With the huge influx of open world survival games, it’s hard to find one that stands out. I admit I was about to buy it back when it was in early access, but after I bought it I realized how different the game really was.
retains some basic elements of the survival genre, such as needing food, creating a shelter, and crafting items. Other than that, he creatively ventures into exciting new territory that will keep a lot of people engaged for a long time.
who would enjoy this game?
While I loved the game, it’s definitely not for everyone. I’ll give a brief description of who can love it and who can hate it.
The forest is for people who…
- Enjoy dark, gritty and violent survival games.
- enjoy games that don’t take you by the hand
- I love to explore
- likes to be scared or frightened
- enjoy more difficult games
- enjoys looking for objects
- enjoy playing alone or cooperatively
- I don’t like violent and scary games
- I hate being scared
- I hate collecting food and items
- I don’t like to explore
- I don’t like difficult games
- I hate a constant feeling of danger
The forest is not for people who…
People can always change their minds about a game, but this is just an overview of the game’s main audiences.
solo experience
I started playing the game solo, and that led to some creepy moments. I remember an experience the first time I played, where I decided to go hunting after making a small base on a beach near some destroyed storage containers…
After a long and somewhat successful hunting trip, I noticed that it was starting to get dark. I needed to find a safe place quickly, so I hurried to find the way it came.
It wasn’t long before darkness engulfed me, as terrifying screams and laughter echoed through the trees. a cannibal lunged at me from the abyss, causing me to swing my ax blindly into the darkness. I took some damage, but suddenly I heard a *crunching* sound, indicating that my ax had hit the target.
The dim light of the moon showed me that I had knocked my opponent to the ground, and I began to beat him with my ax until I was sure that he was not getting back up. manic laughter still filled the air, but luckily, I noticed a clearing near the edge of the forest.
I finally made it back to my little cabin, but I couldn’t sleep. I spent the whole night looking out the window of my shelter, anxiously watching the cannibals as they ran around me.
This experience sounds intense, but it was only a fraction of what would come in my game. The forest is a terrifying game when played solo, and the co-op experience negates some of that tension.
If you decide to play alone, you will be much more anxious, scared and alone. exploring the huge network of caves alone is a daunting task, and building a base is much more difficult with just one person.
I didn’t complete the game by myself, but I’m sure a lot of players will love that atmosphere. braving the desert can only be rewarding, but your journey will be much more difficult.
cooperative
After telling my friends about my experiences, we all decided to play co-op together. The forest has produced some of my best gaming memories, and I get a nostalgic feeling thinking about it.
We’ve played the game for several games, and we’re still talking about playing it again. the game runs quite well in co-op, despite occasional bugs. the developers seem to have designed the game with co-op in mind, as some of the mechanics work very well with multiple people.
For example, finding a new tool in a cave allows all players to pick one up, not just the host or the first player to find it. This allowed us to progress together, work as a team, and avoid selfish item hoarding.
There is a tray that allows you to share consumables with other players, which is very helpful. teaming up against enemies makes the experience even more fun, but definitely lowers the difficulty.
Being stuck outdoors at night with friends makes you feel much safer than being alone, but it’s still a tense experience. Playing with friends is also a lot of fun, whether it’s cliff diving with turtle shells or building wacky structures.
If you want to have fun with a group of friends, this survival horror game is probably right for you. Both the solo and co-op experiences were great, but I had a lot more fun with friends.
environment
The graphics are pretty decent, but this game isn’t really about graphics. does an amazing job of creating a hostile environment, whether it’s in sound design or gameplay.
It seemed like every time my friends and I snuggled into our largest cabin at night, the sound of the wind howling through the trees literally gave me the creeps. it was almost like I was actually there, experiencing the cool breeze.
The environment is super immersive and it’s easy to get lost in the world, both physically and mentally. every time my friends and I started playing, we would play for hours longer than we intended. the night we finished the game, we looked at the clock and realized it was 3am. m. and we all had to get up early.
This game has the potential to take up all your time, so be careful to watch the clock when playing. the environment is definitely one of my all time favourites, although it doesn’t have the scope and graphics of a great aaa game.
gameplay
I was pleasantly surprised at how fluid and unique the gameplay was. From the tree chopping animation to the building mechanics, the developers have created a game that truly stands out from the rest.
As the name implies, you will spend a lot of time in a forest. what you can’t see is a massive network of caves that runs the length of the island. we probably spend a lot more time exploring these caverns than on the surface.
Most of the gear you find will be located in these caves, so we were always looking for new stuff. items are also plentiful there, so we were able to stock up on medicine and other necessary items.
When you’re on the surface, you’ll need to make a base to keep the monsters out. the only thing is that they can easily destroy walls and buildings, so you’ll need traps and other fortifications to stay safe.
I remember one time we tried to make a huge interconnected tree house. as soon as they attacked us, many trees were felled, dragging the buildings with them. I looked out the window to see one of the trees on fire, and then it literally exploded, sending pieces flying through the air. that was not a good day for us.
base building
Base building is another unique aspect of this game. one of my friends enjoyed making bases in creative mode, just to see how cool he could make them.
The way forest base building works is to lay down a blueprint and then physically carry the building materials to it. for items that need logs, you’ll need to chop down the tree, then carry the logs 2 at a time over your shoulder.
You can make log sleds that allow you to carry many more at once. the best axes make felling trees easier, and a chainsaw can even be found in an underground cavern.
Custom building elements allow you to make buildings as large as you like. just know that larger bases are harder to make and are more at risk of being destroyed. my group created a huge wall and surrounded it with spiked logs, and even then the mutants still jumped on it.
Overall, base building is fun and unique. however, it’s a shame that they can be destroyed so easily, as all your hard work can be ruined in an instant.
story
Unless you’re really paying attention, it’s hard to follow the story. you’ll see cut-scenes at the beginning and end, and encounter important story elements to finish the game, but nothing else will be explained to you.
My group and I mostly focused on the gameplay aspect, so we didn’t get a lot of the hidden details. the story is quite interesting if you listen to an explanation about it, and if you listen to the hidden tapes you can understand what is happening.
The ending (there are now multiple endings) left us terrified and confused, but a second playthrough helped us understand even more what was happening.
As someone who loves dark, creepy and disturbing stories, I really enjoyed listening to the explanations and reading about the story. it’s the kind of story that makes you think about it once you’re done, and I think that makes it an exciting story.
conclusion
I really loved the forest, but it’s definitely not for everyone. The dark story and violent gameplay may turn off a lot of people, but people who love that will enjoy the polished gameplay and heartwarming moments.
As someone who’s had enough of the saturated survival genre, this is one title you don’t want to miss.