The Forrest (25/20$)
This is a regression
The shading is fine, but I think it’s time I work on really learning to draw. Instead of basing off pictures. Like the whole make a person out of more concrete shapes or whatever the fuck idk.
The Forest was first released as an early access title in 2014. It was a time when the words early access and survival horror lived in infamy, as there were so many games coming out that tried to explore all the possibilities that genre offered, but very few did even scratched the surface. Subnautica is one of those success stories and so is The Forest. After four years of early access. The game blows competitors out of the water with an intense intro sequence that clearly establishes the game's story. Every survival game has its niche, but most don’t try to include a story, opting to let the players create their own through interactions with the world and/or other players. The Forest includes a well done co-op mode that provides a great feeling of exploring the unknown together, but simple inclusion of game generated to-do list keeps players from wondering “now what?”
With it’s premise established, the game offers the player a survival guide that functions as a construction menu, quest book, and general information that is a god send for new players. Not only does it give you tasks that will have the player meeting their survival needs, but by seeing the more complex build recipes the player wants to continue building after the basic objectives are done. Compare this to other games which hide the more complex crafting recipes around levels, exploration, or time played. The combination of these player chosen projects and story goals make the game stay on target throughout your entire playthrough. Plus the story gets good, I’m not going to spoil it, but the game offers multiple endings and generally intriguing plot lines throughout making replaying worth it. If a player focuses solely on the story, they can complete the game in around 15 hours. But thankfully the inhabitants on the island offer an intriguing and lethal distraction that can give players hundreds of hours of content. The enemy design is some of the best I’ve seen. At first they gather and watch the player. Running away from the player as you approach them. Then night falls, and the player is hunted ruthlessly by not just the human natives, but the other inhabitants of the island. Again, The Forest features some of the most intriguing monsters I have ever faced across any video game.. Things unlike anything else i've seen. If you do want to spoil it, look them up and then try not to buy the game.
Where the game is weak is in it’s jank. For some reason, early access games rarely get the level of polish that a completed game should expect. Combat can feel floaty, clipping issues are rampant and can greatly hinder base building and resource gathering. Watching a tree you just chopped fall through the ground stinks. Not everything is destructible, which is a pretty big let down during the late game when the player goes from the hunted to the hunter. Especially since the natives actively destroy your encampments. But the base building at higher levels helps build the feeling of becoming a conqueror, rather than simply a survivor.
The game earns bonus points through it’s co-op and more importantly native VR support. There are not many good VR games out there. There are even fewer that don’t require a separate purchase, and even less that let someone in VR play with players on their normal PCs. Yet, The Forest offers all these features. It shows the devs care about the game, even if it is still lacking a level of polish that should be a requirement in modern releases. But for 20$, a 15 hour story, and great gameplay, this game easily is worth the money. (25/20$)
