“Once Human” is an always-online, multiplayer, open-world survival crafting game. If that description makes you cringe, you’re not alone. But stay with me. “Once Human” may not revolutionize the genre, but from my experience, it refines many familiar concepts, making them more engaging. The combat is satisfying, though it needs some PvP balance tweaks; building is intricate and rewarding; the grind for materials is surprisingly manageable (with better tools, trees yield thousands of pieces of wood at once); and the world design is intriguingly bizarre. Just look at these nutcrackers as an example.
The Appeal and Mechanics of “Once Human”
However, there’s a significant flaw with “Once Human”: seasonal wipes. The game is somewhat reminiscent of “Rust.” In “Rust,” players battle for resources, build bases, and engage in various antics during a ‘server wipe.’ These wipes occur monthly, on the last Thursday. In “Once Human,” server wipes happen every six weeks, during six ‘phases’ in the server’s lifecycle. Each phase introduces new monsters and PvP battles, offering better loot and rarer resources.
During server transitions, your character retains some skills, blueprints, and other bits and pieces (details are still forthcoming). However, all other progress is lost. That grand base you painstakingly built over six weeks? Gone. Your resources, weapons, everything else? Disappeared.
The Controversy of Seasonal Wipes Once Human
Some players enjoy this feature as it levels the playing field for new and returning players. It prevents dominant guilds from hoarding wealth and resources indefinitely. Each wipe brings fresh gameplay narratives, emergent conflicts, and dynamic scenarios. Cosmetic items and currency earned during the server wipe persist, giving players something to show off.
Yet, for players like me—and many others in the community who have voiced their disappointment—the server wipe model is a major drawback. The thought of hours of progress being wiped away is demotivating. This is a frustrating aspect of games like “Path of Exile,” “Diablo,” and even “Rust,” which I haven’t touched in years, possibly due to this very reason.
Potential Solutions to the Wipe Dilemma
This seasonal wipe model suggests the game might not be engaging enough to sustain its player base long-term. I often ponder this about “Diablo.” If the game is so great, why must we start anew every few months? “Rust” has its unique audience, but the same logic applies. What’s the point of a game that erases all your progress?
There are a couple of potential solutions to this issue:
- Offering Persistent and Wipe Servers: A persistent server would attract a different type of player. Although certain game mechanics (like phases and scripted PvP events) might not work on a persistent server, it could still attract a large enough demographic to justify developer attention.
- Implementing a Permanent Offline Mode: A permanent offline mode, possibly with co-op, should become the norm for survival crafters. Many players enjoy the relaxation of building, grinding, and farming. “Nightingale” faced criticism for its always-online launch, and only later released a single-player offline version, which came too late.
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The Future of “Once Human”
I anticipate that “Once Human” will have a strong launch on Steam—it’s a shiny new free-to-play game, after all—but player numbers may dwindle after the first server wipe, and further with subsequent wipes. To compete with its rivals, “Once Human” needs the remarkable sticking power of “Rust.” The main challenge is that a six-week wipe cycle is significantly longer than “Rust’s” monthly wipe. “Rust” is temporary and ephemeral—progress comes and goes. “Once Human,” however, is a more prolonged and arduous journey. Players will only remain if they feel it’s worth it. Whatever else the game excels at, it needs to do so exceptionally well to keep players returning every six weeks.