NEW APPROACH TO A HORROR SURVIVAL GAME

The Forest adds more elements of survival to the genre
by December 29, 2014
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The Forest is a first person open world survival game currently in development for the PlayStation 4 and PC.
There is a beta available for download. It is an open world to explore and get a feel for the game while Endnight Games works out the bugs and glitches.
They are adding new elements to the game every month. Right now the open world is very interactive but there is no conclusion to the game, just survive as long as you can.
You are stuck in a forest after a plane crash. You have a survival book which contains lists of shelters you can build, things you can forage in the forest, and an item customization guide. It acts like a tutorial for the game and is very useful.
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With the ability to use tools, you can chop down trees to build different types of shelters. This is one of the first things you want to do if you wish to survive because it isn’t long before it gets dark. You also have a lighter which comes in handy to build different types of fires.
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The forest also has life cycles of its plants and trees. Chopping one down leaves a stump, so you want to build in a location you can use to your advantage defensively.
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Hunting animals for food is a huge part of the game. You can set traps, spear fish, or run at a small animal and impale it with your axe. Some animal skins can be used for armor as well.
Items you pick up are able to be used alone and some are customizable with other items.
This makes for a lot of upgrades that make ordinary items into strong weapons. For example you can combine a stone, a stick, and a rope and make a custom axe. You can then add a piece of cloth and use the lighter to turn it into a fire axe. You can also craft a bow and arrow.
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There is an evil that lurks in the woods. It is some type of mutated humanlike creature. Sometimes they lurk in the distance, sometimes they act aggressively and attack you. I realized some are afraid of fire while others carry torches. They also can climb trees and await your return so they can pounce on you. The creatures have different personalities.
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The story of the creatures has not been told yet. I find it scarier this way. Dealing with an unpredictable opponent that can ambush you from out of the darkness keeps you on constant edge while you are playing.
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Sometimes stealth is the best plan, depending on your health and weapons taking the fight to them can be advantageous. Don’t get surrounded, they cause a lot of damage when they strike you. I found the longer you survive the more difficult the game becomes. If you are going to hunker down in a structure make sure it is secure, set up defensively, and keep an escape plan in mind.
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The Forest has a different approach then most horror survival games. Instead of being under constant duress of zombie hordes, always searching for ammo, and trying to find the source to complete the game, The Forest allows you to be crafty and do things someone would be likely to do if they were stuck in a situation like this.
The Forest is still a rough draft of what it will become. Adding more elements of survival to the genre may change the direction of horror survival games being developed in the future. It depends how successful The Forest is, if it is accepted by the gaming community expect to see large companies emulate the game.
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  • Anne B
    29 December 2014 at 8:58 pm - Reply

    “there is no conclusion to the game, just survive as long as you can”…sounds like real life!!

    Seriously, this sounds like an awesome game, a nice contrast to the typical first-person shoot-’em-up-type game common to the genre. I hope the game’s developers come up with a good conclusion.

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