Demo code used, with many thanks for Stride PR.
Originally One Lonely Outpost was a Kickstarter campaign in 2020 started by the developers Auroain Studios before handing the reins over to Freedom Games to develop and publish the game. According to the original Kickstarter page, the game has undergone a few design changes in how it is to look since the campaign was started on Kickstarter in 2020.
Demo Available During the Steam Next Fest
Now a demo will be available to play during the Steam Next Fest running from the 19th of June until the 26th of June.
I’ve spent some time with the demo for this impressions article. So, when the game begins, you watch the spaceship land on a strange planet; you were sent there by the PGP to complete research and set up a colony. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any character customisation in the demo. Hopefully, that will be in the full game when it is available.
First Pioneer on a Desolate Planet
One Lonely Outpost is a simulation game where you are the first pioneer on a desolate planet. Your task is simple: build a colony on the alien world and make the planet life-sustaining for yourself and for other colonists to arrive.
You are not entirely alone on the desolate planet, as you have a robot that looks like a cat, so I christened it Bob, the robot cat. Bob, the robot cat, is actually named Qwerty in the game and is there to keep you on track. Qwerty follows you around and has a handy storage box where you can stash the resources you collect in your inventory, and you can chat with Qwerty so you don’t feel so alone.
Grow Crops and Craft
Like most simulation games, you have to plant crops to survive. However, don’t look for an item in the toolbar called a watering can, as you won’t find it. Instead, since One Lonely Outpost is space-themed. And in keeping with that theme, you use farming tools such as a Spray and a Laser to water the plants and till the ground.
I started by planting crops using the mining laser to till the ground; I like how you collect water to water the plants. Instead of finding a pool of water, since it’s an alien planet, pools of water are scarce, you use the laser tool to demolish crystals on the planet, and in turn, the crystals fill up your watering spray. Neat!
Barren Alien World
While One Lonely Outpost is similar to most simulation games like Stardew Valley, the barren alien world you are on sets it apart. You can explore the map. The first few quests you are given have you doing just that, as you are sent out to find coordinates on the map.
Other quests appear, such as finding artefacts; you do so by blowing the piles of sand, which I found to be great fun, and surprisingly it’s also pretty relaxing to do.
Build a Thriving Colony
The demo is enough to give you a taster of what the completed game will be like. I’ve explored and found some artefacts, crafted a Forge and collected blueprints, enabling me to craft more items.
The Omninac collects knowledge and fills up as you discover new items; you also earn Omnistars that eventually will earn you respect from other colonists, but first, you have to get the planet ready for others to join you.
When One Lonely Outpost is released later in the year, you can transform the planet by filling the planet with greenery. Furthermore, you will build a colony from the ground up to attract more colonists. Crafting and cooking will also play a part in the gameplay and relationships, and love in the colony. The developers also plan to add mysterious alien ruins guarded by robots and combat to the game when it is fully released.
Visuals and Controls
The visuals in the demo are vibrant and colourful. I like how the planet is presented to the player; multi-coloured crystals and rocks are everywhere. It also represents the lonely nature of your situation and hits home that you are alone on the planet.
The graphics have changed over the development period, as initially, the game was being developed in 2D. However, One Lonely Outpost is now presented in 3D and is vibrant and colourful. The controls for the demo are a keyboard and mouse. I did try using a controller, as it’s my preferred method of playing, and it had partial controller support.
One Lonely Outpost is shaping up to be a nice take on the standard farming simulation we have seen before. Meanwhile, there isn’t a confirmed release date for the game other than sometime this year. However, you can try out the demo for yourself when it’s released during the Steam Next Fest running from June 19th until June 26th.