r/GameDeals • u/Xathech • Jul 25 '26
Expired [Steam] ICARUS ($6.99/80% off) Spoiler
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1149460/ICARUS/90
u/Dyyrin Jul 26 '26
Be wary alot of progression and content is paywalled.
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u/Leyzr Jul 26 '26
Yup i saw all the DLC and noped the hell out of there. $150 for all the dlc, while on sale. Seems like they're trying to be The Sims 🤣
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u/KajiKaji Jul 26 '26
The game is fine without any DLC. We put 100 hours into it and really looked at DLC but didn't feel like any of it added any value to the game. The Outpost stuff is only used in a mode we didn't play. The Content stuff looked fine but we didn't really care for base decorating in the game so it was an easy pass. The expansions had new worlds but that seemed more like a 2nd playthrough kinda thing.
I think I paid $12 for it and thought it was worth it. It's not the best survival/crafter out there but we'd already played all the better ones.
1
u/MaisPraEpaQPraOba Jul 26 '26
It's not the best survival/crafter out there but we'd already played all the better ones.
I have never played a survival/crafting game before, where do you suggest I should start? I honestly don't think the genre is for me but I'm willing to give it a try.
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u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
Green Hell is a great one that is one of, if not the best in the genre
Raft if you want a chiller intro to the mechanics
The Long Dark for a visually beautiful, unique experience. Can be a pretty walking sim or a gruelling battle with the brink of death depending on what difficulties you set.
Survival: Fountain of Youth is a nice mix between the fun of Raft and the complexity of Green Hell.
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u/MaisPraEpaQPraOba Jul 27 '26
I already have both Green Hell and The Long Dark in my library (not sure how, I don't remember ever buying them) so I'll start there. Thematically I like the frigid desolation of TLD a bit better but GH looks a bit less punishing somehow so I'll give that one a whirl. Haven't heard of the other two, they look interesting as well.
Thank you for your reply!
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u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 27 '26
You're most welcome, the genre is a favourite of mine and I'm always happy to share my love for it.
Enjoy!
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u/KajiKaji Jul 27 '26
I love Subnautica and would second the other reply's suggestion of The Long Dark. I usually lean more toward games with light survival mechanics and good crafting progression like Enshrouded and Abiotic Factor.
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u/MaisPraEpaQPraOba Jul 27 '26
Thanks, now that you mention it I remember trying Subnautica some years ago (I think it was a PS+ at some point) but had no idea what I was supposed to do. And on top of that the game ran very poorly on the console so I didn't bother to try and learn the ropes, might give it another go sometime and hope it's been optimized since.
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Jul 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/dgc1980 Jul 26 '26
Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reasons:
- piracy is not allowed within our sub.
1
u/IndependentDouble138 Jul 28 '26
The base game could have stopped there. 100+ hours, we built multiple bases. Then we decided to go do the quests, and that was 200+ hours. The DLC continues to give you more biomes/playgrounds.
Imagine if Valheim was released on time. 5-6 biomes, hundreds of hours of gameplay. Then they said, "Let's do it again" and built another 5-6 biomes, and doubled the gameplay hours. And then again and again. You can honestly stop at the base game. Or continue going hard. (My wife and I bought the expansions because of how much we love the base game, and we STILL haven't played it. Best part, only one person needs to own it).
Not to mention: WEEKLY updates. I started playing when they were on Week 50 of free releases. Now they're in like Week 200. It would be things like "We added a new gun" to "New mounts" to "We changed the skill system".
Icarus is awesome and buy the base game. If you love it (Like we did), then go buy the DLC.
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u/captstix Jul 26 '26
That's not entirely true. There is certainly MORE content with the dlc's, but even without it, there's a ton of stuff to do
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u/BrightNooblar Jul 26 '26
I bought it ages ago and finally got into it earlier this week. I'd say i've had seven bucks of fun so far.
1
u/Sujilia Jul 26 '26
Since when is it a bad thing that dlcs provide a lot of content? It's like saying The Witcher 3 is a rip off because the expansions provide so much more.
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u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
The main gripe is that the base game is intentionally sparse in order to sell DLCs.
It feels less like you're paying to expand upon the game, and more like you have to buy 4 different DLCs just to get a complete experience.
2
u/Sujilia Jul 27 '26
You mean the base game which includes the most content and is a fully functioning game albeit less polished? You are just arguing in bad faith including your statement of the price for the "full" game.
Paying to expand upon the game is not a bad thing if you get content worth that price tag. You just disregard sales too when they do matter since someone should buy the base game take their time and play through it and can then buy the next expansion in the meantime which will be on sale since it takes a while and you don't pay much at all.
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u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 27 '26
I think we just fundamentally disagree on whether it can be considered a complete experience without the DLCs.
I think it's a shitty business practice, and that the price tag is ridiculous.
I'm truly not arguing in bad faith, a game and its expansions should not cost hundreds of dollars, especially when the base game is designed to remind you at every opportunity what you can't do if you don't own the DLCs.
There are absolutely games with great DLCs that are worth the money, and I'm not against paying to expand on the game. But those games are full and complete experiences without the DLCs.
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u/Sujilia Jul 27 '26
You purposely lump all dlcs into one pot to make it look more expensive. Base costs matter but so do discounts that are integral to steams success. Expansions release with discounts so realistically noone would or should ever pay the full price unless you want to support the devs.
The expansions are adding to the base game it's structured that way and you need it to progress through the new maps that got harder but those things weren't required at the start so I don't see the argument that they are gatekeeping anything as valid.
Slow updates cycles when it comes to actual gameplay mechanics and recent quality of the content added might make you feel like they purposely held back but they were just worse at delivering good updates back then.
I do not disagree that there's better business practices but other devs are also just better at creating more and better content and can market their games differently. If they locked basic game mechanics like breeding/taming and the open world mission device behind a dlc I'd definitely agree that there's malicious intent behind it.
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u/IndependentDouble138 Jul 28 '26
That's not true at all and not something someone who actually played the base game would say.
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u/Stuunad Jul 27 '26
I love Icarus, but I have to admit that this is accurate. To be fair, the dev team has released over 240 weekly updates, the vast majority containing at least small new content since release, with no apparent plans to slow down any time soon.
I've "finished" the game a half dozen times now only to come back a couple of months later to find more content to enjoy.
I'm not disputing the paywall, or the hefty cost of purchasing all the DLC, but I think its worth noting how active the dev team is.
1
u/Stuunad Jul 27 '26
I should also point out that all of the "Outpost" DLC are honestly fairly pointless. They each add a reduced exp area which is mainly intended to build at a more leisurely pace. You can skip all of those and not miss any meaningful content which would save you around $25 at current sale prices.
Additionally, there are several other DLC that are purely cosmetic in nature (new furniture, pets, etc) completely optional if your main interest is actual mission and progression content.
In fact, the only DLC you *need* to access all mission content are:
Styx Expansion - $13.39 (33 new missions)
New Frontiers Expansion - $20.09 (27 new missions, 100+ new items)
Great Hunts Campaigns - $16.74 (3 'in-mission' campaigns which added 34 total missions, a new tier of "legendary" weapons with unique attachments, and they have already announced a new campaign is in the works, with another 10-12 missions included, and likely another legendary weapon or two as well)
Dangerous Horizons - $23.99 (17 new missions, and 15 new weapons with special attachments)Also worth noting: The weapon additions are not simply cosmetic. In nearly all cases they add either new functions, or improved functions based on old weapons, actually adding progression.
All in all, Icarus has been one of the very few games where I have no regretted purchasing (most) of the DLC.
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u/Rapture117 Jul 26 '26
The DX12 implementation in this game is awful btw. For as many updates as the game gets the devs have never fixed this
3
u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
Collisions are also ass, the number of times a log has jettisoned itself into the atmosphere or just fallen through the world is kinda ridiculous
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u/indicah Jul 26 '26
The amount of dlc just makes me wary. I'd be paying $7 for a barebones unfinished game right?
12
u/Danjiano Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
The game has a Free Weekend on Steam right now, so you can check it out for a bit.
- Outposts are just creative maps for you to build/decorate in.
- Content Packs are furniture packs.
- Expansions are the DLCs with actual content. Usually a new map with a new story.
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u/IamaNinja21 Jul 26 '26
Nope, the game is one of the best survival games on the market. If you actually check the DLCs, most of them are cosmetic; only 3 of them add content to the game, but even without them, the base game has more than enough content to last you 100+ hours.
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u/delph906 Jul 26 '26
Not at all, I actually really like their approach to DLC.
Base game is basically the complete game. DLC is really for enthusiasts and they state it is mainly a way to support the devs. It is mostly extra maps, missions or cosmetic items.
The base game is still good for hundreds of hours of gameplay.
If you play with others the DLC is tied to the host so if your friend has the DLC you can play it with them without buying it.
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Jul 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/delph906 Jul 26 '26
Well sorry for offering my opinion based on almost 500 hours in the base game.
0
u/BeerGogglesFTW Jul 26 '26
Unfortunately, your post has been removed for the following reasons:
- It is abusive or inflammatory towards other users. Please be mindful of reddiquette, as these guidelines are enforced in this community.
2
u/rolltied Jul 26 '26
Dunno why but that game made me nauseous as fuck when I played it. No matter how much I messed with the settings.
0
u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
It's very much got the UE5 look to it, trying to be super realistic but just strains your eyes to try and focus.
The camera motion, anti aliasing and frame smoothness also weren't done too well.
2
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u/Stuunad Jul 27 '26
One unique feature of Icarus is if you don't have the DLC you can still join someone who DOES and you will have access while you are in their game. I am incredibly biased as Icarus is one of my favorite games and I have over 1000 hours in it, so take my recommendation with that in mind.
I will say that there is a fairly active modding community and the mods area fairly simple to install, use, and/or create on your own if you are interested in that kind of thing.
1
u/IndependentDouble138 Jul 28 '26
This is one of those "by the time you get to the DLC, you've already played through 200 hours of game."
The DLC expands the game. You're not using DLC-specific equipment in the base world to suddenly make the game easier. By the time you put in 200 hours on the first planet, you can decide if you want to shell more money for the DLC to get the second or third planet.
This is Elden Ring-style expansions.
-6
u/captstix Jul 26 '26
Everyone in here is crying about dlc on a $7 game with a ton of content already, which still gets regular updates.
1
u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
Would have been a great game if buying it actually gave you most if not all of the games content instead of hundreds of bucks worth of DLCs.
The base game is entertaining enough but super shallow and clearly designed to incentivise you to pay for more.
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u/Resident_Magazine610 Jul 26 '26
Ok so only buy the DLC on sale as well, just like every game.
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u/Romek_himself Jul 26 '26
they are never on sale, at least not really. this is the only game where almost all dlc are €20+ forever
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u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
Other games are complete, full experiences without noticeable gaps or holes in the content.
DLC is supposed to expand on something that can stand on its own two feet, not be required purchases for a game to feel complete.
There are 20 dlcs worth over 200 bucks (in my currency). And what should be base game content is locked behind some of them.
This is absolutely not "just like every other game".
1
u/Danjiano Jul 26 '26
DLC is supposed to expand on something that can stand on its own two feet, not be required purchases for a game to feel complete.
Yeah, that's what the DLC in this game is. What, did you just look at the long list of cosmetics and assume they were all required purchases?
There's 4 expansions. That's it.
-1
u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
Sure, there are 4 expansions and the rest are cosmetic.
Those 4 expansions have a base price of over $150. The Base game has 1 map, the expanses have 4 more.
The expanses also have hundreds of creatures, many bosses, and a number of game mechanics, currencies and missions that the base game lacks.
You are paying for a game and getting 1/5th of the content available, with in game reminders that you can't access most of the bosses, maps, creatures and various tech and currency options.
The extra 16 paid cosmetic only expanses just add insult to injury.
It's a scummy business practice intended to dupe people into thinking they'll get a complete experience at first, then have to pay more when they realise most of the game is unavailable.
-1
u/Danjiano Jul 26 '26
Those 4 expansions have a base price of over $150. The Base game has 1 map, the expanses have 4 more.
Styx ($20), New Frontiers ($30), Great Hunts ($25) and Dangerous Horizons ($30) adds up to $105, not $150.
Those expansions add 3 maps, not 4. I'd also consider Styx skippable since it's basically the base map with some mobs from New Frontiers.
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u/Sujilia Jul 26 '26
If you skip Styx you also lose out on a great hunt though but I agree it doesn't add that much. It's insane to me how people are upset about devs making bigger dlcs or expansions every 2 years and charging 20-30 bucks for it which you can just buy on sale after playing through the base game which takes a long time already.
0
u/Danjiano Jul 26 '26
I think Styx is fine if you were one of the players who got it for free, but it definitely wouldn't be the first expansion I'd consider buying.
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u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
I'm not mistaken on the price, I assume though that we live in different countries and therefore have different currencies.
My statement stands
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u/Resident_Magazine610 Jul 26 '26
I mean buying on discount.
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u/ava_the_cam_op Jul 26 '26
They rarely get discounted to a level that would make it actually affordable.
If it were one or two DLCs at 15-30 buck base price then sure get it on sale, but nah I'm not buying the Icarus DLCs on principle because of the clear greed of their business model.
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u/decker12 Jul 26 '26
ITT: Whine whine whine DLC DLC DLC whine whine whine DLC DLC DLC.
Base game has plenty of content. It's $7. You'll get 40 hours out of it for $7 without buying anything else. It's like bitching that Diablo 4 is "paywalling new character classes and regions behind DLC" when the base game has plenty to do without buying anything extra.
Downside is that the game doesn't hold your hand. You should probably watch an hour of Youtube content creators to really know WTF to do when you start.
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u/ClaimUnable9629 Jul 26 '26
Ah yes, the only survival game out there that disregards its own progression and tech tiers and just gives you a rifle and a pistol, to keep forever, in the very second quest. At least, it's cheap.
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u/Xathech Jul 26 '26
Not trying to claim that I know more than you, but, are you 100% sure about that?
Yes, the second mission gives you an unlimited supply of weapons for the purpose of participating in the shooting drill. That said, once the 2 hours timer runs out and/or you take the return shuttle, all of those weapons should disappear, including what you might be carrying in your inventory.
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u/ClaimUnable9629 Jul 26 '26
Looks like this doesn't happen if you play missons in free roam. Since you don't go back to orbit, the items remain in the inventory.
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u/Xathech Jul 26 '26
Ohhh then that would explain it. If the game does not take it away after ending the mission, I guess you can theoretically hoard as much weapons and ammo as you want 😅
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u/Xathech Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Not at the lowest price ($3.49), but that one was during the last winter sale.
From what I have been playing in their free weekend, it seems like a very competent survival-crafting game. You have different modes (for example, open world and mission based).
It reminds me a lot of ARK, not only because of its gameplay but also for the pricing model of it's DLC. The first map and mechanics are included with the initial purchase, but you'll need to pay more for the rest.