The Forest is a new survival game PlayStation 4 game from Endnight Games. Learn more about this one in our The Forest review!
Survival game The Forest will have you balancing your actions as you take care of monitoring your hunger/thirst meters and make the most of the in-game day/night cycle, because, if you’re not careful, death will get you. The game will, at first, feel a bit like other survival games you might have played, but the further you go into the game, the more things change. This is a game that ended up being more fun than I expected, and I was also very impressed with how the game looks on PlayStation 4. The game is not without its flaws, but I will take of those in a bit.
You play as the lone survivor of a plane crash. At first, you will be lost in a vast area with a ton of flora and not a single building in sight. Walk a bit to the north, and you will notice you are quite close to the ocean. When you have finished exploring the plane and grabbing everything you can get your hands on, you will be in an open world setting… without a single human in sight. There are many boxes and pieces of luggage that are locked, and they will remain that way until you manage to secure the right tools. You have a weapon, an axe of sorts, with a bright red head, which does feel a bit… odd. You are not given any clues or guidance on what to do or where to go. Your journal will help you a little here and there, but you will be pretty much on your own basically.
Your main objective is to find your son who was with you when the plane crashed, but that’s about how much story you get from the game since you’ll be following events from your diary. When you are in close proximity to a location you are prompted to explore the location. It is highly recommended you explore them in full as there are plenty of collectibles in each area, from works of art to photographs, not to mention valuable resources you will need to build better weapons, craft camping stuff, and more. Crafting, as is the case for most survival games, is a pretty big part of the gameplay in The Forest. Do not let anything go to waste, procure and secure as many resources as you can.
The game has different difficulty options, and all include some combat involved. But if you’re someone who would like to do a playthrough that is completely free of combat so that you can just explore the game to your heart’s content, then you can absolutely do that by choosing the Peaceful mode. I gave both modes a try, and I have to say that Peaceful mode was the option I liked the most. Your approach is completely different depending on the mode you select. Camping is part of both experiences, but doing so while playing in the regular mode of the game means you will need to be on high alert since hostiles will always be on the prowl.
You are going to die a lot, and in many different ways, from accidents for being careless, to die from thirst, hunger, or from being attacked by someone or something. You will need to spend a handful of in-game days to become a proficient hunter. You will be able to review your progress in your diary where there is a stats section that will tell you how long you’ve survived, how your sanity is, and it even tells you what your weight is! There is a lot to do here, and if you make the most of the information you have and of the resources you collect, you will slowly but surely progress in the game.
Something that seems to be happening more and more these days is how games on PlayStation 4 show us they were clearly designed with PC in mind. The in-game diary is barely readable, forcing you to sit up close to your TV to be able to read the text. There is no option to change the size of the fonts to make the text properly readable, which is an issue that that should not be happening in the 21st century. The diary is an integral part of the game, which does get in the way of your enjoyment of the game.
The Forest is a solid survival game with quite impressive graphics, great music that complements the experience, and two gameplay modes so that those that are looking for a more challenging game can go right into that, while those that want a more relaxed run that can allow them to explore every corner of the world without having to worry about dying from someone or something attacking you. The game is heavy on the crafting side, and with everything, there is to find and collect in the game, as well as the many objectives you can complete, you’ll spend a while playing this one before you can add a new Platinum trophy to your collection.
Disclaimer
This The Forest review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Endnight Games.
