Amidst the 40+ games releasing on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this week, we've got a survival PvE multiplayer game from the creator of DayZ known as ICARUS: Console Edition, which officially releases on March 26th.
This game has been on PC for years now, where it holds a "Mostly Positive" score on Steam based on almost 30,000 user ratings, and now it's officially making the jump to consoles. The first couple of reviews have dropped this afternoon, along with raw gameplay footage of both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions.
Thanks to this footage (from the ever-prompt Fuzion Xbox Testing), we can see that ICARUS: Console Edition has two graphical modes on Xbox Series X, allowing you to play at either 4K, 30FPS or somewhere around 1512p at 60FPS. It's described as "one of the better-looking survival games" the channel has tested in a while, and the performance seems to be pretty good overall — it does drop below 60FPS a bit, but seemingly not to any major degree.
The Xbox Series S version of ICARUS: Console Edition also looks good, but this time you only get the one graphical mode at 1440p, 30FPS. It does seem to be a largely stable 30FPS, and as mentioned the visuals seem pretty nice.
You can check out these comparison videos for ICARUS: Console Edition on Xbox below:
We did want to mention those couple of early reviews we've spotted as well, which generally seem to be in agreement that ICARUS: Console Edition is a great game, but the UI is perhaps not as optimised for console as they've had liked.
Here's a look at what we've found:
COGConnected (84/100)
"Icarus is a truly beautiful experience. The environments – with all their glamor and dangers – are immersive and engaging. Its method of teaching the game may be too thin for those with no survival game experience, but if you stick with it, play the first few missions, and give Icarus a chance, it becomes something more. It’s a quiet period of respite. It’s survival on your terms. Solitude and freedom. Icarus, and especially its Open World mode, can become a cozy game with a few extra challenges if you let it. With an unfortunately lacking tutorial and mildly unfriendly UI, Icarus is surprisingly a great way to unwind after a long day. I’m not much of a survival gamer, but Icarus is quickly becoming a second home."
WellPlayed (7/10)
"ICARUS is a fantastic game, but the console experience is let down by frustrating UI and controls. If you have likeminded friends, the limited multiplayer will still deliver hours and hours of fun and satisfaction, but if you’re a loner like me, be prepared for an incredibly challenging but rewarding adventure."
So, there you go! ICARUS: Console Edition officially launches this Thursday for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and you can pre-order it on the Xbox Store starting at £32.99 / $39.99 if you're interested.