GRAVHOUNDS (Game Preview) – First Impressions on Xbox

When someone describes a game as "bio-engineered space dogs building bases while fighting alien swarms with gravity guns," it's hard not to pay attention. Gravhounds immediately stands out from the crowd thanks to its quirky premise, but after spending some time with this Xbox Game Preview release, it's clear that there's more here than just its unusual canine mascots.

Developed by Octopus Panic, Gravhounds is a 1-4 player co-op action-builder that blends base construction, resource gathering, combat and survival into a surprisingly addictive gameplay loop. Each mission drops you onto a hostile alien world where your objective is simple: gather resources, complete tasks, build up your operation and somehow make it off the planet alive. The catch? The longer you stay, the deadlier the enemy swarms become.

The real star of the show is the Grav Beam. This versatile tool allows you to manipulate objects, transport resources, throw equipment to teammates and even launch enemies across the map. It's a mechanic that feels fresh from the moment you start playing. One minute you're efficiently moving materials back to base, and the next you're frantically hurling random objects at a charging alien creature while your carefully constructed defences crumble around you. It creates a constant sense of organised chaos that fits the game's light-hearted tone perfectly.

Building your base is equally important. You'll deploy turrets, generators, pipelines and fabricators to establish a foothold on each planet. There are shades of games like Deep Rock Galactic, Risk of Rain 2 and even a little bit of tower defence mixed into the formula, but Gravhounds carves out its own identity thanks to its physics-driven systems and emphasis on mobility. Boosting across the map to rescue teammates or rush vital resources back to the extraction point never gets old.

Co-op is clearly where the game shines brightest. While solo play is perfectly viable, everything feels more entertaining with friends. Coordinating resource runs, building defences together and desperately trying to survive escalating attacks creates plenty of memorable moments. The physics system often leads to unexpected hilarity, especially when a well-intentioned teammate accidentally launches something explosive in the wrong direction.

As an early access title, there are naturally some rough edges. The core systems are enjoyable, but progression can occasionally feel repetitive after several runs, and some balancing tweaks could help smooth out difficulty spikes. Fortunately, the foundation is incredibly promising. Even at this early stage, there's already a respectable amount of content, including multiple playable Gravhounds, planets, defensive structures and upgrades to unlock.

Visually, the game adopts a colourful sci-fi style that makes its alien worlds enjoyable to explore despite the constant dangers lurking around every corner. The canine characters are packed with personality, and the tongue-in-cheek humour helps prevent the survival elements from becoming too serious.

Pros

• Brilliant gravity-based gameplay mechanics

• Fun and chaotic co-op action

• Satisfying base-building systems

• Charming canine cast and humour

• Strong foundation for future updates

Cons

• Some early-access rough edges

• Can become repetitive during longer sessions

• Balance occasionally needs fine-tuning

Gravhounds feels like one of those early access games that already understands exactly what it wants to be. Its combination of co-op survival, base building and gravity-based physics creates a gameplay loop that's easy to learn but difficult to put down. There's still work to be done before reaching a full release, but the foundations are strong and the concept is genuinely unique.

If you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber looking for something a little different to play with friends, Gravhounds is well worth checking out during its Game Preview phase.