Another one in the endless survival genre.

I grow a little sick and tired of the same concept over and over again. After I got bored out of my freaking mind with Atlas, Ark, Minecraft, Valheim and many more, someone recommended Conan Exiles when I was on a LAN Party. Drunk and foolish, I bought the full forty dollar game and added this action to my list of regrets.

Conan Exile is exactly the same as any other game in this genre. You start with a weak, empty character, need to find plant fibers, wood, stones, and food. You build a little cabin, search for more food to prevent starvation, and just f*cking build stuff and kill tribe warriors and wildlife to level up. When leveling up, you increase some stats, unlock new sh!t to build, and that’s it. No endgame, no completion, just become stronger and “dominate”. Sure, there are fortresses to conquer, other players to kill, certain events and missions, caves to explore, but it still feels so generic and lacks any form of innovation in my opinion. When playing with friends, this game is (like any other game) a lot more fun, but even then, after you build a nice house, and found some resources that you needed to craft better sh!t, the boredom kicked in fast.

I have to say, giving yourself a customizable horse cock redeems some quality to the game. Other than that, the only noticeable difference and unique feature is the religion that you choose and follow at the start, giving you certain bonuses.

The graphics in Conan Exiles are nothing special. For a new game like this, I even think that they are not that great. Better graphics do not make a better game, but here, it feels janky, unpolished, crude and from 2014. Menu’s, interfaces and text borders feel like they have been made in Microsoft Paint and overall, it felt just like Ark.

The sound is generic, it is nothing special and does not deserve any special notes.

The interfaces are simple to understand and the controls are basic and workable. The movement of your character however, feels stiff, slow and clunky. My guess is that this is mainly because of the massive world, in which you move real time, like a real person.

From all the open world survival games, this one has the best atmosphere, I give it that. The massive world itself, the biomes, locations and geography are appealing. If I ever have to torture myself again for a few hours with some friends, I would pick this one over Ark or Atlas anytime.

Nevertheless, Conan Exiles made me realize (even tough I already could have figured that out by now) that open world survival games are not for me. With a steady pattern of playing with friends, I could enjoy myself for some time, but when reaching high level, fun and joy flows out of me and I immediately lose interest.

My absolute breaking point, with this game (and all the other survival games I mentioned) is when another player already harvested ton of resources, including rare and essential ones, defeating every and all purpose for you to find, scavenge or earn them by playing the game. It is this exact point why I lose interest and do not feel any accomplishment.

I would not recommend this game. Not because of my own personal experience, but because it does not have anything interesting or unique, besides the “Conan” theme. No new mechanics, no interesting new features, it is just the same as all the others.

Reviewed on Jan 11, 2024


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