ICARUS

I’d save ICARUS for a steady walk or an easy ride, because gathering and building can keep you busy, but a sudden storm or animal attack can turn your attention into a full time job. It has the makings of a good workout game, just not one I’d start at a pace where my thumbs are already bouncing.

Gameplay

The survival chores are the part I think would work best with exercise. You’re exploring, collecting what you need, making equipment, and trying to stay alive in a wilderness that has had a pretty rough time with terraforming. There’s always another small job to do, which is useful when your brain is also counting steps, and less useful when that small job turns into rebuilding half your shelter.

Storms make the wilderness feel like it can interrupt your plans, which I like in theory, because a game where you calmly gather wood forever would get dull pretty quickly. But I can imagine being partway through crafting or searching for something and then having to switch over to survival mode, and that’s a lot of attention to ask from someone who’s also trying not to drift off the treadmill. I don’t know that I’d want every session to be a race against the weather.

Hunting gives the exploration a little urgency, and the idea of going out to prospect for exotic matter gives the trips a purpose beyond collecting more supplies because the supplies are gone again. I think that balance could keep a workout moving along, especially when you’re playing solo and can set your own pace. The crafting and building still sound like the sort of thing where I’d stand in one place comparing options while my legs did their best.

The narrative quests can be played as Open World operations or Individual Missions, which gives you a useful choice in how much commitment you want from a session. I’d lean toward a mission when I wanted a clear goal and an open world operation when I was ready to settle in, though I wouldn’t expect the game to neatly fit every workout into a tidy little block. Sometimes you go out for one resource and come back with a much longer list. That sounds familiar.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

I’d play this on a walk first, not a hard run, because roaming and collecting seem manageable while aiming at wildlife or responding to a storm asks for more precision. Controller support is available, which is a meaningful help here, but you’re still moving a character around a dangerous environment and making decisions about what to craft. A controller doesn’t make those decisions disappear. It just keeps your keyboard from ending up somewhere behind the treadmill.

The calmer stretches seem like a nice fit for exercise. You can explore, gather materials, and think about where you want to build, and I’d expect that to be easy enough at a comfortable pace. Then something needs your attention, and I can picture trying to line up an attack while the belt is gently reminding me that I am not a statue. I’d keep the speed modest and treat combat as a reason to slow down or stop, rather than pretend I’m going to aim perfectly while jogging.

A bike could be the more comfortable option for anyone who finds that moving your hands while walking throws off your balance, though I wouldn’t call this a game that only works on a bike. The same busy stretches can still demand focus, and the survival tasks may pull you into menus or inventory decisions when you’d rather keep pedaling without thinking too hard. I’d do the slower gathering and building during the workout, then leave the more frantic parts for when I’m not moving. Nothing wrong with making the game wait on your legs for a minute.

I’d start solo, since that gives you more room to decide when you want to take on a mission and when you’d rather spend the session collecting materials. Multiplayer could be fun with other people, but coordinating with them while exercising sounds like adding a group project to a game that already has weather. I’d keep it simple at first.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Computer Requirements

This needs a midrange gaming PC, not just integrated graphics, and the GTX 1060 requirement is the first thing I’d check. The 16 GB of memory and 70 GB of storage are also worth having ready, so this is not a tiny download you squeeze in between dinner and a walk. The computer should be comfortable with games, not just good at opening tabs.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

ICARUS sounds like a worthwhile choice if you enjoy survival games and want a workout with stretches of exploring and crafting between tense moments. I’d play it at an easy pace, start solo, and avoid treating every storm or hunt as something I need to handle while moving. If you want a game that asks very little of your attention, I’d look elsewhere.

Overall Score: 2 out of 3