Abiotic Factor [PlayStation 5] | REVIEW

Abiotic Factor takes the grim sci-fi horror of Half-Life, throws in some workplace comedy, and lets you duct-tape your way to survival with a few friends in tow. It’s zany, creative, and packed with systems that reward brains over brawn, and if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to survive a research facility disaster as a desk-bound scientist instead of a battle-hardened soldier, this is certainly the game for you.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Abiotic Factor sees players starting of as a low-level employee at the GATE Cascade Research Facility, an underground labyrinth of labs investigating everything from teleportation to paranormal biology. Of course, within minutes of arriving, things go very wrong, and a containment breach opens rifts to alien dimensions, security robots lose their minds, and a strange military cult called The Order shows up all-guns blazing. Your only real assets? Your job title (which can affect your initial stats) and whatever you can find scattered around the environment to craft into a makeshift tools to assist your survival.

Sure, the setup screams Half-Life, but Abiotic Factor trades Gordon Freeman’s stoicism for a more awkwardly zany comedic tone that brought out more than a few chuckles when playing. You’re not a silent hero, but rather a sleep-deprived academic who builds armour out of couch cushions and crossbows out of stationery. And you know what? It’s brilliant.

Abiotic Factor’s survival loop will be immediately familiar to anyone who has played something like this before, but it’s implemented in a clever way that plays into the theming of the game perfectly. You still gather food, water, crafting items, and so forth, but you’re doing it through the use of whatever you can find in vending machines, supply closets, or by smashing up nearby desks. Crafting is central to the experience, and while the game’s ‘Idea’ system (where you deduce new recipes by combining materials) can feel a bit uninspired mechanic-wise, it fits in thematically and encourages experimentation. Turning trash into tech is all part of the fun in Abiotic Factor and it makes scavenging your surroundings all the more rewarding.

What really sets the game apart is how it simulates not just survival, but also mundane human needs… you know… sleep, hunger, hygiene, and even using the bathroom (which has a quirky little QTE event to complete). These aren’t just gimmicks – cooking a proper meal gives lasting buffs, a poorly timed bathroom break might get you killed mid-expedition, whilst you’ll feel the strain of letting yourself go hungry on a resource run. It adds both tension and absurdity to the experience without ever feeling like a chore, ensuring the survival elements of Abiotic Factor certainly aren’t undercooked but can be the difference between life-and-death.

“Abiotic Factor is a smart, inventive, and absolutely survival game that thrives on its zany premise and co-op chaos to make for a tantalising experience.”

Skill progression is intuitive too, following the simple process of ‘learning through doing’. Sneak more to improve stealth, sprint to boost stamina, cook to unlock better meals… you get the picture. It’s a slow burn but satisfying, and it makes every action – whether dragging furniture or whacking aliens -feel meaningful, especially when unlocking skill boosts that genuinely make your life easier.

My favourite aspect of the game has to be the base building, especially when playing in multiplayer with friends where you can really work together to keep yourself safe (particularly from those patrolling security robots when power cuts hit). What’s particularly fun about it is the fact that you’re repurposing offices and cafeterias, slowly converting sterile labs into personalized strongholds. One of the earlier bases I made with friends covered a locker room and nearby kitchen, converting that area into both a living space and an experimentation area that was surrounded by barricades made from furniture and makeshift defence mechanisms to keep us safe when sleeping. It’s really easy to move around crafted items too, so you’re never locked to just one area and can transport your base around with you as you progress further through the game, which helps streamline the experience and ensure things never get repetitive through recycling actions over and over again.

And believe me, there’s a real sense of discovery within exploration in the game. Everywhere around you is meticulously handcrafted and interconnected, ensuring there are plenty of opportunities to find shortcuts, open up pathways to access previously hinted at but inaccessible zones, and even explore bizarre alien dimensions. The deeper you go, the stranger it gets, but the fact that Abiotic Factor’s world is just so damn satisfying to explore ensures that it never runs out of steam.

It is worth noting that whilst Abiotic Factor is playable solo, it absolutely thrives in co-op. I played with three others, and we had an absolute blast as we progressed through the objectives and essentially learnt how to survive. Tasks naturally split up – one of us handled food, another built defences, another gathered any resources required, whilst another tried to focus on main objectives – with the mechanics of the game really coming alive when shared. But still, despite having this plan of action in mind, Abiotic Factor brings enough unpredictability to ensure that you can’t get too comfortable. The chaos of trying to coordinate in combat or during a power outage is genuinely hilarious, whilst trying to move everything between zones as you progress can be madness (but always in the best possible way).

Check out some screenshots down below:

That said, playing with others does make it harder to track the narrative-driven elements of the game. There are audio logs, notes, and a clear narrative arc involving the facility’s downfall and the otherworldly entities involved, but we were often too busy laughing at someone falling asleep in a chair or having a toilet crisis to piece everything together. Thankfully, the world is so engaging that it doesn’t really matter – especially since the environmental storytelling and bizarre discoveries do plenty of heavy lifting – but I do feel like I missed out on some intriguing elements of the game when playing in multiplayer.

The retro-inspired visuals are a perfect match for the game’s tone… think late 90s PC games, but with some modern bells and whistles. It certainly plays into the game’s whole Half-Life inspiration, whilst the atmospheric sound design adds to the unsettling yet quirky tone. The voice acting is intentionally (I think?) awkward and low-budget, but somehow, it feels perfect for what the game is going for.

I’ve got a lot of love for Abiotic Factor then, but it’s not perfect. Combat is clunky and awkward, and whilst that’s probably mostly intentional (you are awkward scientists after all), it could be a little frustrating early on. It does get better the longer you play (or, more accurately, when you craft some badass weaponry), but it never feels as solid as the combat options seen in similar titles. There’s also the aforementioned undercooked ‘Idea’ system that could’ve done with some revamping to make it feel more rewarding, whilst resource management could be smoother when using a controller too – especially when switching between menus, arranging your equipment, or simply moving items between storage and your inventory.

But honestly? These are more nitpicks as opposed to actual issues with the game, with Abiotic Factor otherwise an absolutely enthralling survival experience that’s packed to the brim with creative moments and genuine surprises that I simply loved to uncover with my friends.

Developer: Deep Field Games
Publisher: Playstack
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC
Website: https://www.abioticfactor.com/