Gravhounds, an upcoming PvE extraction shooter from developer Octopus Panic, is preparing for an early access launch this fall. The game tasks players with teaming up to complete missions and gather resources on alien planets before returning to their orbiting ship. A recent open playtest offered a first hands-on experience with its core mechanics, highlighting its unique approach to resource management and player customization.
The central premise of Gravhounds involves players assuming the role of genetically engineered human-canine hybrids, known as Gravhounds. Four distinct characters were available in the playtest: Zane the Doberman, Finn the Shiba Inu, Selene the Weimaraner, and Dozer the Bulldog. Each Gravhound features slightly different base stats and a unique special ability. As players progress through missions, they can upgrade their characters by improving stats and unlocking a variety of tech and defensive turret upgrades across different skill trees.
Fans of games like Deep Rock Galactic will find similarities, but Gravhounds emphasizes faster traversal. Players will heavily utilize boosting and dashing to navigate environments while fending off waves of enemies. A key differentiator is the pipeline system, which automates resource gathering. Players can construct a network of pipes extending from their collector ship, allowing resources to be automatically transported back. These pipes can also be grinded on for rapid map traversal.
Combat encounters escalate as players spend more time on a planet's surface, creating a 'push your luck' PvE experience. Successfully completing objectives and defeating enemies fills a bar that allows players to call down a reward pod. These pods offer a selection of three mods, drawing from a pool unlocked via a research lab. This system can lead to powerful synergistic builds, though the impact of some choices felt less exciting than others, such as minor stat increases versus impactful new abilities. The game also features upgrade trees for guns, mods, and turrets, all requiring research tokens. Earned through completing in-match 'milestones,' these tokens unlock new items and improvements. The system for training the Gravhound crew uses a separate resource earned from character leveling, which felt more balanced and rewarding.
The game's aesthetic is described as stylized and whimsical, with cartoon-like environments. The Gravhounds themselves draw inspiration from Daft Punk's "Da Funk" music video, featuring human bodies with distinct canine heads. While these heads largely capture the look of their respective breeds, the overall presentation leaves a desire for more overt canine traits, such as tails or more expressive dog-like behaviors beyond just cosmetic heads.
Player abilities also present a mixed bag. Dozer's bone-shaped mines and Zane's bark ability to push back enemies were highlighted as particularly useful and fun. However, Finn's skill of playing dead was questioned for its utility in a cooperative setting. The overall player experience is characterized by a "fun imbalance," where the excitement of choices can vary significantly.
Despite some rough edges, including the punch of the shooting mechanics and the damage-sponge nature of tougher enemies, Gravhounds offers enough intrigue to warrant a return visit upon its early access launch. The developers are noted to be actively refining the game, with hopes that issues like balancing the excitement of player choices and enhancing the canine personality of the characters will be addressed before release.