PGC NEWS

The survival genre has captivated audiences for years, with the thrill of scavenging for resources, crafting tools, and battling the elements. The Survivalists, a spin-off of The Escapists, promises an exciting open-world survival experience set on a tropical island. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive in and explore what this game has to offer.

The Survivalists

Open-World Survival: A Familiar Formula

The concept of open-world survival isn’t new. Games like Don’t Starve, Conan Exiles, and The Long Dark have already established a strong presence in this genre. While The Survivalists doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it delivers a satisfying experience, at least initially. You begin shipwrecked, washed ashore with nothing but a basic crate of supplies. After a brief tutorial, you’re tasked with crafting essential tools like a stone axe to begin your island conquest.

The Survivalists

The island environment, inspired by South American tropical islands, offers a diverse range of biomes, including lush rainforests, sandy beaches, murky swamps, and even a volcano. Each area presents unique resources and challenges. For example, the rainforest offers ample building materials but is also teeming with hostile wildlife like wild boars, tigers, and panthers. Starting on the beach is recommended, as it provides a relatively safe haven with access to quest maps and flotsam washed ashore. Crafting a boat early on greatly simplifies travel and resource gathering.

Exploring Ancient Mysteries and Monkey Business

Scattered across the island are various dungeons, each themed around one of the island’s four guardian spirits: monkey, boar, bat, and cat. These dungeons offer unique traps, challenges, and rewards. Be prepared for encounters with hostile natives guarding these ancient sites.

The Survivalists

Perhaps the most unique aspect of The Survivalists is the ability to train monkeys. These helpful primates can be recruited by simply offering them food. Once tamed, they can perform a variety of tasks, from chopping trees and carrying resources to building structures and even fighting alongside you. You can even create complex task chains, automating resource gathering and production.

The Survivalists

Where The Survivalists Falls Short

While the initial survival aspects are engaging, they quickly become trivial. The sense of danger fades once you establish a base and build up your monkey army. Unlike games like Don’t Starve, where death is a constant threat, The Survivalists lacks meaningful consequences. There are no real penalties for failure, and your character remains remarkably resilient. Day and night cycles are purely cosmetic, offering no real gameplay impact.

The Survivalists

The crafting system is also underwhelming. Most items are easily crafted with readily available resources, and many feel redundant. The abundance of resources and the ease of crafting diminishes the sense of accomplishment. Coupled with the monkey workforce, crafting becomes almost entirely automated.

The Survivalists

Managing your monkey workforce can also become tedious, especially as your army grows. Issuing individual commands and managing their inventory can be cumbersome. While the automation potential is appealing, the execution feels clunky and unrefined.

The Survivalists

Conclusion: A Fun but Fleeting Experience

The Survivalists offers a charming and accessible survival experience, but its lack of depth and challenge prevents it from reaching its full potential. While the monkey training mechanic is unique and initially engaging, the overall gameplay becomes repetitive and lacks a sense of urgency. For its price point, there are more compelling survival games available that offer a more rewarding and challenging experience.

The Survivalists

The game is developed and published by Team17 and was released on October 9, 2020, for PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Switch. For minimum system requirements on PC, you’ll need Windows 7, an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, 2GB of RAM, and a graphics card with 1GB of VRAM.