Japanese open-world survival game Omega Crafter incorporates programming as a gameplay element 

Omega Crafter is an open-world crafting survival game developed by Preferred Networks, a Japanese IT venture pursuing the practical utilization of AI technology and deep learning. The Open Beta Test for Omega Crafter started on December 2 on Steam. 

Omega Crafter brings a fairly novel element to  the crafting survival game genre – programming. But in what way is programming introduced and how does it all work? I had the opportunity to participate in the Closed Beta Test for Omega Crafter held before the OBT, and was able find out exactly what the game has to offer. 

The story of Omega Crafter takes place in the world of a game that is still under development. The world is being attacked by a mysterious program that’s hindering development. To help complete the game, you need to build cities, explore and fight off enemies together with your programmable partner Grammi. 

The basic rules and mechanics of Omega Crafter don’t differ much from typical crafting survival games – you learn crafting skills, collect materials, and build and develop your cities. Similarly to Valheim, you can set up portals for fast travel, making exploration easier. 

In order to build cities, you need to obtain items dropped by defeated enemies. However, combat in Omega Crafter is unusually challenging for the genre. Your enemies are monsters, ranging from small fry to powerful bosses. Boss monsters are remarkably strong, as 2-3 direct hits from them can knock you out. To defeat them, you need to be accurate with your commands and make sure you’re keeping your distance.  

In battle, you use stamina for attacking, dodging and dashing, so you have to take care not to run out mid-battle. You can strengthen your character by crafting equipment and making food to eat three times a day. 

Omega Crafter also supports co-op play, which means you can build cities and explore the world together with other players. This comes in handy in combat too, as you can assign who’s going to fight close-range vs. long-range and similar.  

Moving onto Omega Crafter’s unusual feature – Grammi, the programmable sidekick. Grammi is an NPC you receive during the game’s tutorial. When fighting enemies or wild animals, the Grammi launches attacks automatically, and by programming it on your own, you can get it to do whatever you want. 

The programming isn’t done completely from scratch, but functions by selecting individual commands and creating flowcharts for different operations you want the Grammi to perform. At the same time, there are also templates prepared, such as a template to make Grammi collect crafting materials such as rock and wood for you. The templates are a good way to start out if you feel overwhelmed by all the different commands available. 

There are in-game items called Bug Fragments, which you can use to summon a City Grammi. The City Grammi operates only within the city, so you can leave it to do crafting or work in the fields. It is time-consuming to craft materials and items yourself, so one efficient strategy is to leave the Grammi to handle crafting on their own. You can even continue giving commands remotely while exploring faraway regions. This means that even when playing solo, you can create a self-sufficient support system to help you progress in the game. 

Overall, Omega Crafter left me with the impression of being densely packed with different gameplay features while retaining its integrity. Bosses and enemy hideouts are challenging, and crafting is time-consuming, but the Grammi exists as a counterbalance. 

Programming the Grammi works quite intuitively, so it doesn’t take too long to figure out how to create commands. Alternatively, it seems like you can progress through the game quite smoothly just using the templates provided. 

As mentioned previously, combat is unexpectedly difficult for the genre, so going into battle insufficiently equipped or with depleted stamina can end badly for you. Some gameplay elements are even reminiscent of the Dark Souls trilogy, with blocking and dodge rolling slowly eating away at your stamina and strength. This is apparently due to some of the development staff being fans of FromSoftware titles. 

Omega Crafter is still awaiting its early access launch, and the developers are accepting feedback via the official Discord channel. For those curious to try out a rather unique Japanese crafting survival game, the beta version is available on Steam. 

Written by. Amber V based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-12-03 10:22 JST)