Originally released in 2013, Rust was one of the original breakout survival successes on Steam. There were a number of other games enjoy it, but not many of Rust’s counterparts have remained the main attraction provided it's. Despite drawing a massive audience on Twitch and YouTube, Rust never made its method to consoles in all the years after its release unlike other similar survival games like Ark and DayZ. That is, so far. Rust Console Edition brings the unforgiving survival experience to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, however the game’s console debut feels half-baked.
Rust is a superb game. Rust Console Edition isn't. If you’ve played Rust or watched someone stream Rust, then you know the basic premise. You wake up naked on a beach, and from there, your only goal is to survive. You’ll have to gather whatever resources you can to prevent yourself from the elements, wildlife, hunger, thirst, radiation, along with other players. It’s brutal and unforgiving. Death is a common occurrence. Raids are an element of everyday life. That’s why is Rust so compelling to individuals, though. The game’s cutthroat nature can make some intense moments, and also the high you receive from an exciting brush with death is sufficient to keep people motivated even when they lose everything. There’s an unmatched sense of tension in Rust, and that’s why the sport resonates with so many people.
Not knowing who’s a friend and who’s a foe, being unsure of if your stuff it's still there whenever you log on the following day, they are things that make Rust a fantastic multiplayer experience, and people feelings are still contained in the console version. You can still go on massive raids together with your friends, you can still door camp unsuspecting solo players, and you can still yell at naked quickly voice chat. The innate joys of Rust are here, whether or not the console version lacks many of the PC version’s newer features. The servers also wipe everyone’s progress regularly, placing everyone with an even playing field so you can start the process once again and check out out new base designs and techniques. It’s like whenever you as well as your friends decide to begin a new Minecraft world for the 100th time, only this time around it’s mandatory for everybody. The forced server wipes and also the game’s reliance on social interaction result in basically limitless replayability, something which no game continues to be in a position to replicate as along with Rust has.
Unfortunately, Rust Console Edition is not a great port. The controls feel wonky, especially aiming and shooting. This is a problem in a game in which a single bullet can mean the difference between life or death, and the floaty gunplay can lead to some incredibly frustrating moments during combat. Even though you tweak your settings and aim sensitivity, it never quite feels right. The UI and inventory will also be a pain to handle having a controller. Organizing your inventory with a controller is really a cumbersome experience, and it just makes you much more vulnerable if you’re looting a monument or attempting to make it out of the raid alive. It’s not unplayable, but it’s not at all ideal.
The real trouble with Rust Console Edition may be the bugs. This should happen to be an early access release. It’s buggier and it has fewer features compared to PC version, but it’s for sale at a high price with expensive deluxe and supreme editions. Crafting glitches, input lag and inconsistent performance, weapons not firing, server browser issues, each one of these problems happen to be present through the early access period and more bugs have been appearing as more people get into the game. There has been several patches, but fixed issues don’t always stay fixed and new bugs appear with every update. The early access period might be over on paper, but it’s clear this is not the case. This game needed additional time in the oven. When placed side by side with the PC version, Rust Console Edition is really a vastly inferior product. Granted, I literally game on PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility for this review and the game isn’t officially optimized or tested for next-gen consoles yet, to ensure that could be the root of a few of these issues.
If Rust Console Edition launched in early access for less money point, this review wouldn't be as harsh. The sport just gets in the way of itself in its current state. It shows so much potential if this allows you to have those classic Rust moments like one-shotting an unsuspecting player with an Eoka or pulling from the perfect raid, but you’re most likely to run into a few glitches along the way that will get in the way of the enjoyment. One day, you’re laughing with your group following a successful monument run. The next day, you log in and find out the game kicks you from the server by eating corn, or you aren’t able to craft certain items, or ladders don’t work anymore. Even though you don’t encounter any bugs that ruin the experience, you’re still going to seem like you’re playing an FPS that’s mediocre at best due to the game’s controls and occasional server desync.
Rust Console Edition is, well, Rust on consoles. It’s not the very best version of Rust, it’s not really an especially stable version of Rust, but it’s Rust at the end of the day. If you really, actually want to take part in the game but didn't have the opportunity to jump in on PC, then you now finally have the opportunity to see what all of the hype is about. If you’re not absolutely desperate for that Rust experience though, then it might be worth it to hold off until the game has a few patches under its belt. It’s still janky at launch even after a lengthy early access period, the controls need tuning, and there’s still lots of missing features which have yet to be added. Meanwhile, there's a ton of other survival games on PS4 and Xbox One that will provide a more complete and enjoyable experience. In the current state, Rust Console Edition is a vastly inferior form of the sport being sold at a high price.