RUST Console Edition Review for PlayStation 4

RUST Console Edition, by developer and publisher Double Eleven, is an amazing sandbox RPG that facilitates some of the greatest social play in any title ever released. By digging deep enough, you get not only ores, but also memories to last a lifetime… That is, if you have a microphone.

Coming this May 20th, RUST Console Edition will be hitting the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. After several years of development, RUST has become a mainstay in the gaming community with phenomena like Rust roleplaying servers catching the eyes of viewers internationally; this port is set to provide even more accessibility to the popular experience. Unfortunately, being a mostly PC gamer, I don’t have access to all the normal console equipment. But I took this as a (cheapskate) opportunity to see what Rust is like without a microphone or a full messaging system. Somebody please help me.

Rust’s basic gameplay involves building yourself up from a naked person stranded in the wilderness to being a kingpin of a territory with spiked, metal walls, guns, and your own vehicles and machinery. This combined with being on a live, open map with other players that don’t have to do anything they don’t want to, creates gameplay that encourages unique social interactions like factions, wars, and even the ability to meet new friends. When there’s no rules, Rust shows that players will create their own infrastructure and find their own version of fun.

My first spawn put me on a beach. From there, I was able to wander peacefully. I looted a gas station, getting my first tommy gun. After walking for a few minutes, I saw another fresh spawn walking along a road. They hadn’t seen me and I decided to say hello (with my gun). They took offense to this and began to run. I chased after and was immediately one-tapped in the head by a far away sniper. This would be the farthest I’d progress for the rest of the day. Despite switching to a more peaceful strategy, using Rust’s speech wheel to make contact, I was quickly executed without getting more than a few random resources into my inventory. This was not uncommon, as I saw other players experiencing something similar. People spamming the “no” emote as they ran away from gunfire was a common occurrence. In normal Rust, a fresh spawn’s best line of defense is talking to the other player and attempting some sort of deal or plea for mercy. The removal of that is actually a removal of some of Rust’s key hidden features. Continuing would require the luck of dodging established players, a special sort of masochism, or being a reviewer.

RUST Console Edition is very similar to the MMORPG. If you asked anybody what their favorite times were while playing, it would almost assuredly have to do with the social experience and being part of something that felt meaningful. In World of Warcraft, this could be hanging out with your guild and doing raids while avoiding a PVP death. In Rust, it’s coordinating an attack on another faction with other, smaller groups. It’s nodding to the other naked player and peacefully going on your way. When players are given a solid foundation and the ability to create and choose their own gameplay, games give the ability to create grand memories that last a lifetime.

Playing RUST Console Edition without a microphone is 100% harder. But it’s not impossible. There was one session I remember vividly. I had just come off the back of a quick fresh-spawn death, hoping to get a good run in and create something on the map. I snuck around, looting and harvesting resources. I called out to nearby fresh-spawns using the text wheel. They often said hi and were friendly, using the chat wheels responses themselves. I felt a small camaraderie with them. Eventually, I had placed a building foundation and begun work on a simple base. I needed more wood and began chopping down some trees. Then, a player came out of nowhere with a spear. I was able to get off a “Are you friendly?” chat option before collapsing to the ground, bleeding out. In that state, I was unable to continue chatting. The other player stood above my body, staring into my eyes. My blood was draining with not much time left for life. But as the timer drew closer and closer to death, the player used the “sorry” chat option and began to revive me. He dropped back my resources he had taken. I asked “Can I build here?” and he responded with a quick “yes” and another “sorry.” A warm feeling crept into my heart, and while my health was at a measly ‘2’, I continued my work at chopping down a tree and made a small note to return the kindness at some point… Then, within five seconds, another player came and stabbed me to death, taking all my things. At this point, I closed Rust for the day, making another mental note to buy a microphone and maybe get revenge.

9/10