The thunderous sound of droning rotors as two helicopters carry an operational head to a remote island. An old man has disappeared and our task is to find and save him. Like in horror games, you don’t even have time to react before the helicopter crashes. Welcome to Sons of the Forest! Where nobody helps you and you are practically alone. This approach to survival always reminds me of Robinson Crusoe: You versus nature and its looming dangers. You must eat, drink, sleep, craft items, build, and take medication when you get sick. If you don’t want to play alone, you can invite a friend and play co-op without being able to sleep. And for being in Early Access, it works pretty well.
I ventured to this island with a deaf guy named Kelvin. He’s a soldier like you, and he also boarded the helicopter that was en route to this remote location. The companions are the biggest innovation of this adventure for me. The Problems also arise from the first moment, for example when you decide to build a cabin in the trees and ask Kelvin to chop down trees. It is very likely that he just felled the tree that supports your hut. In this way, your sleeping place will be destroyed automatically. It can also start cutting down the trees around your base, causing them to fall on buildings and destroying them. I hope the developers fix this before the official release. I suggest it can be set up somehow so your partner can’t cut near or on trees you’ve built something on. As it is now, you have to think a lot if you want to commission him to build something. It wasn’t long before I changed his role and got him into making simpler campfires and roosts and later looking for things in nature.
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It’s nice to have someone who can guard the base, especially for solo players who don’t play cooperatively. Another of the companions that you will meet later knows how to fight and scare away the mutants that attack you or your base. Kelvin, on the other hand, who you will meet at the beginning, collects materials, builds and follows you. Each partner has their own story. The narration is pretty short and not the best of the game in my opinion. But the world around you is. You have to explore a big island, build bases and enter mysterious caves. Descending into the caves is reminiscent of The Descent and things can get complicated. Above all, we must bear in mind that the deeper we go into the depths, the more mutated enemies we will find. Speaking of enemies, any self-respecting horror game needs a good opponent. In this case, you will be hunted by mutants and cannibals. They can also disguise themselves in nature and attack you when you least expect it. They hide between trees and bushes.
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I appreciate what a good scare is and I can say that this game fulfills that aspect. If you survive long enough, enemies will adapt and attack you and your base more often. There is another novelty that will not appear as soon as the companions. It is the seasons: summer, autumn, winter and finally spring alternate. As you can imagine, summer brings greenery and sun, autumn and spring trees of different colors and winter snow. The contrast between the island’s landscape, the different seasons, nature and the enemies is enormous. One moment you might be trying to catch a rabbit and the next you might be fighting for your life. When winter comes, you need warmer clo thes and food is not so easy to find. You can sew clothes using the resources you find on the island. You can also craft weapons and other necessary items to deal with the colder weather.
They rotate constantly, so you have to be prepared for more winters. In many other games this is a purely decorative aspect, but in The Sons of the Forest the snow changes the gameplay. To cite other examples, enemies become more aggressive in winter. They hunt for food that is much harder to come by. Here we enter, who become walking pieces of flesh for the cannibals. We run like headless chickens, build cable cars, throw hand grenades, disguise ourselves with body parts and cut down the whole forest. Apparently we’re easy prey for them.
Sons of the Forest is still in Early Access, but it appears to be a full title already. In addition to the open world, it includes a short campaign story, although I think it’s too short to get into. What I enjoyed was surviving and exploring the island. It’s a very beautiful game with a certain touch of darkness. One of the experiences that initially gets you most immersed is entering your first cave. The dripping water, the sounds mutants make in the depths of darkness. It’s terrifying and very involving. Both design and sound are important elements. I have to say that the game is very well made. Despite this, there are some bugs in some animations. But it’s true that there are animations that are very well done, like walking through the vegetation. We can see it in the grass and bushes, among others. It gives us the impression that our character is really integrated into the island.
Later, however, the game stops going for survival and goes the way of action. You will start using strategies and you will be able to build spectacular buildings. Traps, firearms and many others will be part of your arsenal. The prey becomes the predator. You still have to defend your base, but you will be well equipped and you will only get stronger. Does all this make the game worse? No, I think it fits in very well with the rest of the experience. The design is fantastic and the only real downside is that the story is a bit short and strange at times, so I won’t give it away. The mechanics of this game are great, I like how the UI is integrated into the framework of the character’s equipment. For example, the backpack opens and serves as a storage place for all collected resources. Crafting items is a breeze with this menu. I also think constructing buildings is easier and smoother. Both the appearance and the operation are more logical than the predecessor. If you select sticks and click on the ground, your character will light a fire. It may sound silly, but small improvements make a big difference.
My overall impression is that the base structure, survival system, graphics, sound, and world dynamics are all improved and well done. One of the things I like the most is the new seasons. Winter and summer don’t change the way you play as much as the day-to-night transition in Dying Light, but it’s still a big change. The graphics look so much better and stand out in both the caves and the wild. They’re not as polished as the big budget titles, but it’s amazing what Endnight Games Ltd have come up with. The developers have promised more content, updates, and improvements for the official release, but I look forward to the content in Early Access. The story is its weak point, but if you liked The Forest or fancy a survival horror game, I recommend it. I have yet to try fishing with hand grenades. I’ll tell you if it’s a good survival strategy.