Survival Just Got a Whole Lot Better: Xbox Game Pass Unleashes a Hidden Gem
Discover the Ultimate Survival Craft Game: Core Guardian
With the abundance of survival craft games available, it takes a lot for a game to stand out in this genre. Fortunately, Core Guardian has made a name for itself as a perfect blend of classic and new ideas. This week, it was released on Xbox Game Pass, along with its PC version 1.0, and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews with over 25,000 reviews.
Core Guardian has been in Early Access on Steam since 2022, and its full release has been highly anticipated. The game combines the best elements of Terraria, Valheim, and Stardew Valley, yet it doesn’t feel like a derivative of what came before. The game’s setup is straightforward: you’re trapped in a massive underground labyrinth, and it’s up to you to make it your own.
The first step is to start breaking down the walls, which will give you stone to build your own structures and create a path through the underworld. Core Guardian offers players incredible freedom to shape their world. You can build an intricate network of tunnels connecting one biome to another or clear as much space as possible to set up bases and retreats throughout the cave system.
As you dig, you’ll soon encounter monsters that live in these underground caves. Combat is optional, and you can always dig around to avoid fighting. However, you’ll eventually face impressive bosses that are fun to defeat and offer good loot. You’ll also need to fight a few bosses to progress through the game.
Core Guardian also offers a multiplayer mode, allowing up to eight players to build an underground empire together. This mode enables players to specialize in different tasks, such as crafting, gathering, and fighting, or work together on larger projects. The game shines in multiplayer, allowing you to mine, build, and explore much faster.
For those who prefer to focus on building, Core Guardian is very comfortable. Expanding your base network as you explore the world is essential, but it can also be fun to stay in one place and set up an underground home. You can grow your own food, set up a kitchen to cook your produce, and even gain status bonuses by consuming food.
The game’s skill system allows you to improve your skills in the activities that take up the most time, enabling you to specialize in your favorite aspects of the game. With a balanced player pool and team members with different skills, you can create a little cave society where everyone plays a role.
The Game Pass launch marks the game’s best launch yet, with the 1.0 release adding new biomes, character classes, bosses, loot, and a revamped world generation system. Developer Pugstorm plans to continue adding content after the 1.0 release, so there’s plenty to explore if you keep playing. Whether you’re interested in base building, combat, or just mining, Core Guardian is one of the best new survival games available.