Greetings, friends, and welcome to Mobile Game Monday, where we chat about games you can play on the go. If you like gaming on a phone or tablet, this is the place for you. Join us every week as we go on all sorts of adventures.
Once Human
Once Human (2025) is a multiplayer open-world survival game from Starry Studio, NetEase Games, and Exptional Global. Originally released for PC last year, the recently launched mobile version was one of my most anticipated April releases so I could not wait to get my hands on this one.
No thanks to the reckless experiments of the Rosetta Corporation, a world-ending event known as the Starfall has turned the world into a post-apocalyptic nightmare. An alien pollutant, stardust, has contaminated most of Earth and has mutated its inhabitants into horrific monsters called deviations. Meta humans, such as yourself, were created by Rosetta and have the ability to control stardust.
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Unfortunately, you awaken with amnesia into this apocalyptic nightmare. However, a friendly deviant named V offers guidance as you explore the world and gradually discover the true horror of the Rosetta Corporation.
First, I have to mention the sheer depth of the character creator in Once Human. Right out of the gate, I was overwhelmed with options and spent my entire first day of play in character creation. It is a great indicator of the attention to detail present in the rest of the game.
Controls
Controls in Once Human consist of on-screen buttons for everything from moving, jumping, crouching, and shooting. As of now, there is no controller support which is unfortunate because this game could really use it. For the most part, the on-screen buttons feel organic during gameplay and there are even a few customization options that let you move things around a bit.
Moving around objects in tight spaces can be tricky with these controls which can get you cornered and surrounded by enemies. I struggled the most with controlling the vehicles with D-pad-style arrow controls. Although the on-screen buttons can be frustrating, after a little practice, it feels more natural. Dear devs, please add controller support soon!
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Don’t Just Survive, Thrive!
Surviving in this post-apocalyptic nightmare is a huge part of Once Human and this all depends on building a proper territory. Gather supplies from the environment around you to build just about anything you can imagine. Once you get the basics down, you can customize everything from the floors to the furniture. If you want, you can eventually make yourself a fancy mansion and thrive rather than survive.
Any good survivalist knows you won’t make it far without food or water. After building a stove, collect and boil water to satiate your thirst. Then, cook up some grub using gathered ingredients and recipes. Surviving the apocalypse is dangerous but thankfully, you can make bandages, medicine, and adrenaline to keep yourself alive and sane.
On top of keeping yourself fed and alive, you also have to stay sane. Being around high concentrations of stardust will take a toll on your mental health. If your sanity depletes too much, it will begin to eat into your health. Sleeping will restore your sanity, much like in real life. Nothing makes me feel more out of sorts than losing sleep.
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To keep you safe from the things that go bump in the night (and day), make your weapons and armor from blueprints found while playing the game. You can build, upgrade, and customize weapons extensively. For example, you can choose the type of scope, silencer, or mag that your gun uses. This is just one more example of the tedious attention to detail that allows players to completely customize their experience.
Luckily, pretty much anything you need you can create yourself as long as you have unlocked the mimetic requirements from the skill tree. Your best bet for finding pretty much anything is simply exploring the world and crafting what you cannot find. There is nothing more satisfying than making something with your own two hands, even in a game.
Deviations and Deviants
Stardust has mutated humans into monsters that look like something straight out of a Lovecraftian fever dream. Seriously, these are some of the creepiest monsters I have ever seen. As you play the game, they just get bigger, and creepier. Most deviations are violent creatures that will attack you on sight.
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However, those known as deviants can be harnessed by metahumans who can use their abilities. Some deviants will help you in battle while others will do chores at your territory. Collecting and using deviant abilities adds an entirely new mechanic to the game that I surprisingly enjoyed the most. Very early in the game, I felt drawn towards finding deviants more than anything.
For each area in Once Human, there is a monolith that houses a big bad boss deviation. Defeating bosses and closing monoliths is how you progress through the story and unlock new parts of the map. If you are brave (or stupid) enough, you can try to take on the horror alone. As for the rest of us, team up with friends or other online players to down the big baddies more easily.
Survive in Style
Once Human is free to play so of course there is an enormous selection of in-game goods for real-world money. However, these items are cosmetic and even though you may really want that pretty gun skin, you will survive just fine without it.
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This is a game I see myself sinking a lot of time into so I don’t mind spending a little cash to look cool. You can also get cosmetic items from bosses, exploration, or completing challenges. This means you can be thrifty and get sweet new gear.
Our Adventure Ends Here
The only thing I feel Once Human is missing is controller support, especially when it comes to driving the vehicles. Controller support might make this a near-perfect game. Overall, game progression feels natural,l although sometimes it is unclear what I am supposed to be doing or the game would start tracking a different quest while I was walking toward an objective, leading me the wrong way.
However, I didn’t mind this much because I would just explore wherever I ended up. While playing, I would set out with a quest in mind and very quickly wander off to explore. The next thing I know, hours have gone by and I never completed what I initially set out to do. I love games like this because it means I am completely immersed in the experience.
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This game also does a great job of telling you how to unlock or where to get things. For example, if you need more arrows, clicking on the object will tell you to craft them at your territory. It keeps the survival aspect from getting overwhelming because you can simply look up what you need when you need it.
The supernatural elements in Once Human remind me of some of my favorite games including Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Bioshock. Fans of Dying Light and The Last of Us will appreciate the survival horror aspects. It is such an expansive experience that is seriously impressive, especially for a mobile port. With other mobile ports of large games like this, I always feet the need to play on another platform, but that is not the case here.
Although I have not played on PC, the mobile version feels like I am playing a fully developed RPG on PC. The game has so much content, looks amazing, and runs without any issues (for me anyway). Keep in mind that game performance depends on various factors such as your device, internet connection, and more. I play on a Samsung Fold 5 and so far have not run into any issues.
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There is so much to do in Once Human that I haven’t even discovered everything yet. It is one of the most detailed mobile games I have ever played. I’ll leave it to you to check out all the various scenarios, challenges, and more that the game has to offer. After all, exploration and discovery are a huge part of this adventure. So far, I have only scratched the surface and it is early in the year but from what I have played, Once Human is a serious contender for mobile game of the year.
Once Human is free in the Play Store and the App Store.
Take it easy and play it safe, gamers.
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