Project Genom: The Sci-Fi MMO With A Lot Of Promise

I can’t help but feel surprised at how much I’m enjoying Project Genom. Considering it’s Early Access the sci-fi MMO should have everything going against it—especially after countless other EA letdowns and a general player sentiment that too many games are releasing too early. And Project Genom is the perfect example of Early Access: the tutorial breaks, road textures fold into a curve, quest markers barely exist, gameplay avenues are severely lacking. Still, I’m trapped in Project Genom’s gravity: thinking about it anytime I’m away from my computer. And I’m not alone. SteamCharts show a healthy population that's just as addicted as I am.

Why do I have 20 hours logged in Project Genom?

My first impression was a disaster: the tutorial broke and I was stuck wandering hallways decorated by mannequin lice-aliens. But I didn’t give up. Relaunching the game I was determined to make it through the beginning area to justify my $15 and not disappoint the viewers on Twitch. Anytime technology doesn’t work, unplug it and plug it back in. Project Genom let me into its world.

The lice were no longer mannequins but charged at me to nibble my toes. But I was prepared. I got my first gun and combed through the tutorial zone.

Shooting feels great, and it better. Each shot has gusto, a rippling sound echos and then falls to quiet, giving the weapons a powerful presence as you fire. It’s simple too. Just line up an enemy in your crosshair and pull the trigger. No RNG shenanigans determines whether or not you connect a shot; no tab-targeting decides what enemy you’re attacking. So long as you can aim and click, you’re dishing out damage.

And shooting better feel great. It’s the only combat mechanic currently in Project Genom. Melee weapons, drones, xenoform metamorphoses, mechs, and other means to rampage across the planet is planned—at least according to Project Genom’s excellent cinematic trailer. For now you just shoot, with a pistol or assault rifle, and I shot everything I could.

Fight your way out of the tutorial and you’ll wake up in the Ark: a base of operations for people struggling to survive on a distant world.

Navigating the Ark is not easy, at first. The game’s map does not help you get around; it can’t convey the base’s multi-tiered layout because the developers chose realism over practicality. The Ark map looks like an architect’s blueprint while the world map looks like an image from Google Earth. I like them both. They convey enough information to be surface level useful without holding your hand between point A and point B. And they both immerse you in the game’s universe by minimizing your reliance on the map to move around.

I explored, taking in every sight until I developed photographic memory of the Ark. The base is pretty. The Ark is a nearly gritty atmosphere: dark corridors lit by neon where NPCs either work or slop on a bench. And then there’s lush ferns segueing into the Command Center where you’ll pick up storyline missions. It’s a pretty place that almost feels alive; it just needs a little more polish: which the developers know—a robot hammers away on a sign that says “Alpha content.” I love seeing the 4th wall broken.

My advice to new players is to get lost for now. No that you have to try. Quests will have you running around, feeling overwhelmed and baffled.

Quest markers only work when they want to. Out of my entire quest log, I could only rely on two to mark the spot on the map at any given time. And quest items are normally not marked at all. You have to wander upon them by chance: run along a wall until “Press E to pick up…” procs and you’ll know you ran into an objective. It’s pretty frustrating at first, especially if you’re used to MMORPGs that strip players of autonomy by telling them exactly where to go. It is an Early Access issue which will be resolved with additional markers.

But I hope the fixes don’t hold your hand too much.

Running around the game engrossed me in it’s world. I was forced to talk in chat, trading tips on where to find Hound dung to cover my character in, I scavenged forums to find out where Mithra is located, etc. Sure, markers that indicate where players are supposed to go and what they’re supposed to do are welcome.

But I would like to see a system that still forces the player to work to complete the quest. Maybe quest text is refined or markers give a general area on the map as to where players should go. Make me explore. Don’t solve every quest for me. And I I don't want to see quest items get a shimmer or flare indicating their presence. I hate that. It makes me feel like Pavlov’s dog.

Project Genom has inspired comparisons to Tabula Rasa or Firefall, but my immediate impression was Ultima Online. Because skills aren’t dished out for leveling up. If you want to improve your efficiency with assault rifles you have to fire bullets into an enemy with an assault rifle. If you want to level up tactical armor you have to wear tactical armor and take damage. You head to an area with enemies—at first they’ll be Starship Troopers-like bugs—and fire into them again and again and again. You’ll gain experience to your overall level (needed to equip higher-tiered gear), and secondary experience points that are used to purchase bonus attributes, e.g. “increases armor durability for each equipped Assault Armor part.”

Gameplay is largely moving between areas as you level up, firing on enemies and taking damage until you can equip better gear to move to the next area; while also completing various quests within the area. In Ultima Online you start in the graveyard with skeletons, then move on to harpy cave, then it's off to some dungeons. Project Genom functions the same way.

On paper it can seem trivial. But a healthy balance between questing and mowing down mobs mitigates the sense of being shuffled along on a roller-coaster. And you have the freedom to completely ignore quests and explore the world through grinding if you choose.

It’s a system that rewards you for every mob that you defeat, and encourages specialization. Eventually players will refine their gameplay by speccing into specific skills and armor and guns, and that encourages a wide diversity of playstyles. No two players ought to end up following the same progression path, unless their following some guide thrown up on Reddit or another forum.

But the most rewarding aspect of Project Genom so far is exploration.

The developers know how to craft a world that makes you feel like a small actor on a stage. There are huge rust-crusted structures scattered across the planet’s surface, e.g. enormous engines that once propelled people between stars and billowing buildings left over from some lost civilization; the sense of scale is impressive. While the world isn’t enormous yet it’s decorations are, and I hope to see them create a narrative that unfolds as players explore.

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When I say Project Genom is an early access title I mean early access: invisible walls abound, you’ll get stuck in weird crevices, some dialogue is broken or not translated, the road tries to rubber band away from the planet, servers are overwhelmed by players, character models get stuck inside each other, there’s no economy at the moment, enemies spawn between walls. The game is a framework, but it’s an attractive framework and you can see the potential as you play, as if the game Project Genom is meant to be is waiting to burst into its Platonic self.

My biggest fear for Project Genom is that players interested—myself—will come down with a case of Early Access burnout before more systems are added. That is always the problem with any Early Access project. But I do feel confident after viewing the team’s roadmap. I just hope they can slowly implement systems sooner than later to ensure the game’s inertia doesn’t dwindle.

If you’re interested in Project Genom but still don’t know if it’s worth parting with your cash I highly suggest you watch some videos on YouTube—or our very own below—to help you make up your mind. Know what you’re getting into before taking the leap. From my own experience, Project Genom is one of the most promising Early Access titles I’ve played, and I’m excited for its future. It may become the sci-fi MMO I’ve been waiting for.

Helpful Links

Project Genom Newbie Guide by Project Genom Helper Veronica
Project Genom Reddit