Stranded: Alien Dawn

{{Infobox video game

| title = Stranded: Alien Dawn

| image = File:Stranded Alien Dawn cover art.jpg

| developer = Haemimont Games

| publisher = Frontier Foundry

| platforms = {{ubl|Microsoft Windows|PlayStation 4|PlayStation 5|Xbox One|Xbox Series X/S}}

| released = 25 April 2023

| genre = Survival, simulation

| modes = Single-player

}}

Stranded: Alien Dawn is a survival simulation video game developed by Haemimont Games and published by Frontier Foundry. The game was released for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S in April 2023.

Gameplay

Stranded: Alien Dawn is a simulation video game which tasks players to guide a group of settlers marooned on a deadly alien planet and ensure their survival. At the beginning of the game, players can select several starting scenarios, each with their own goals and objectives. The game features several difficulty levels, and the game allows players to adjust various parameters of gameplay such as the aggression level of alien lifeforms and the frequency of natural disasters.{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/stranded-alien-dawn/|title=Stranded: Alien Dawn review|first=Christopher|last=Livingston|work=PC Gamer|date=April 25, 2023|accessdate=May 16, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stranded-alien-dawn-review|title=Stranded: Alien Dawn review: a survival sim that nails the crashlanding|first=Kim|last=Armstrong|work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|date=April 24, 2023|accessdate=May 16, 2023}}

Players need to manage the crew and assign tasks for each survivor, occasionally controlling them directly. They need to gather resources, observe alien lifeforms, and eventually, plant crops, hunt for food, and build a self-sustaining community. The maps are procedurally generated, and players can send off a scout out in a hot air balloon to collect natural resources, and sometimes recruit new survivors.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/gaming-features/stranded-alien-dawn-preview-live-together-cry-alone-3367825|title='Stranded Alien Dawn' preview: live together, cry alone|first=Andy|last=Brown|work=NME|date=December 15, 2022|accessdate=May 16, 2023}} Each survivor also has their own strengths and weaknesses and distinct personality, which affects the performance and the happiness of other crew members. As player progresses, their settlement or outpost will gradually expand, and they will unlock new technology that improve the survivors' well-being, and weaponry that can be used against hostile lifeforms.

Development

Stranded: Alien Dawn was developed by Bulgarian developer Haemimont Games, the developer behind the Tropico series and Surviving Mars. Frontier Foundry, the publishing arm of British developer Frontier Developments, first announced their partnership with Haemimont in December 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-06-12-frontier-signs-first-deal-as-third-party-publisher|title=Frontier signs first deal as third-party publisher|first=Matthew|last= Handrahan|date=June 12, 2019|access-date=December 14, 2019|work=Gameindustry.biz}} The game was officially revealed during Gamescom 2022 Opening Night Live.{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/stranded-alien-dawn-announced-gamescom-opening-night-live|title=Stranded: Alien Dawn Is a New Survival Sim About a Community Marooned in Space|first=Matt|last=Kim|work=IGN|date=August 24, 2020|accessdate=May 16, 2023}} After entering early access in October 2022,{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stranded-alien-dawn-a-base-building-survival-game-hits-early-access-in-october/1100-6506797/|title=Stranded: Alien Dawn, A Base-Building Survival Game, Hits Early Access In October|first=James|last=Carr|work=GameSpot|date=August 23, 2022|accessdate=May 16, 2023}} Stranded: Alien Dawn was released in full on April 25, 2023, for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/stranded-alien-dawn-boss-celebrates-games-10-launch-humans-are-story-telling-animals/|title=Stranded Alien Dawn boss celebrates game's 1.0 launch: "Humans are story-telling animals"|first=Joe|last=Donnelly|work=GamesRadar|date=April 25, 2023|accessdate=May 16, 2023}}

Reception

{{video game reviews

|MC = 81/100

|PCGUS = 86/100

}}

The game received "generally positive reviews" upon release, according to review aggregator Metacritic.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/stranded-alien-dawn/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=Stranded: Alien Dawn for PC Reviews|work=Metacritic|accessdate=June 14, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/stranded-alien-dawn/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-series-x|title=Stranded: Alien Dawn for Xbox Series X Reviews|work=Metacritic|accessdate=June 14, 2023}} Kim Armstrong from Rock, Paper, Shotgun compared the game to RimWorld, and described the experience as "incredibly refreshing". Christopher Livingston from PC Gamer, meanwhile, described the game as a "a survival colony builder that generates stories of triumph, disaster, and white-knuckle rescues".