Stranded: Alien Dawn review - A brave new world full of delight and danger

Developed by Haemimont Games and published by Frontier Foundry, Stranded: Alien Dawn is a single-player survival/simulation game. I had the pleasure of trying out the game during the Sow and Sell Update, and now I'm thrilled to be able to review the finished product. With the full release, a brand new scenario called Military Outpost has been added.

Similar to the Trading Post scenario, survivors don't crash-land on an alien planet but instead choose to travel there of their own free will. But enough about that. It's time to take a deep dive into the game itself and explore the beauty that is Stranded: Alien Dawn.

Stranded: Alien Dawn - Military Outpost is here with a plethora of stuff

Hostile wildlife ain't getting past my survivors (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

Having learned how to play the game (properly, might I add) while trying out the Trading Outpost scenario, starting out with two extra survivors in the Military Outpost scenario was a sheer delight. As the name suggests, you will have to use brute force and firepower instead of trying to claim the planet through commerce.

The goal is quite simple: build the Ansible Relay and protect it at all costs from native wildlife. Unlike the first two scenarios that are available, survivors are armed to the teeth in this one. High-tech weaponry and armor are available from the very beginning. Although it will take some time to replace them once they degrade, it makes the early game much easier.

Mechs make a lot of difference in combat (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

If you're a player like me who loves playing defensively, there are options for a turtling strategy as well. While it may take some time to get there, setting up automated defenses is required as time progresses. Hostiles will start arriving in droves, and using hand-held weapons will not suffice.

Speaking of automation, the Stranded: Alien Dawn Military Outpost scenario adds high-powered mechs to the game. While they can be used to venture out and attack the hostile wildlife that's gathering, I found that using them defensively makes quite a difference to the already existing firepower. But that's not all that's new with this scenario and the subsequent full release.

A brand new type of fortification made out of carbon has been added in. While I haven't yet been able to research it, I'm sure it's going to be able to withstand a lot more than the wooden walls can. Speaking of withstanding, I did manage to research Force Field Barriers, but due to my having an abysmal power grid, I haven't quite gotten around to using that either.

I love fabricators! (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

Last but not least, my favorite new addition to the game is undoubtedly the Food Fabricator. Although the device does require electricity to run, it helps maintain a steady flow of quick recipes that I can store in the freezer for later use. Given that I had to take care of six survivors, food was almost always in high demand.

All said and done, the Stranded: Alien Dawn Military Outpost scenario is rather interesting. Perhaps my only gripe is with the fact that there's no Trade Pod to do commerce with. While it makes sense not to have this feature, if it can be integrated, it will be rather useful.

Nevertheless, my Military Outpost is still in its infancy due to limited power supply, but I do intend on expanding and eventually building the Ansible Relay. But with winter fast approaching in-game, my immediate need is to stock up on resources and weather the cold. I shall continue my expansion once spring arrives.

First impressions and gameplay

Had to cut down a lot of trees to build this house (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

As this was not my first rodeo with Stranded: Alien Dawn, I didn't have to start over after every 30 minutes owing to a wide variety of factors, including resource mismanagement, survivors starved to death, survivors struck by lightning, or survivors killed by wildlife. You get the gist.

I managed to get my base of operations running quite easily. Although I was a bit over-ambitious and went for housing on day three itself, I managed to get it to work. If nothing else, my survivors didn't have to sleep on the ground.

Similar to the other two scenarios that I tried out, the first thing that I had to do in Military Outpost was to secure a steady supply of food. Although I did start the game with a decent amount of Emergency Rations on hand, adding fruit/vegetables to the mix is always a smart move.

Once my housing was done, I proceeded to identify whatever was available and got to farming. Since options were already in place to get the power up and running, I wasted no time in setting up a power grid so that I could build a few fridges. If there's anything I have learned from Stranded: Alien Dawn, it is that food goes bad rather quickly. It's better to have more than run out of it.

Time to do some scientific stuff (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

To ensure I had enough food to feed my little army of survivors, I decided to rush researching the freezer so that I would be able to store the excess. However, it wasn't until I built the Research Desk that I realized there were new tech options to explore. These included Force Field Barriers, Tasty Meal Fabricators, Mechs, and more firepower than I knew what to do with.

Spoiler alert, I obviously got side-tracked and ended up forgetting about the freezer entirely. Suffice it to say; my survivors ate their weight in Emergency Rations for a good ten days. I did get about creating it eventually.

Around this time, my little paradise on this alien planet was slowly coming into shape. I had walls, proper heating, a steady supply of electricity, and a bustling farm, complete with two separate tree fields.

Harness the power of the wind! (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

In short, I was self-sufficient and had enough supplies (perhaps a bit too much) to deal with anything. This is a good thing, as hostile pests tend to attack every few days. Thankfully, with the help of my Machine Gun Turrets, they barely managed to make it to the walls. While I haven't yet been able to set up advanced equipment to outfit my survivors with better gear, things are going great for now.

I hope to eventually complete the mission's objective and complete this scenario. Until then, I'm going to try and keep my survivors alive while shielding them from the toxic ash that keeps raining down.

Performance and Sound

I played Stranded: Alien Dawn on a system with the following configuration:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: RTX 3070 8GB
RAM: 32 GB

I've tried out two different build versions of Stranded: Alien Dawn and both of them worked like a charm. I didn't notice any lagging or stuttering in the gameplay. From what I can tell, the loading time has been ever so slightly decreased as well. Overall, the experience was flawless.

Coming to the game's sound design, the audio cues are clear and help you understand what's going on. Once these have been identified, it's possible to turn a few notifications off to reduce the clutter on the side of the HUD.

In conclusion

It's a small settlement, but it's mine (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

After playing the full-release version of Stranded: Alien Dawn, I'm really happy with how things have progressed. With three very different scenarios to choose to try out from, there's something for everyone in terms of role-playing. Although things can get confusing at first, they will become easier after a few attempts.

What I absolutely love about the Military Outpost scenario is just how much new technology has been added to the game. Although these will be available in all scenarios, unlocking them will take some amount of time. Players will have to survive long enough to make use of them.

This brings me to the other side of Stranded: Alien Dawn, namely, the level of detail put into every aspect. I love the fact that each survivor has their quirks, needs, and wants. I also enjoy how farming feels organic. In winters, crops grow slowly or stop growing altogether, while a rainstorm gives them a boost. Not to mention how certain crops only grow on certain types of terrain.

Personal heaters are must-have (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

I love how heaters work better in closed spaces than out in the open and the fact that opening or closing a window can alter the temperature of a room. Not to mention there are different types of clothing for different seasons. It's not a one-type fit for all sorts of situations. Not managing this aspect will create problems during the gameplay.

It's truly amazing how detailed Stranded: Alien Dawn can get. Every little thing has stats to take into account, and all of it adds to make for an immersive experience. With the full version of the game now live, I expect to see quality-of-life improvements implemented both in gameplay and the general game itself.

Entry denied! (Image via Frontier Foundry/Stranded: Alien Dawn)

As mentioned earlier, the new technology added alongside the Military Outpost scenario will add a lot of value to the late-game. Defending the settlement from hostile creatures will be a breeze and will make creating certain items/equipment easier. The different fabrication units will allow players to automate basic tasks as well, freeing up more room to do other things.

Perhaps the only issue I have with the game is that certain tasks take overtly long to complete. While this doesn't hamper gameplay as such, getting things in order can take days in-game if you are playing with fewer survivors. But as mentioned, this is my personal take on the matter.

With all that said and done, I can't wait to see what the developers have planned next. With three unique scenarios, exploration, taming, crafting, and resource management all done and dusted, things are off to a brilliant start in Stranded: Alien Dawn.