Icarus: Pet Companions Pack Review Summary

The DLC adds adorable pets that enhance gameplay and comfort, but their broken AI, unbearable barking, and disappointing, overpriced package hurt the experience.

DLC adds adorable pets: The DLC introduces many cute and furry animal companions beyond the base game's creatures. Reviewers frequently highlight the joy of having pets like cats, dogs, and a pug.

Highly praised DLC content: Many reviewers consider this the best DLC ever, worth full price, and a great addition that adds significant content and fun. It is also favored over other DLCs like the furniture pack.

Pets enhance gameplay and comfort: Pets provide functional benefits like improved health regeneration and juvenile mount tame speed, and they increase base comfort and rest buff effectiveness. They also add personality and reduce loneliness during long sessions.

Realistic and amusing pet behaviors: Pets exhibit lifelike actions such as cats blocking passage for petting, dogs fetching sticks, and a pug that eats, sleeps, and begs for attention. These behaviors add fun and realism to the game.

Cats are neat and interactive: Cats are available in various coats, including tortie and orange, and can be petted. They rub against legs and purr, rewarding interaction with affection.

Pets have broken AI: Pets exhibit poor pathfinding, get stuck on small obstacles, hesitate at landmarks, and cannot find paths to food or water. The entire pet AI behavior is described as pathetic and useless.

DLC is overpriced and disappointing: The DLC is seen as unnecessary, pointless, and too expensive for the cosmetic content offered. It is described as a cash grab that does not add meaningful value to the game.

Constant barking is unbearable: Dogs bark non-stop, loudly, and for hours, especially when trying to reach food. The noise becomes incredibly annoying after mere minutes and forces players to tie the dog far away.

Pets are useless and annoying: Pets are considered stupid, not fun or helpful, and just plain annoying. They provide no advantage and are often more of a hindrance than a companion.

Horses are poorly implemented: Horses are hairless, oiled up, demon-eyed creatures with ragdoll problems and no surface texture. Saddles do not fit and float over the horse's back, and mane/tail textures are poor.

Pet interaction and care: Players can interact with pets by petting, feeding, playing fetch, and managing their needs such as hunger and thirst. Pets also have unique behaviors like barking when hungry.

DLC adds diverse animals: The DLC introduces a wide variety of animals including dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and sheep. This expansion significantly broadens the game's pet and animal roster.

Pets provide functional benefits: Pets offer gameplay advantages such as improved health regeneration, faster mount taming, combat assistance, and increased comfort buffs. These skills make pets valuable beyond decoration.

Pet variety and customization: The game offers multiple dog breeds, cat coat types, and the ability to name pets. Players can choose their favorite companion and personalize their experience.

Pets can accompany on missions: Pets can be brought into combat encounters, sent to other open worlds, and delivered from orbit to join missions. This allows for continued companionship across different game modes.

Frequent game crashes: The game crashes unexpectedly and without warning, which is a major stability issue. This was reported multiple times by players.

Crashes across environments: Crashes happen both locally and on home servers, indicating a widespread problem. This suggests the issue is not limited to specific setups.

Regular stuttering issues: Stutters occur frequently during gameplay, disrupting the experience. This is a common performance complaint.

Increasing instability reported: Players note that the game's instability is getting worse over time. This suggests ongoing or worsening technical problems.

Performance still heavy: Players find the game still demanding on hardware. This indicates optimization issues remain.

General recommendation: Several reviewers simply recommend the DLC without specific conditions, expressing overall satisfaction. They encourage others to buy and enjoy the additional content.

Adds cute pet companion: The DLC introduces a dog companion that reviewers find adorable and a nice addition for exploration and base activities. Many hope for minor updates to the pet.

Great for co-op players: The DLC is highly recommended for co-op play, as only one person in a group needs to own it. This makes it accessible and enjoyable for friends playing together.

Worth buying on sale: Many reviewers recommend purchasing this DLC only when it is discounted, stating it is not worth full price. They suggest waiting for a big sale to get good value.

Supports developers, get extras: A common sentiment is that buying the DLC supports the developers and provides extra benefits, even if not essential. Reviewers appreciate the option to contribute to the team.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Immersive Co-op Base Builder: Relaxed exploration, base construction, and cooperative survival at their own pace. Motivation: To lose themselves in a beautiful survival world, build a secure base, and share the experience in co-op. Stance: buy.

DLC Value Auditor: Buys and assesses DLC selectively, tracks unlock costs, and warns others about monetization friction. Motivation: To get fair, transparent value from DLC without double-dipping or excessive unlock grinds. Stance: sale.

Hardcore Progression Grinder: Long-session resource accumulation, unlock chasing, and crafting-focused survival play. Motivation: To master long-term survival progression through resource grinding, unlocking, and crafting. Stance: buy.

Monetization: The reviews center overwhelmingly on traditional paid DLC rather than a real-money microtransaction economy. Players comment on DLC pricing, a DLC that mainly unlocks grind, and a paid pet dog, alongside several positive remarks about the DLC model, sharing DLC within a friend group, and voluntarily supporting the developer. A single review hints at paying for DLC plus in-game currencies (exotics, ren) and an in-game pet, but no review confirms a real-money shop for power, currency, loot boxes, or gacha. Under the scoring rules, DLC and base-price complaints cannot by themselves raise the score above 20, and the ambiguous currency/pet mentions do not meet the evidence threshold. No predatory monetization pattern (pay-to-win, paid gacha, currency obfuscation, aggressive FOMO, or day-one cut content) is directly evidenced.

Frequent developer updates praised: Reviewers highlight weekly updates and ongoing improvements over time. The developers are seen as responsive to player feedback and committed to long-term support.

Free companion update Laika: The Laika update is free for all players and introduces new content, possibly including wolves. The pet DLC is optional and builds on this free update.

DLC pricing and value concerns: Some reviewers find the DLC a little pricey and question its value. There are calls for more meaningful DLC content before supporting further purchases.

Cute cosmetic pet DLC: The pack adds dogs, cats, and horses as cosmetic extras without changing core gameplay. It is optional and complements the base game's animals.

DLC structure and bundles: The game offers various DLCs including expansions, furniture packs, and a Companion Bundle. A furniture DLC is mentioned as a comparison point.