Core Keeper review

Our VerdictA sprawling survival game in a beautiful subterranean world.

Our Verdict

A sprawling survival game in a beautiful subterranean world.

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Need to knowWhat is it?A subterranean mining and crafting sandbox.Expect to pay: $19.99/£15.99Developer: PugstormPublisher: Fireshine GamesReviewed on: Intel i7-9700K, RTX 4070 Ti, 16GB RAMSteam Deck: VerifiedMultiplayer?8 player co-opLink:Official site

Need to know

What is it?A subterranean mining and crafting sandbox.Expect to pay: $19.99/£15.99Developer: PugstormPublisher: Fireshine GamesReviewed on: Intel i7-9700K, RTX 4070 Ti, 16GB RAMSteam Deck: VerifiedMultiplayer?8 player co-opLink:Official site

I wish I’d kept track of how often I said “What the heck is that?” while playing Core Keeper. It must have happened a dozen times in the first dozen hours alone, like when I came across a conch shell the size of a school bus or stumbled upon a subterranean castle 20 times the size of my base. And let’s not forget when a caterpillar as big as a passenger train came stampeding through the tunnel I was exploring. WTF?

Core Keeper’s got a lot in common with survival games like Valheim, plus plenty of Minecraft DNA, and even a smidge of Stardew Valley: Bizarre sights, unexpected encounters, and delightful (though dangerous) surprises are just a few things I want from a procedurally generated co-op survival crafting sandbox, and those aren’t the only important items Core Keeper checks off my list.

Colorful and cute as its pixelated world is, it gets more daunting and scary the deeper you go—yet despite all its dangers and some seriously powerful bosses, it also makes for a cozy and comfy base-building experience. Plus: it’s got fishing. No wonder I’ve sunk more than 60 hours into it.

In Core Keeper you (and your friends, since it supports up to 8 players) find yourself stranded underground in a dimly lit cave filled with ancient and defunct technology. Awakening the slumbering core means finding a way to power it up, so pick a direction and just start digging. Chip away at dirt walls, harvest the materials you find, craft new weapons and gear, build a base, and dig far-reaching tunnels outward from the core to other biomes, which include clay caverns, arid deserts, and even a vast blue ocean.

Digging in

Progress is pretty familiar if you’ve played some survivalcraft before: mine early resources like copper and smelt the ore into ingots to make better tools, armor, and weapons, then dig deeper into the world to find sturdier stuff like tin, gold, and iron. But it’s not all about whacking walls with a pick: one of the joys of Core Keeper is setting up resource production lines so you can get machinery to do the grunt work for you.

(Image credit: Pugstorm)

Core Keeper

(Image credit: Pugstorm)

Core Keeper

There’s also plenty of enjoyable details in the enemies you face, especially the Cavelings. At first they just seemed like mindlessly hostile goblins, but sometimes I come across one chipping away at a wall, mining for ores just like I do. I’ve seen several of them sleeping, because even monsters need a rest. Spend too much time on their turf and they’ll send an entire patrol after you, swarming into your tunnel as if they’ve been rallying their troops and waiting for the perfect moment to attack. In other biomes I’ve even seen them growing crops on little farms. These are enjoyable details and occasionally make me wonder if maybe I’m the monster for invading their territory in search of loot.

Mine crafting

(Image credit: Pugstorm)

Core Keeper

The crafting is on the simpler side, and compared to most survival crafting games I didn’t need to dive into wikis all that often to figure out how it all worked. Farming and cooking are also pretty basic, but I mean that in a good way. Pop two ingredients in a pot—any two ingredients—and you’ll get a meal that typically combines their properties: combining a healing berry and a flower that glows in the dark will produce a meal that heals you and makes you glow. Unfortunately, inventory management quickly becomes an issue: even with max backpack slots, I find myself having to return to base more often than I’d like just to empty my pockets from the sheer amount ofstuffI’ve hoovered up.

Core Keeper’s lighting, effects, and animations are genuinely beautiful.

It doesn’t always help: Core Keeper’s bosses are surprisingly tough, and most of them took me numerous tries and strategies before I defeated them. Like Valheim, each main boss (there are several optional ones) gives you an item you’ll need to progress further, encouraging you to stray further from the safety of the core to level up your gear and weapons.

(Image credit: Pugstorm)

Core Keeper

The Verdict86Read our review policyCore KeeperA sprawling survival game in a beautiful subterranean world.

The Verdict

86Read our review policyCore KeeperA sprawling survival game in a beautiful subterranean world.

86Read our review policy

Core KeeperA sprawling survival game in a beautiful subterranean world.

Core Keeper

A sprawling survival game in a beautiful subterranean world.

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Our Verdict#

Digging in#

Mine crafting#

Our Verdict

Digging in

Mine crafting