Astrobotanica is a Promising Upcoming Survival Game That Reminds Me of No Man’s Sky

I’ve never been all that good at survival games because I’m one that likes to rush into things without thinking. I’m not proud of it (always) but I think that’s what’s fun about games like Astrobotanica from Space Goblin Studio, it encourages you to slow down a bit, get to know your surroundings and hang out with some primal humans. 

In the game, you play as Xel, an alien botanist who has crash landed on Earth, but one that’s much different from the Earth we know today. There are strange plants growing everywhere, unfamiliar animals as well as primitive humans. And, unfortunately, the atmosphere is toxic to Xel so you’ll have to quickly adapt, make a plan, and find air that you can breathe comfortably in. 

You’ll start with a scanner that can be used to scan and log the objects, flora and fauna around you. I spent my first few days exploring the area and scanning whatever I could to get as much information as I could. Along the way I met a few primitive humans that you can’t quite communicate with, but they seem friendly enough. As you progress you’ll learn how to help them and they’ll offer you helpful rewards in return. 

Once I had gotten the lay of the land, I had to get started with working towards making a safe home for myself on earth. I’ve only played a bit of the game so far and this is still an early build, of course, so it took me a little while to figure things out and make it so that I wasn’t constantly panicking about the toxic atmosphere. Once you’ve got a steady supply of breathable air and a home, life on Earth may not seem so overwhelming. 

You can check out the demo for Astrobotanica on Steam now and the team has just announced its Early Access release date of February 16th, 2025 where it intends to use player feedback in order to help with the game’s further development. Be sure to wishlist the game on Steam to receive more updates.