the gauge, and when you click on it, there is a combo system that gives you an action bonus, but there is not much detailed explanation.
There are also quite a lot of hidden elements when it comes to exploring the island, so if you're not used to it, you might miss a lot of things. It's a game where a lack of discoveries directly leads to a lack of recipes and materials, so it's important to search everywhere. Fly over and get a 360-degree view of the island, and you might even find a cave hidden in the valley.
“Learning” is important in this game.. In the game, there is an item called a "sketchbook", which you can use to memorize the buildings you find on the island. By finding and sketching rare buildings and furniture with your own hands, you can create new architecture.
As the game progresses, you will be able to do more and more things in the game, such as being able to point out the direction of knowledge stones and applying special chemicals to tools to add effects. The basic elements of flying in the sky, operating the island, and exploring the world are fed back into "learning", making the adventure in the sky even more interesting.
``Aloft'' is set in the vast world of the sky, and the biggest attraction is the atmosphere and sense of scale that allows you to move freely by glider or the island itself. In addition to the fun of exploration and crafting, there are plenty of elements such as restoring the ecosystem that will ensure that your actions are not wasted, allowing you to enjoy the fun of adventure to the fullest.
Since it is in early access, there are still many things missing, such as equipment and animal-related systems, but you can already fully enjoy the basic elements of the game, such as exploring the world and developing bases and equipment. OfficiallyRoadmap for 2025 is also availableSo, on the Steam store pageplanWe are also planning to add even more content.
What I really recommend about this work is the thrill of the moment you sail on the island for the first time. “Aloft” is a work that not only has a large scale, but also allows you to feel the excitement in a relatively easy way. Personally, I would like to pay attention to the pupils of 2025!
