Early Access has grown large since it was first implemented on Steam. With the growth of Early Access have come an outpouring of unfinished games all looking to be supported and loved. Watching an Early Access game grow over time can be a very satisfying experience. Noticing how community input helps to shape the course of the game and being able to say that yeah I played that game before it was cool is always nice. However this is not always the case with Early Access games. When buying into one of these games a person can't ever really be sure if they are spending their money on a worthwhile investment. Either the game a person spent twenty dollars on might be barely playable for months or just the barest frame of a game as the developers work to design their project. Other times updates for a game may slow and appear as if to halt altogether. Buying into one of these games can come at a certain fiscal risk unlike other games where it is much easier to evaluate the kind of experience a player is going to get. For this reason I hope to be able to guide you through some of the jungle of Early Access games and find those that might be worth your time and money.
We'll start this journey with a game that has received some press already. I speak of We Happy Few. This open world survival game has implemented a lot of the things that are expected to be in a game of its genre by current standards. These include item crafting, resource gathering, freedom of movement, rouge-like elements, and food and health meters. These are not the qualities that make We Happy few stand out from the other games the populate the genre. The setting of We Happy Few is one of a drug fueled dystopian England in which players struggle to survive against the almost fanatical residents. The game's style helps to generate a sense of distortion by how vivid the game can be at times and then shift into bleakness. Though the game is not yet finished, as it is still in Early Access, the developers have been working diligently to produce the final project. As an Early Access game then We Happy few is a worth the the investment if your a fan of survival games and for those that aren't then you may won't to wait. The game's atmosphere looks very promising but until all the features have been implemented that may not be enough to hold your complete attention. The thirty dollar price tag is also questionable. There is game-play in We Happy Few to entertain for hours, but not enough to justify the price for all players.
The next game is a sequel to the popular space opera simulator Endless Space. The sequel, Endless Space 2, is currently on Early Access. One should have no fears that this game won't be finished in a timely manner. Amplitude studious has had a strong track record of creating quality games which have used Early Access well over time. In its current state Endless Space might not be the most engaging game as it is still missing many features which have been talked about by Amplitude so far. By the way things are going though the game looks to be shaping up into a solid experience. Taking quess from their recent game Endless Legend and building off the pros of the original Endless Space, I have no doubt that Endless Space will be a more than satisfactory time sink in the future. The only thing that one needs to think about know is it worth to buy the game in its current state seeing as it does cost thirty dollars. Wl, with its limited systems Endless Space 2 might not be the most playable game a person could currently pick up, but for a reduced price it might not be an awful idea to buy the game now to not pay the full price when the final version is released.
A smaller game that might not have gotten so much attention on Steam's Early Access is Battle Brothers. This game may not have the same focus on graphics as the previous entries had but Battle Brothers does not lack scope in gameplay and mechanics. In Battle Brothers players take on the role of a leader of a company of mercenaries. From there the world is yours to do with as you please. Travel across a randomly generated world accepting contacts and finding loot to equip your soldiers with and engage in tense battles. As part turn based strategy game part team manager part role playing game Battle Brothers in its current state is an extremely playable game. The team behind the game has repeatedly released updates which contained massive game play updates as well as they have released the updates at regular intervals. Battle Brothers seems to be an easy choice to buy as an Early Access game as it hits all the marks which make a good Early Access game. If you only have money for one game right now I'd suggest Battle Brothers especially with a price tag of only twenty dollars it is more than worth it considering there is more content to come.
