As we glance at the sheer volume of games hitting the shelves annually, it’s no shocker to notice overlaps here and there. Think about it: you could easily say Half-Life takes a page from Doom’s book, or compare Cities Skylines to the classic SimCity. Even Stalker has some echoes of Fallout. Now, stepping into the spotlight, a new crafting and survival title from Tencent—a major player with fingers in Ubisoft, Riot, Paradox, and several other pies—seems to proudly showcase its influences. If you’ve navigated the worlds of Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, or even Palworld, the newly announced Light of Motiram might have you experiencing some déjà vu.
In this game, the world as humans once knew it has vanished. In its place, nature has reclaimed the land, which is now bustling with ‘mechanimals’—these are massive, cyberpunk-inspired robots that uncannily mimic dinosaurs. Armed with a bow and arrow, you step into the shoes of a young woman tasked with fighting, capturing, and even befriending these mechanical beasts. You’ll find crafting, exploration, and survival elements all rolled into one package. But hold on—this isn’t Horizon Zero Dawn. Brought to life by Polaris Quest (a division under the Tencent umbrella), Light of Motiram has just made its debut on Steam, ready to capture your attention.
Visually, Motiram draws strong parallels to Sony and Guerilla’s well-loved open-world adventure, yet it also borrows gameplay mechanics from Palword. Beyond resource gathering and construct-building, your journey in Motiram involves discovering, corralling, and taming these mechanimals to stand by your side. Each one offers unique skills and traits, and distinct biomes promise a variety of species to encounter.
As for the gameplay experience, you can venture out solo or join forces with up to nine other players in cooperative play. While many mechs you encounter might be peaceful, the most formidable creatures require epic showdowns to bring them under your control.
Interestingly, Tencent’s Tarisland has drawn its own comparisons to Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, a likeness that even garnered a comment from Warcraft’s executive creative director, Chris Metzen. With Light of Motiram, the visual resemblance to Horizon Zero Dawn is undeniable, and the gameplay footage coupled with details from Polaris Quest underscores that similarity, alongside nods to Palworld. It’s definitely in the same ballpark. Only time will tell whether Sony or Pocketpair—who, in a twist of fate, are dealing with a lawsuit themselves from Nintendo over potential patent issues in Palworld—might see this as a bit too close for comfort.
For now, why not explore some of the finest open-world or crafting games the PC realm has to offer?
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