While Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress are the more common names you'll hear mentioned in the colony sim space, Oxygen Not Included deserves similar respect. Developer Klei's space base-building game boasts more than 120,000 player reviews with a 96% positive Steam score, and remains a pillar of the genre nearly six years after launch. Now, it's just been given a lease of fresh life with the launch of a new ONI DLC, the Prehistoric Planet Pack, and there's a hefty Steam sale discount on the base game if you've never tried it before, making now a perfect time to start.
This prehistoric strategy game. There, your duplicants (ONI's population) are tasked with preparing to deal with an incoming asteroid that threatens to demolish their home. The world has its own distinct biomes, with a wide range of dinosaur critters and similarly themed plants, natural elements, and resources. These include variants that have evolved to grow on walls or ceilings, letting you explore fresh possibilities for base optimization.
Peat is at the core of the new world's ecosystem, and can be used to fuel power generators or in the new smoker, which turns tough dinosaur meat into juicy brisket. There's also an emulsifier building that can transform various liquids into fluid compounds, and plenty more resources to discover. Keep your eyes out for the likes of amber, shale, nickel, resin, biodiesel, and iridium as you explore.
As for the dinosaurs, you'll encounter plenty of new creatures. Among them are the Lumb, gentle giants that shake nearby structures and plants as they walk, and the carnivorous Rhex. This dangerous creature can be shorn to obtain feather fiber for textile production, but be sure to keep it away from the innocent Dartles or it'll make a quick snack out of them. Other predators include the aquatic Jawbos, while Gnits present "a pesky but useful way to produce amber" if your other options are proving difficult
Two new duplicants, Maya and Higby, the lineup as you rush to put together a sufficiently explosive payload to prevent the imminent asteroid impact. You won't be able to stop it altogether, however, but the debris could play host to some particularly valuable treats if you're able to track them down and investigate. If you're feeling particularly bold, Klei promises "an extra-explosive scenario" available from the lab.
If you're an Oxygen Not Included veteran, the Prehistoric Planet Pack promises to be a fantastically flavorful addition to your next playthrough, filled with a wide variety of new discoveries to make. For anyone who's been tempted but never taken the plunge, there's a massive Steam sale discount that could be the ideal excuse to change that.
Oxygen Not Included is 70% off on Steam until Thursday June 26, so expect to pay just $7.49 / £5.69. The Prehistoric Planet Pack is out now, priced at $7.99 / £6.69. Find it right here if you're ready to prevent an extinction-level event.
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