Not a game review | Core Keeper - the next Valheim?

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This is not a review. Having only hit early access a few days ago, Core Keeper is still way too new to rate. But so far, it’s looking set to be a big indie game hit.

Core Keeper is a top-down mining game. You dig and dig and dig, finding ore to smelt and build better equipment. These you use to find more ore, kill monsters and pick seeds. You have to eat, but it’s not crazy demanding in that respect. Just keep digging, opening up new areas and discoveries as you branch out. Build farms to harvest food and wood, upgrade gear to mine new areas, and look for…

Actually, I’m not sure what you’re looking for—something to do with boss fights and artefacts. I spent most of my time just tunneling after ore, dropping torches to see where I’ve been. The three other players in my session all did different things – one really got into farming and fishing. Another explored for new kinds of ore. And the third seems adept at discovering monsters who want to kill us.

Supporting up to eight players, Core Keeper could be another light-survival following in the footsteps of Valheim. It’s already sold over 100,000 copies in its first two days – and at less than R100 is a pretty sweet deal. All that’s lacking right now is dedicated server support. When that feature launches (and it’s on the roadmap), Core Keeper looks set to explode.

Already it’s one of those games where players can seamlessly co-op together. Unless you are a real miser with resources and prefer to play selfishly, you’ll quickly find your groove alongside fellow miners. Gather resources, craft equipment, build bases and spread out across what appears to be a big map.

Core Keeper compares well to Valheim, Terraria, and even Minecraft and Stardew Valley. It hits all the right notes so far. If the idea of a multiplayer zen survival mining/farming game with a dungeon crawler vibe appeals to you, dig in. Even in early access, this is already set to be a gem of a game.