Jump to content

Deep Rock Galactic

Listen to this article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JJMC89 bot III (talk | contribs) at 08:00, 27 April 2023 (Moving Category:Indie video games to Category:Indie games per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Deep Rock Galactic
Developer(s)Ghost Ship Games
Publisher(s)Coffee Stain Publishing
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, Xbox One
  • May 13, 2020
  • PS4, PS5
  • January 4, 2022
  • Xbox Series X/S
  • September 9, 2022
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Multiplayer, single-player

Deep Rock Galactic is a cooperative first-person shooter video game developed by Danish studio Ghost Ship Games and published by Coffee Stain Publishing. Deep Rock Galactic was fully released on May 13, 2020 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One after spending two years in early access.[1] The game was later released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in January 2022,[2] and for Xbox Series X/S in September 2022.[3]

Deep Rock Galactic is set on the alien planet of Hoxxes IV, whose caves are rich in minerals but filled with hostile wildlife and hazardous environments. The player controls a dwarf miner employed by Deep Rock Galactic, an intergalactic mining corporation that sends employees into the caves of Hoxxes IV to extract resources. Players can team up with up to three other dwarfs on missions into the planet, where they must navigate procedurally generated caves and complete objectives while fighting alien swarms.

The game received positive reviews from critics, who praised its class-based gameplay and atmosphere. The game has sold over five million units as of January 2023 and has been part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service since November 2020. It was also available to PlayStation Plus subscribers during the month of its release.[4]

A spin-off, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, was announced in March 2023. It is a shoot 'em up game by Funday Games. It is set to be released on early access in 2023.[5]

Gameplay

Deep Rock Galactic is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. Gameplay primarily centers around missions that take place in fully destructible, procedurally generated cave systems; these can have varying terrain generation, objectives, hazards, and enemies depending on the selected biome and mission type.[6] Upon landing in a cave via an orbital drop pod, players must complete a mission objective such as mining resources or repairing abandoned equipment. While doing so, they must fight hostile aliens, manage a limited supply of ammunition, and navigate the cave. Once the objective is completed, players can start an extraction sequence, where players must backtrack through the cave to an escape pod in order to safely exit along with all collected resources.[7]

The Gunner shooting at an enemy.

Players can play missions solo or with up to three other players. Before starting each mission, players choose one of four playable classes: Scout, Engineer, Gunner, and Driller. Each class has a unique loadout of weapons and tools, giving them varied capabilities in combat and navigation.[8] By working together to take advantage of how these different capabilities interact, teams can more efficiently navigate a cave, complete objectives, and fight enemies.[9][10] For example, the Engineer class can place platforms on walls, while the Scout class has a personal grappling hook. In order to mine a difficult-to-reach mineral deposit high up on a wall, an Engineer could place a platform beneath the deposit and a Scout could then grapple on top of it to safely mine the deposit.[8] When playing solo, players can choose to be accompanied by a drone which assists with objectives and combat.[9]

The game also features progression systems. Players can purchase new weapons, equipment upgrades, and cosmetics for each dwarf using credits and crafting minerals obtained from missions.[7] By completing challenges, players can also acquire perks; these give dwarves additional abilities, such as increased run speed.[9][11] Since 2021, there have been seasonal events in which players can unlock items via a free battle pass-like system.[12]

Development

Deep Rock Galactic is the first game developed by Ghost Ship Games. The team has stated that they took inspiration from both Minecraft and Left 4 Dead,[13] and felt that a problem with Left 4 Dead was that it was unbalanced for new players who wanted to play with veterans, as such they wanted to design a game where all teammates would be on even footing regardless of experience.[14]

Deep Rock Galactic entered early access on February 28, 2018, where it stayed for two years prior to its full release in 2020.[10][15][16][17] Ghost Ship Games used the early access model to get community feedback in order to determine which features to prioritize. The low-poly art style was chosen for its efficiency in adding content.[18] The most difficult part of development was creating the procedural world generator. Deep Rock Galactic used Unreal Engine for development and was made with the engine's Blueprint scripting for quick iteration.[19]

The game continues to be developed, with intermittent updates adding new biomes, equipment, and accessories. Since November 4th, 2021, Ghost Ship Games has begun releasing content in themed season updates. These center around new enemy types and add new equipment, missions, and cosmetics.[12][20] Currently, the game is on Season 3, released on November 3rd, 2022 for PC.[21]

Reception

The Early Access version of Deep Rock Galactic was well received by critics, who praised the game's atmosphere and challenging levels. Multiple reviewers compared parts of the experience to Left 4 Dead.[10][6] The full version of the game was released on May 13, 2020.[28] On Metacritic, the game has a score of 85, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[29][30] As of January 2023, the game had over 145,000 user reviews and an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam.[31][32]

Nic Reuben of Rock, Paper, Shotgun enjoyed how the game's classes meshed well together, and were each viable for co-op, saying that "each class is both viable and enjoyable".[33] Matt Miller of Game Informer appreciated how the unique secondary objectives gave the game a risk/reward dynamic.[34]

Phil Iwaniuk, writing for PC Gamer, enjoyed the tension that the exfiltration phase brought to each mission, and the persistent upgrades that let the player customize their dwarf.[35] Leana Hafer of IGN praised the distinct abilities of each of the dwarves and the low-poly visual style, but criticized the game for its connection issues, saying "About one in every five missions, I’d run into connection issues that could cause other players to lag severely and disconnect."[9]

Ghost Ship Games had stated that Deep Rock Galactic had sold over 2 million units by January 2021,[36] 3 million sales by November 2021,[37] 4 million copies by June 2022.[38], and 5.5 million copies by January 2023.[39]

In March 2021, Ghost Ship Games and Coffee Stain Publishing won Indie Game of the Year and Excellence in Multiplayer awards at South by Southwest.[40]

References

  1. ^ Romano, Sal (April 29, 2020). "Deep Rock Galactic launches May 13". Gematsu. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  2. ^ Kratky, Otta (December 1, 2021). "Deep Rock Galactic Is Coming To PlayStation Consoles Next Year". Gamespot. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  3. ^ Alexandar Max Skronski (September 9, 2022). "Deep Rock Galactic Is Now Optimized for Xbox Series X|S". Xbox Wire. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  4. ^ Michel, Adam (December 29, 2021). "PlayStation Plus games for January: Persona 5 Strikers, Dirt 5, Deep Rock Galactic". PlayStation. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  5. ^ Serin, Kaan (1 March 2023). "Ghost Ship Publishing announce their first three games, including a Deep Rock Galactic spin-off". Rock Paper Shotgun. Gamer Network. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  6. ^ a b Alex Wiltshire (March 19, 2018). "How Deep Rock Galactic mines fun from absolute darkness". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  7. ^ a b James Davenport (14 February 2018). "Deep Rock Galactic's Left 4 Dead-like mining adventures make it the ideal Early Access game". PC Gamer. PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Sherif Sae (9 March 2018). "Deep Rock Galactic is a fresh take on co-op shooters with tangible depth and a lot of character". VG247. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d Deep Rock Galactic Review - IGN, 15 May 2020, archived from the original on 2021-11-20, retrieved 2021-03-11
  10. ^ a b c Charlie Hall (28 February 2018). "Deep Rock Galactic is the best new co-op shooter on Steam". Polygon. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  11. ^ Shawn Petraschuk. "Guns, Gold, and Glory in the Caverns of Deep Rock Galactic". Unreal Engine. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Smith, Graham (2021-11-08). "Deep Rock Galactic now has a free battle pass and a new mode". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  13. ^ "Making it in Unreal: how Minecraft met Left 4 Dead in the caves of Deep Rock Galactic". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  14. ^ Rochlin, Jason (20 December 2021). "Deep Rock Galactic Interview: Mikkel Pedersen Discusses Season Updates, 3 Million Sales Milestone". Gamerant. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  15. ^ Mikkel Martin Pedersen (14 February 2018). "Deep Rock Galactic Arrives on Xbox One and Windows 10 This Month". Xbox. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  16. ^ "Live out your dwarf-bothering fantasies (well, most of them) with Deep Rock Galactic at the PC Gamer Weekender". GamesRadar. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  17. ^ TANNER DEDMON. "Deep Rock Galactic Comes to Early Access, Game Preview This Month". Comic Book. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  18. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic and the advantages of open development". GamesIndustry.biz. 19 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  19. ^ "How Ghost Ship Games found success with Deep Rock Galactic". Unreal Engine. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  20. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic Season 2: New Weapons, Performance Pass, And More". GameSpot. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  21. ^ Archer, James (2022-10-26). "Deep Rock Galactic Season 3 swaps annoying robots for infectious meteorite strikes". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  22. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  23. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  24. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  25. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic Review". IGN. 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  26. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic Review – Off To Work We Go". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  27. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic review". PC Gamer. 29 May 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  28. ^ Brown, Fraser (April 29, 2020). "Deep Rock Galactic is digging its way out of Early Access on May 13". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  29. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  30. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  31. ^ "Steam :: Deep Rock Galactic :: 2022 - Year in Review". store.steampowered.com. 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  32. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  33. ^ "Deep Rock Galactic review". Rock Paper Shotgun. 2020-05-13. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  34. ^ Miller, Matt. "Deep Rock Galactic Review – Off To Work We Go". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  35. ^ Iwaniuk, Phil (2020-05-29). "Deep Rock Galactic review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  36. ^ Kerr, Chris (January 26, 2021). "Deep Rock Galactic has topped 2 million sales". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  37. ^ Calvin, Alex (November 11, 2021). "Deep Rock Galactic surpasses 3m sales". PC Games Insider. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  38. ^ "4 Million Units Sold!". 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  39. ^ "2022 - Year in Review". Steam. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  40. ^ "Gaming Awards - SXSW Conference & Festivals", South by Southwest, archived from the original on March 1, 2017, retrieved March 26, 2021
Listen to this article (6 minutes)
Spoken Wikipedia icon
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 29 December 2022 (2022-12-29), and does not reflect subsequent edits.
(Audio help · More spoken articles)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deep_Rock_Galactic&oldid=1151954788"