For now, players could only access single-player mode as before, or invite friends to join through direct connections outside of the Dreamscape.
After entering single-player mode, the familiar character creation screen appeared again.
Rowan directly chose his default appearance without fussing over details.
The moment he confirmed, a brand-new selection interface popped up. This time for the map selection.
Several vastly different map icons were displayed on the screen, labeled "The Island," "Scorched Earth," "Aberration," "Extinction," "Genesis," and more.
Only the icon for "The Island" at the very top was lit up and available.
The others were dark gray with a small tag in the lower-right corner reading "Locked."
"Do you have to clear one map to unlock the next?"
Without hesitation, he selected The Island.
A beam of light enveloped him, and once again his consciousness felt weightless.
After a short while, he groggily opened his eyes.
The first thing he heard was the noisy chorus of nature.
Strange animal cries echoed in the distance and mixed with the sound of waves crashing against the shore.
His arm felt itchy, and subconsciously, he scratched it and noticed a black implant embedded in his left wrist.
He had seen this in the promotional video.
Curious, he poked it with his finger. The moment he touched the rune, a faint blue interface suddenly popped up and floated before his eyes.
It was similar to the inventory interface in Stardew Valley.
There was an inventory bar and a crafting bar, but with many more functions available.
For example, there was a blueprint tab filled with items and building schematics, as well as tribe functions, whistles, and more.
For now, only the Stone Pick, Torch, and Note were unlocked.
He could also view his character's status panel.
Rowan Level: 1 Experience: 0/5 Health: 100 Stamina: 100 Oxygen: 100 Weight: 100 Food: 100 Water: 100 Melee: 100 Speed: 100 Crafting: 100 Resistance: 0 Torpor: 200
Below that were the attribute points available after leveling up. Currently showing 0.
Staring at the long list of stats made him a little dizzy. It felt very hardcore compared to other games.
The blueprint tab contained a large number of schematics, but they were all blacked out and locked for now.
After playing many of Alto's games, he had gradually formed his own sense of game logic.
This open-world gameplay seemed somewhat similar to Stardew Valley, with its own crafting system.
"Could this be a primitive farming game?"
"That's great! Maybe if I build intimacy with prehistoric creatures, I can tame them as pets!"
Rowan's eyes lit up with excitement.
He closed the main interface and began observing his surroundings.
He was standing on a pristine white beach. The sand was fine and soft, sinking slightly under his feet.
Scattered across the shore were colorful shells along with many strange thumbnail-sized crustaceans slowly crawling across the sand.
Not far away, a plump chicken strutted toward him with an arrogant and carefree gait.
"That's one fat chicken."
As he moved closer, text appeared:
[Dodo] Level: 12
The dodo leisurely walked past him and seemed completely unafraid of humans.
"Looks delicious."
Rowan stepped forward and patted the dodo on the head.
Startled, the dodo flapped its short wings and began running forward.
But it was slow. Within moments, Rowan caught up easily.
A system prompt appeared, saying it could be tamed by knocking it unconscious and feeding it.
But he had nothing in his hands right now, so he simply raised his fists and charged in.
One punch, two punches, three punches...
After being attacked, the dodo was aggravated. It began pecking at him with its beak, but it barely did any damage.
Realizing it couldn't win against this large opponent, the dodo wobbled away on its stubby legs while flapping its tiny wings in a futile attempt to escape.
Unfortunately, it was far too slow.
It ran in front while Rowan chased behind, punching all the way.
Soon, they ran into the forest.
Suddenly, a small dinosaur about half a man's height appeared ahead.
[Dilophosaurus]
"What's that? Looks kinda cute."
Rowan ran straight toward it without any caution.
The Dilophosaurus stared at Rowan with its dark green slit pupils.
Suddenly, the frills around its neck flared open like two fans, and it changed into a terrifying posture that startled him.
Before he could react, it spat a mouthful of venom straight into his face.
"Ah! My eyes!"
His vision was instantly clouded by poison. Everything turned green. He couldn't see a thing.
Immediately after, the Dilophosaurus launched its vicious attack.
Its sharp teeth clamped down on his body and tore open large wounds.
Rowan flailed his arms wildly, but with his vision obstructed, he couldn't see anything. He could only stand there taking the beating.
After Alto's adjustments, these dinosaurs were far more intelligent and agile than in the original.
The Dilophosaurus aimed at Rowan's neck and bit down hard.
His consciousness plunged into darkness.
"You were eliminated by Dilophosaurus."
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself waking up on the beach once more.
"Damn it! I Gotta be more careful... Looks are deceiving..."
This time, he didn't dare mess around. He decided to craft some weapons and equipment first.
He checked the crafting tab. The operation method was quite similar to Stardew Valley.
After playing Stardew Valley extensively, he realized that sandbox crafting systems in large open worlds were pretty similar, so he adapted quickly.
It all came down to gathering resources like wood and stone to craft items.
The Stone Pick didn't require many materials. Just some wood, stone, and fiber.
There were plenty of stones on the ground. He walked along the coastline picking some up.
[Stone +1] [Stone +2]
As for wood, he didn't have any tools yet. Did he have to punch trees with his bare hands?
He tried attacking a fallen log on the beach with his fists.
The implant glowed faintly.
[Your wood has increased]
His eyes lit up with understanding.
So that's how it works.
Then he went into the bushes to gather berries.
[Red Berry +3] [Blue Berry +2] [Black Berry +3] [Plant Fiber +15]
[Your level has increased]
He had leveled up. Rowan quickly checked the changes.
He now had one assignable attribute point. After thinking for a moment, he decided to add it to Health first.
Staying alive was the priority. Better to play it safe.
He didn't really understand the deeper mechanics, but more health can't possibly be bad.
Next was the blueprint interface. He now had engram points to spend.
At level two, he could unlock the Stone Hatchet, Spear, Campfire, Clothes, and Thatch structures.
He learned the Stone Hatchet and Spear.
With a spear, he finally had a basic weapon for self-defense.
Before long, he had crafted the basic starter trio of tools.
Holding the stone spear in his hand, he felt a great boost in security.
"Next time I run into you, I'm going to make you pay."
Just then, another dodo wandered over to his side.
"The beginner tutorial said knocking it out lets you tame it. A spear definitely won't work for that, and punching is too slow."
He looked around and spotted a broken wooden stick on the ground. He immediately picked it up.
"Huh! That should work!"
He swung at the Dodo without hesitation.