However, it must be admitted that as compelling as PixArk can be, it manages that in spite of itself, because often, it feels like the game is trying to undermine and sabotage itself any chance it gets. A lot of this has to do with the fact that the game is technically still “early access”, so it lacks in a lot of polish and pizzazz that you can expect from a finished product. This means that the game is extremely glitchy (the most infuriating of which is when it decides to stop accepting any button inputs for no apparent reason), or suffers from random framerate drops, or makes the base PlayStation 4 system sound like it is a commercial jet about to take off. Undoubtedly, time will see more polish applied to the game, and we can expect these problems solved. But there are other issues, which seem to be more fundamental, and which hold the game back from true greatness.

The most obvious of these is that PixArk is ill-suited to consoles. It has an extremely unwieldy and clunky UI, with menus upon menus, which is very poorly suited for a gamepad. Given how much time you spend in the menus for one reason or the other (whether it be crafting, managing your inventory, or leveling up), this means that you will spend far more time simply trying to fight with the controls than you will be actually playing the game. Add to that the already mentioned frustration of the game randomly not responding to button inputs, and you have a recipe for disaster.

"It must be admitted that as compelling as PixArk can be, it manages that in spite of itself, because often, it feels like the game is trying to undermine and sabotage itself any chance it gets."

Other issues have to do with what the game is– for instance, it is a survival game, which means there is a lot to manage and take care of. You have to look after your stamina, thirst, hunger, and health, you have to make sure you’re not too hot or not too cold, you have to collect materials from the environment to craft tools to help you better cope with the world… this is actually not a complaint, because the game does this well. The complaint is that it never actually explains any of it. You are dropped into the world with absolutely no warning or explanation, and while there are pop up prompts that attempt to explain the controls, there is absolutely nothing that actually explains any of the mechanics, or even the HUD indicators. So, the game suddenly tells you you are hungry- and then you realize you can get hungry. Or it tells you you are too hot or too cold, but you don’t actually have any idea what to do about it. To PixArk‘s credit, the solution to all the problems is always in the world around you, and the enterprising player will enjoy slowly unraveling the yarn this game poses- but the game is extremely unfriendly to new players.

Consider the question of thatch- thatch is an extremely basic material you need for everything in PixArk. The game tells you you need it, particularly as you learn recipes for crafting more things- what it doesn’t tell you is how to get it. Do you have to cut down trees? That only gives you wood. You see grass all around you, but any time you interact with it, you seem to only get materials for the block it is on. You can press every button in vain trying to interact with the grass- I even had to pull up the controls to see what I was missing- in the end, it turns out that one button pressed when you don’t have anything else equipped and are facing grass will pull it out and give you thatch. 

There is no tutorial that teaches you this. There is no indication that you can even interact with the grass (when you pull up the game’s highlight tool, it highlights the block the grass is on, but not the grass). You don’t even have any idea it is possible to interact with things beyond punching or attacking them. The game expects you to stumble around to figure this out yourself. And this is just one example- there is a quest system, but the game never explains it unless you go foraging in its menus. You can tame wild animals! But again, the game offers frustratingly little direction (though this at least is communicated better than most other things in the game are).

"Certainly, there is a sense of satisfaction the first time you hunt something down, or build shelter, or start a campfire, or build a weapon, and realize you are now empowered to take on far more than you ever could have imagined at the beginning."

Other problems have to do with the game’s procedural generation. You see, unlike, say, ARK, which puts you in a sort of “safe zone” sandbox as a tutorial area for you to learn the grips, PixArk randomly generates and populates the map each time you play. So, you could very well just end up on a map populated with all manner of aggressive, high level creatures you don’t have much recourse against. Generally speaking, the immediate starting area always appears to be “safe”, but venturing too far out in any direction can land you in trouble, which means that for the longest time, your best bet is to hunker down and grow before you take on the big bad world.

And yet, in spite of all of this, the game remains compelling. Maybe it’s the charming and blocky graphics. Maybe it’s the inane but sweet music. Maybe it’s just the simple notion of (wo)man versus the world, and knowing that while you literally start out with nothing, you are slowly watching yourself become better equipped to take on the wilderness, and living through a microcosmic representation of humanity’s progress through prehistory, to agriculture, metal, industry, and beyond. Maybe the hostility of the game towards the player actually compounds the sense of conquering adversity and prevailing against the odds. Certainly, there is a sense of satisfaction the first time you hunt something down, or build shelter, or start a campfire, or build a weapon, and realize you are now empowered to take on far more than you ever could have imagined at the beginning.

The PvP element also helps. See, the world is populated by other players, too. You can join them and form tribes with them, which is great, but these players can also be jerks, and keep hunting you across the map and killing you- and that further adds to the sense of adversity.

PixArk has a lot of problems. To be honest, actually playing it can feel like a battle of attrition, because the game seems to be trying its best to wear you out. While you can explain some of these problems away thanks to the game’s “early access” label, others are harder to forgive or excuse. And yet, it’s a hugely compelling experience, especially for those who like survival games, or for example, kids versed in Minecraft. It’s got a lot of problems, and you should be aware of them- but if you are, and if you can grit your teeth and work your way through them, the final experience is oddly rewarding and engaging.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 4.

The game is still in Early Access and to learn more about how its development is coming along, Gamingbolt reached out to the developers with some questions and they provided the following answers.

"The idea behind PixARK was to make a game that everyone, no matter their age or survival game experience, could enjoy."

What inspired the idea to mix Minecraft and ARK: Survival Evolved?

ARK: Survival Evolved, while a very rewarding experience, is also very mature. There are themes and mechanics in the game that are not for everyone, including kids. The idea behind PixARK was to make a game that everyone, no matter their age or survival game experience, could enjoy. We felt that the voxel space and art style matched the theme that we wanted to portray, and also give us room to make a new experience for both veteran and beginning survival game players alike.

Is the main focus of the game crafting or survival, or is it a unique blend of both?

Crafting goes hand in hand with survival games. PixARK has a greater focus on the crafting and creative aspects of survival games, but does not shy away from putting players into situations that will get you killed if you aren’t careful.

Can you tell us about the RPG elements in the game?

When you first touchdown in PixARK, your character is level one, with only a few items they can craft. As they experience and explore the world around them, each “Explorer” will level up. These levels will allow players to put points into different stats, such as how much they can carry or how quickly their hunger depletes, as well as opens up new items they are able to craft. The new items that become available make tasks that took a very long time, much shorter, which shows growth in strength and ability.

Is taming dinosaurs an important aspect of the game’s experience? If so, how does it work?

Taming creatures gives you all sorts of advantages from combat, travel, and gathering resources. Passive creatures can be fed berries and will be tamed over time, while more aggressive creatures need to be knocked out before feeding them. Either method does not take too much time, as long as you have the right equipment for the job.

Considering that the game is a survival game, what will be the range of difficulty?

The difficulty in PixARK is not quite as punishing as other games, but still keeps the core heart and soul of ARK: Survival Evolved. Players will still have to manage food, water, and other stats that if neglected will cause your Explorer to perish. However, unlike most survival games, you do not lose all of your items upon death. While each player will lose their entire backpack inventory when encountering a foe they could not best, they will keep the items on their hot bar and their armor. We felt that this kept the identity of ARK: Survival Evolved, while not punishing the player as much for making a misstep.

Were there any particular challenges you faced during the game’s development?

Taking a game like ARK: Survival Evolved, and putting it into a Voxel environment was no easy task. There were many different mechanics in ARK Survival Evolved that didn’t account for a environment that was always changing. However, it was also very exciting to be working in a new space that allows for so many creative opportunities not only for us, but for the player as well.

"Players will be able to progress in any way that suits their play style, and customize their experience to their liking."

What can you tell us about the crafting system in the game? Is it similar to what we’ve seen in Minecraft or will it be different in some ways?

The crafting system is much more similar to ARK rather than Minecraft. This means that crafting something will require the proper engram to be learned, and the appropriate crafting station/materials to be on hand.

What can you tell us about character progression and customization in the game?

Players will be able to progress in any way that suits their play style, and customize their experience to their liking. If a group of friends want to go out together and make a huge structure, battling the elements together, they’re able to. However, if you’re a lone wolf and want to be someone that keeps to themselves, lays low, and builds a nice little home under the earth where no one can bother you, you’re able to do that as well.

What will be featured in the single player mode of the game?

Everything that multiplayer has to offer, by yourself! You can also adjust the game settings before you start a single player map, to increase or decrease the difficulty as you see fit. Players can adjust experience gains, gathering rates, creature difficulty, and more to tailor the game to their needs. For players who just want to build, you can start a creative mode game that allows you to spawn in whatever items you want and fly around to find that perfect spot to start your creation.

Is there anything more you’d like to tell our readers?

We’d like to thank everyone for all of the support that our community has given us during the early access of PixARK. We look forward to all Explorers, new and veteran, to come and take on the challenges that PixARK has to offer. We have a lot of plans for the future of the game, and are very excited for the future.

Snail games has announced that they will be releasing a game inspired by the survival elements in ARK: Survival Evolved and the building mechanics of Minecraft. The game is called PixArk and Snail Games have also released a new trailer to go along with the announcement.

The game will borrow key elements from ARK: Survival Evolved including survival, dinosaur taming, and more and this will all be combined with a voxel-based building system similar to what we’ve seen in Minecraft. The game will feature a robust character progression and customization system, over 100 dinosaurs and other creatures to tame and ride, a procedurally generated quest system and much more. You can read more details about the game in its Steam Early Access page.

The game will enter Early Access and will launch in Xbox Game Preview in March. The full game will release for the PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PS4 later in 2018. You can check out the announcement trailer below.