Survive if you can, in post-apocalyptic horror shooter Once Human

Spinning out of today’s PC Gaming show, comes Once Human, a multiplayer survival shooter from Starry Studio. The beta opens up this January.

Was once a man…

Starry Studio calls the style of game that Once Human is, as “New Weird”, and I can’t think of a better term. While you’re going to see zombies and somewhat familiar horrors in the trailer below, you’re also going to see things that could only fit under the term ‘high strangeness’.

On top of that, there’s also gunplay aplenty, in both first and third person, as well as a hint at the multiplayer gameplay that the finished title will offer up. That includes what looks to be story progression, and definitely a little human on human action. As with many horror stories, Once Human’s world isn’t just plagued by otherworldly terrors.

There are human ones too.

Once Human is a sandbox survival game developed by Starry Studio, where teams of players use firearms and supernatural abilities to survive against the Aberrant: grotesquely mutated monsters that decimated humanity and left ruined cities in their wake. Themed around “New Weird”, a genre that combines the aesthetics and themes of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, the game evokes a powerful sense of unease with its awesome and powerful opponents that threaten the last remnants of mankind. Conflict is also closer to home, as hard-headed rationality compels the remaining humans to fight each other for the dwindling resources that remain. Players must band together to unite mankind, defeat the Aberrant threat, and uncover the mysteries of their enemies, or risk total destruction.

Starry Studio press release

On top of everything that you see there, Starry Studio adds that players will be crafting items to survive, as well as collecting an arsenal of 100+ weapons. That’s in addition to a little base-building. Players will be able to “create buildings anywhere in the open world map”.

While the finished title is still about a year out (set for a Q4, 2023 launch), you’ll be able to get in on Once Human’s frightening world much sooner than that. The game will have a PC beta opening up this January, on the 6th. To dig in on that, you’ll have to head to the game’s website and sign up.