Mycelium The Silent Contract Early Access Review Explores Atmospheric Fungi Foraging Extraction Gameplay and Frustrating Co op Progression Mechanics
Extraction games have become quite popular recently, though we rarely see one where you are mainly looking for fungi in a terrifying, completely dark setting. Mycelium The Silent Contract, available now on Steam Early Access for roughly $10, aims to combine co op survival, managing your gear, and intense, extractions. While the main idea is certainly captivating, what is there now feels more like a rough technical demonstration than a finished game.
The basic gameplay loop is quite simple: you and up to three other players enter a dark, hostile map, then quickly gather as many valuable mushrooms as you can. After that, you sprint to an extraction point before the timer runs out, all while avoiding deadly creatures. Before heading out, you prepare in a shared lobby. There, you can claim a personal room, select a male or female character, and customize their clothing using items you unlock as you progress.
One of the game's best features is its equipment system. Through a tablet interface, you can use points you have earned to boost your health, stamina, and how much inventory space you have. You can also buy important items such as a compass, a flare gun, teleportation devices, and a radar that signals more quickly as you get closer to the mushrooms. Cleverly, the lobby includes a safe zone where you can physically test these tools before deciding to spend your hard earned points on them permanently.
When the game operates smoothly, it absolutely nails its atmospheric tension. The monsters are genuinely menacing, and trying to communicate with your team using a quiet whistling mechanic while hiding from a creature adds a significant layer of suspense. Moreover, the developers have thoughtfully adjusted the collection quotas, so solo players are not expected to find the same quantity of mushrooms as a full four person squad.
However, the moment to moment gameplay is currently plagued by severe "jank." The combat animations are incredibly stiff, and swinging your knife at flying insect like enemies feels completely off, largely due to poor hit registration. It simply lacks the smooth, satisfying feel that a survival game really needs.
Navigation presents another major challenge. The maps are expansive and covered in darkness, yet there is no mini map. If you get separated from your teammates which is quite easy, especially if a teleporter sends you in different directions finding them again becomes nearly impossible. Whistling to locate them also alerts the monsters, effectively turning a search and rescue attempt into a suicide mission.
The most noticeable issues with Mycelium The Silent Contract stem from its baffling design decisions, particularly concerning multiplayer progression. This game is marketed as a co op experience, yet it seems to actively penalize you for playing with friends.
For starters, the economy in this game is entirely host centric. If you join a friend's server, you cannot earn any currency to spend in the shop or upgrade your own equipment; you are essentially just helping the host accumulate wealth. Even worse, if a teammate dies during a run and you miraculously manage to survive, extract, and meet the quota on your own, the game rewards you with absolutely no credits. The only actual reason to finish a run after a teammate falls is to avoid losing the equipment you brought with you. This feels incredibly demoralizing.
Other questionable design choices include a safe puzzle in the lobby that requires a four digit code. Supposedly, one digit is hidden in each of the four player rooms. However, once you claim a room, you cannot enter another. This means a solo player has to quit to the main menu and reload the lobby four separate times just to collect the complete code. Add in minor annoyances, like room color customizations resetting after every match, side challenges that heavily penalize you for failing them, and a third person viewing angle that completely restricts your character's movement, and it is clear the frustrations quickly start to overshadow the enjoyment.
Pc Version Tested.
Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from Devs
