Rust:Console Edition Review

Rust: Console Edition is a hard core survival game from Facepunch Studios and Double Eleven. The only object of Rust is to survive – and good luck with that. Everything is out to get you whether that be other players, wild animals, radiation, or even just the environment.

Jumping into the game for the first time I think I managed to make it about 100 yards off the starting beach before being swarmed by a group of players with pointy sticks. This was a rinse and repeat experience for about the first hour or so. Eventually I managed to start finding my feet and grabbing some materials of my own and finally I had a place I could call home… Or at least I did until I had my house robbed and my head smashed in with a rock (anyone else starting to see a pattern?).

The first hour of deaths weren’t so bad, I didn’t have anything to lose so would just jump back in. This one hit hard though, my poor 4×4 house had been destroyed and all my worldly possessions had been stolen away.

Back to the grind (and this game has plenty of that), I got my house back up again, managed to get myself a new outfit, got some spears and a bow with some arrows, determined to go all John Wick on anyone who dared to cross me.

Finally the opportunity came; a newbie, fresh off the beach with nothing but a rock to defend himself. After 10 or so missed arrows (Oliver Queen I am not) I decided to go with the spear. As the final blow hit I realised that I had become the thing that had made me hate the first hour or so of this game, and that right there is the beauty of Rust: that for all the plans you might try and make regarding crafting and making encampments, it boils down to the brutal nature of killing to survive.

Fresh from my herculean effort to take down the newbie I was on top of the world, untouchable and ready to conquer anything that Rust had to throw at me. What it decided to throw at me was one hell of an angry grizzly bear (we all know where this is going). My confidence bolstered from my recent exploits, I charged in head first… only to be wiped out after 2 massive swipes of its paws.

Fortunately this time, I had a sleeping bag set up so I managed to spawn in the comfort of my own house. Broken and battered I decided that I might need to rethink how I approached Rust.

Items such as storage boxes and locks allow you to store your most valuable items, safe in the knowledge that they’ll still be there if you decide to go and grab a cuppa. Rust also has safe zones that don’t allow any hostile actions so setting up some form of base in those areas gives you some form of safety net.

Once you have a solid foundation to build upon, you can start getting more adventurous with the crafting, hunting animals and making your character more suited for the unforgiving Rust experience.

Once you are able to get out and start exploring you with find that Rust has 3 distinct biomes; Temperate, Desert and Snow. The temperate zone is split into sub sections as well.

Temperate

Grassland Plains

A huge spacious biome that is a commonly seen environment. Players won’t have to worry too much regarding the temperature as it’s not too hot that you’ll struggle with hydration or too cold that you’ll need to worry about taking cold damage. This area is often a spawning area for mineable rocks and barrels (which are great for finding materials in) There is also a chance that you will encounter animals here. Being fairly flat, this biome is ideal for building bases and structures.

Grassland Hills

Like the Grassland Plains but with loads of, well, hills, slightly uneven terrain and little vegetation (aside from grass).

Temperate Forest

A biome where there tends to be a fairly dense quantity of trees. Animal spawns are increased here, and sometimes one can find a river or road crossing through it. There’s a good chance that this will be the area you are most likely to come across your main food sources including everything from deer to bears, to horses, chickens and beyond.

Desert

The desert zone (also known as “Arid” Biome) is a warmer, hotter part of the world usually found in the south side of the map. Deserts are usually quite big and expansive, animal spawns here are slightly higher than that of Grassland, and the Desert is a common place to find barrels and roads. The parts of the Desert bordering the ocean are often spawning points for players. Vegetation is scarce, but one can find the odd cactus, shrub or mushroom lying around. During the night, the Desert will make a player cold without clothing or a camp fire, as temperatures drop. Due to its close proximity to player spawn points, the Desert will often be swarming with player activity. Once in a while, you may come across a small pond, a little grove of trees or an isolated cluster of rocks/rock formations.

Snow

In the north part of the map can be found this snow-covered ground, aka Arctic. Parts of it do not make the player Cold during the day; almost all of it will do so at night. High elevation has a similar effect. After a brief period when resources were spread more evenly across the map, the Cold biome once again has more Metal Rocks than others.

My experience with Rust wasn’t all positive however. The game is not the most polished game I have ever played, with horrible frame drops and hard crashes happening much more frequently than you would like in a game where encounters are life and death. The game also isn’t the greatest of looking games. You would be forgiven for thinking that the game is running on an Xbox 360.

Conclusion

If you can get over the poor graphics, bugs and the constant attempts on your life, Rust: Console Edition has plenty to offer you. The game is definitely suited to a very niche group and that’s OK because once you overcome the initial learning curve, Rust can be great (especially if you can group up with friends or even other in game players).

This game was reviewed based on Xbox One review code, using an Xbox One console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.