Summary
Survival gamesgenerally have the same core game mechanic, which entails their players to gather an assortment of resources and craft different items to maintain their characters’ health. This, along with establishing a base where they can come back to after various resource-gathering excursions, are crucial for such titles to be considered as survival games.
This is why standing out in this genre has made developers to be creative in their respective titles. From quirky game mechanics endearing character designs, and incorporating unique narrative elements, these survival games blend weird themes on top of character design and gameplay choices to keep its players engaged.
Raftis a survival game that builds on the premise of the movie Waterworld: being adrift in a makeshift floating device. Players can use the first or third-person as they strive toimprove their 2x2 raft. They are equipped with a hook and line that they use to snag floating debris and barrels that contain an assortment of materials ranging from wood planks, plastic, crates, and palm fronds.
More daring players can swim in the ocean to retrieve the floating barrels, but they run the risk of getting attacked by sharks. As the players’ rafts expand, they also attract sharks that can chomp off the sides of the raft: players need to fend off the sharks to mitigate their raft’s damage. On top of this, players also need to keep their hunger and thirst levels in check.
Rimworldtakes place in a scenario where humanity has been spread across the universe, but does not have the means for light-speed travel. This has led to different planets inhabited by humans to be isolated: some planets progressed faster than others as a result.
Players are tasked toensure their colonies live progressivelyin an ever-changing landscape. One ofRimworld’s unique features is the AI-generated storytelling: a player starts with three survivors, and their needs have to be tended to. Doing so progresses their narratives, for better or worse.
Urgeis a first-person survival game that has players waking up from a car crash into a world that has seemingly been altered by a mysterious fog. On top of this, the player is injected with an unknown drug that messes up what the player sees. It is up to the players to venture into the fog to gather valuable materials needed for crafting tools and to improve their living quarters, but doing so will cause the world state to differ. This includes stronger enemy spawns, more hallucinations, and other dangers.
Conversely, the game allows players to revert into a nomadic playstyle to avoid settling in one place and having their hard-earned location be overrun by the ominous fog. But doing so means constantly needing to rummage for goods.
Groundedhas a quirky yet simple premise: have a group of teenagers shrunken down into insect size, send them into a backyard and see how they will fare. Having up to four players explore the backyard in their diminutive stature makes for a fun romp: playersneed to gather resourcesand uncover the mystery why they were shrunken down in the first place.
Crafting different weapons to battle various kinds of bugs while keeping the players’ health and stamina in check givesGroundedgameplay more depth. The day and night cycle also adds danger for the teens, since the more dangerous bugs come out when the sun sets.
TheFalloutgames are known for their RPG elements that have their players live in a post-nuclear wasteland and go on adventures.Fallout Shelter, a spin-off of the franchise, gives the players the opportunity to manage their very own Vaults and ensure their dwellers are kept alive and happy.
As Vault Managers, players need to deal with keeping the lights and resources of their Vaults on at all times. This includes sending dwellers to gather resources for the Vault, rescuing survivors, and expanding the facilities to further increase the Vault’s efficiency.
As the title suggests,The Foresthas players trying to survive in a forest after surviving a plane crash. Adding to the urgency is the game’s story: the main character’s kid has been abducted by an unknown person, and it’s the players’ task to rescue the child on top of trying to establish a settlement.
The Forestgives players various options when upgrading their settlements, especially defensive structures since as the game progresses, mutants slowly creep closer to the players’ base. The longer the players take to rescue the child, more deadly mutant encounters become commonplace.
The open ocean is a beautiful and scary place to explore due to its numerous flora and fauna that aren’t always seen as they are always below the depths. Now, imagine exploring the oceans of an alien planet and trying tosurvive its underwater perils. This is the premise ofSubnautica.
This single-player survival game tasks the player to gather resources, build their underwater base and create their submersible which allow them to venture deeper into the vast alien ocean. They need to also beware of the different lifeforms lurking under the surf, as players progress through the story and uncover the planet’s secrets.
At first glance,Terrariadoes not seem to be a survival game because of its game world designed to look like a 2D platformer. In terms of gameplay,Terrariadoes indeed play like a classic platformer such as Metroid, but the game also includescrafting and exploration mechanicson top of base building.
Areas are procedurally-generated which makes gathering resources and enemy encounters dynamic. As players create and expand their town and complete certain quests, they have a chance to attract NPCs that provide various perks for their burgeoning towns. That said, players begin the game with low health and mana, but this can be increased by crafting different armor and items.
For players who want akooky kind of survival game,Don’t Starveprovides that atmosphere. The game’s art style gives off a Tim Burton-esque visual which gives its 2D world that much more character. Each area’s flora and fauna have their unique, cartoony look, and exploring how zany the creature designs are is part of the game’s charm.
That said,Don’t Starvedoes not hold the players’ hands: establishing a base camp is top priority, since not having at least a campfire can spell immediate doom for players. This is due to the fact that more dangerous creatures come out at night and make quick work of survivors.
Dredgecomes off as a fishing simulator, but as players get immersed into the game’s world, they are quick to realize that there is more to this title than simply fishing. Players control a fishing boat and are tasked to catch fish and salvage cargo in certain areas: they can sell the fish and items collected to shops for cash and upgrades for their boat.
However,Dredgebrings the weird and creepy factor by adding a Lovecraftian narrative in the mix: players need to be aware of the day and night cycle when they set out to fish. Nighttime brings out more rare fish that cost more, but it also ushers in unsettling phenomena and deep-sea creatures that can drag the player’s boat into a watery demise.
