This is a nice touch and your progress is limited whilst still
playing the tutorial missions because you need more regions liberated to get enough resources to level up your power and it means that at the end of it (which I haven't finished yet) you will be at a similar level to all the other recent graduates and won't feel underpowered going into the PVP arenas or PVE missions.
I followed the advice of Nick Smart, the developer, and checked out the tutorial video first, but my first few hours with the game mostly consisted of
playing tutorial missions and messing about in the vehicle designer.
Not exact matches
You'll see versus mode, arcade mode, and an expanded online suite, but you won't find an in - depth
tutorial,
mission modes, or anything specifically designed to help people learn how to
play.
Aside from a barebones Arcade mode with an unfairly difficult giant boss battle, there is an offline Versus mode that can only be
played two - player local and a
Mission mode that amounts to an extended combo
tutorial.
So far, including the Horror expansion, there are two small
tutorial missions, and then three complete scenarios to
play through.
Under Night In - Birth in general gets pretty complex with its mechanics, but there is a very helpful
Tutorial Mode to
play through to get the hang of combos and mechanics as well as a
Mission Mode to really get in - depth with combos.
The first four «
missions,» where you'll collect the power to change seasons, all feel like
tutorials, so by the time the game really cuts you loose you will have already
played around two hours and seen much of what there is to see.
Other single player options include
tutorials for each ship you unlock and «Where's Waldo» mode which has you searching the same levels you
played in the
missions (minus any enemies), only you are tasked with finding salvage and «memories», the former of which expands on the universe and characters that interact with you.
We highly recommend starting with the 2
tutorials («Holo - Sim 1» and «Holo - Sim 2») and then
playing the campaign
missions in the order they are listed (Vanaar, Sandy Gulch,...) before attempting Sandbox maps.
Playable solo, or in 4v1 competitive co-op, Raiders Of The Broken Planet is a free download that comes with a
tutorial and prologue
mission - subsequent campaigns and
missions can be bought and
played in any order for $ 9.99 each.
The
tutorial missions now have their own icon when you click on
play, but can still be accessed through the single player menu.
The
tutorial missions are perfect for newcomers to the genre of city building games, but veterans can also get some new pointers, and just a little help getting to grips with the
play style of Aven Colony.
Aside from the
tutorial mission (treated as a Side Op) and a single practice run on one of my own FOBs, I haven't had a chance to
play against an actual person yet.
With the exception of the opening
tutorial and the final
mission of the game, the entire story mode can be
played in co-op with up to three other people.
«When you are online, you will be able to
play the entire game with up to 3 other players in co-op, from the
tutorial until the very last
mission.
Aside from a barebones Arcade mode with an unfairly difficult giant boss battle, there is an offline Versus mode that can only be
played two - player local and a
Mission mode that amounts to an extended combo
tutorial.