Athanasia delivers an unusually convincing blend of retro immersive-sim design and dinosaur survival. Its available Early Access portion includes three large areas, a restrictive inventory, scarce ammunition, and a facility that gradually becomes easier to navigate as players learn its shortcuts and secrets.
The result is more than a novelty premise. Athanasia makes dinosaurs the lens for a system built around preparation, environmental manipulation, and the consequences of limited equipment. Its foundation is compelling, although save-related bugs, slow item switching, and other development rough edges keep the current release from feeling completely settled.
Dinosaurs change the rhythm of exploration
Athanasia places Carmen Flores inside a vast futuristic facility in South America after its researchers disappear and dinosaurs move in. The setting is grounded in a specific location rather than presented as a conventional space station, although its metallic interiors can easily support a player’s imagining otherwise.
That premise immediately alters familiar immersive-sim logic. Guns remain available, including a shotgun, pistol, crossbow, and several science-fiction gadgets, but ammunition and energy are scarce enough that firing is rarely the default answer. Crossbows, traps, toxins, keycards, and the physical environment all create alternatives to direct combat.
The dinosaurs also encourage different approaches to the same problem. Less aggressive creatures can be tranquilized and finished at close range. Elsewhere, explosive materials can turn a dangerous room into a controlled hazard. Stealth offers another route, using access keys and careful positioning to avoid encounters. No single method is presented as mandatory, but each demands preparation.
Carmen’s objective—discovering what happened to the researchers and why the facility is overrun—fits that systems-first structure. Information emerges through terminals, exploration, and environmental clues rather than relying on one dramatic revelation.
Scarcity turns preparation into survival
The inventory is deliberately small. Weapons, tools, medicine, ammunition, and materials all compete for space, turning preparation into a series of difficult decisions. A player may need to choose between carrying several types of medicine, retaining a tool for a locked route, or preserving resources that might prove useful later.
Athanasia does offer some relief. Vital tools can appear in newer locations after a questionable earlier choice, reducing the need for repetitive backtracking. Even so, players remain responsible for constructing a viable loadout before entering more dangerous territory.
| Approach | Main benefit | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Stealth and keycards | Avoids combat and conserves ammunition | Requires the right access and careful positioning |
| Traps and explosives | Can control groups of enemies | Materials are limited and placement can be unpredictable |
| Tranquilizers | Support a less lethal style | Useful against suitable creatures rather than every threat |
| Conventional weapons | Offer immediate, direct options | Ammunition and energy are scarce |
| Route knowledge | Reveals shortcuts and reduces uncertainty | Requires exploration and a useful mental map |
This is where the game’s strongest systems reinforce one another. Knowledge reduces the need for ammunition, limited inventory makes every object meaningful, and environmental tools reward players who plan before entering a room. The result is less about finding the strongest weapon than understanding which resources are worth keeping and when they will become necessary.
The third area shows Athanasia’s potential
Each of the three available areas initially feels oversized and difficult to absorb. Over time, however, those spaces become familiar multi-floor locations filled with remembered routes, shortcuts, and secret passages. This transformation from confusion to mastery is one of the Early Access build’s most satisfying features.
The third area, reached after roughly seven hours, provides the clearest example. Its centerpiece is a vast central hollow where structures collapse around precarious pipes and uneven walkways. Finding keycards, unlocking lifts, and clearing predators becomes a methodical process, while surprise attacks and unfamiliar paths prevent the exploration from becoming repetitive.
Paper maps can be printed from machines, but they do not show the player’s position. Players therefore need to construct their own mental picture of the complex. That limitation reinforces the central rhythm: observe, remember, and use what was learned on the previous trip.
Stationary save machines add another layer of caution. Saving is tied to reaching a location rather than being available at any moment, encouraging players to treat preparation and withdrawal as part of the experience. A failed encounter can still sting, especially when ammunition is scarce and the route back is long, but the save system supports a more deliberate approach than constant reloading would.
Why it matters
Athanasia is more than “System Shock with dinosaurs,” even if that comparison is tempting. The dinosaurs are not merely a replacement for human enemies; they change which tactics feel sensible. Their speed makes close-range gunfights awkward. Their numbers make traps and alternate routes valuable. Their presence turns information about the facility into a survival resource.
That creates a meaningful trade-off for players who dislike constant firefights. Athanasia supports stealth, tranquilizers, toxins, and improvised explosive solutions, but it does not make violence meaningless. It simply asks players to decide where violence is worth the cost.
The current build also exposes the tension between Athanasia’s ambition and its Early Access status. Updates have fixed some issues while introducing others. Reloading a save currently causes sound to disappear until the game is restarted, although the developers say a fix is coming. Item switching is also slow at moments when immediate action matters most. The deliberate slow movement and limited running stamina contribute to the tension, and the unusually slow reload speeds work well, but the absence of adjustable stats or skill trees leaves limited room for shaping a preferred play style.
The central question for the rest of development is therefore straightforward: can the remaining half preserve the scarcity and experimentation that make the first half distinctive? The available foundation is strong. What still needs attention is polish, dependable saving, faster handling of urgent equipment, and clarity about how the unfinished portion will build on its existing systems.
Key takeaways
- Athanasia’s dinosaurs create tactical pressure that meaningfully changes the familiar immersive-sim formula.
- Scarce ammunition, limited inventory space, and environmental tools make preparation central to survival.
- The available Early Access portion contains three major areas, with the third reached after roughly seven hours.
- Save-related audio loss, slow item switching, and update instability remain notable shortcomings despite a compelling foundation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Athanasia the full game?
No. Athanasia is currently in Early Access and includes only the first half of the game.
Where does Athanasia take place?
Its main setting is a vast futuristic facility in South America. Despite its retro-futuristic design, it is not a space station.
Can players avoid fighting dinosaurs?
Yes. Stealth, keycards, tranquilizers, traps, toxins, and environmental tools can provide alternatives to conventional weapons.
Does Athanasia have skill trees?
Not in the current Early Access build. There are no skill trees or adjustable character stats, including no way to improve sprinting endurance.
Is Athanasia worth playing in Early Access?
The available portion demonstrates strong exploration and tactical systems, but recent updates have caused bugs, including lost audio after reloading a save. Players should expect some development rough edges rather than a completely polished release.