A first-person survival horror game set on a remote island littered with crazed cannibals and mutated hunks of flesh, has “Endnight Games” improved on their last success of The Forest or was it just a one-hit wonder?
Having played and loved the first game, The Forest, the moment I saw the sequel announced for this game I couldn’t wait to get right in. Sons Of The Forest has kept very true to the vibes and gameplay of the original, with changes that help the game feel just that little more immersive. Such changes include the addition of seasons, an overhaul to the building mechanics, the continuation of lore and world-building with callbacks to The Forest.
Sons of the Forest is set some years after the events of The Forest and starts much like the original with you crashing and being stranded on a hostile island with some basic survival gear and supplies. Right off the bat, you will want to look for a safe place to settle a camp and find supplies. Food, water and warmth will be core to your survival, but don’t assume you are alone. Other than the native wildlife to the island, danger lurks all around you as crazed cannibals roam the island while at night monstrous hulking mutants of flesh roam and these are not to be taken lightly.
While playing The Forest is not essential to enjoy this one, the game has many nods and lore drops referencing back to the original game. There is even a cameo for those who love to dive deep into the story and universe created with even more story development and narrative present in this game. From the passive narrative told through notes and collectables scattered throughout the island to the forced perspective events to pull you into thrilling events, every hidden detail works to uncover the story of the island and what has led up to your arrival in this living hell.
Accompanied by the calm quiet air filled with only the sounds of the wildlife around you and the minimalistic UI, Sons of the Forest aims to give an immersive experience while not being overly harsh on survival. With a range of options open to the player, the ability to manage thirst, hunger and energy can start tricky, yet once some basic structures are down it can slowly become an afterthought and let you focus on the next part; defence against the cannibals.
The combat system while simple, once mastered can feel fluid and ensure any challenge can be overcome with relative ease. With the only functions being to swing or block you must learn which weapon will have the fastest speed for yourself and when to take your chance and not leave yourself open to the enemy who often use pack and swarm tactics. Yet, once you get comfortable with your timing you’ll very soon learn where to aim, swinging for legs or arms so you can have a chance to sever the limb. Staggering the enemy while aiming for the head can cause a decapitation and if melee combat doesn’t work grab a bow or other ranged weaponry offered fire away, hoping to get the instant kill headshots.
Returning fans of the series will see old systems changed and core recipes replaced, giving even the veterans a run for their money. There are many ways to survive the horrors you are set to experience. They kept the classic tools from the original game, eg. axes, chainsaw and bows, while also adding some new tools for survival. We get a range of firearms, golf clubs and even new methods of transport including gliders, golf carts and high-speed segways.
Before getting into the main gameplay a new feature is found in world generation. Back in The Forest there were only preset difficulties, whereas the sequel also offers a custom mode. It allows you control over a vast array of settings from enemy stats and spawns, weather effects, harsh survival mode and even selective creative mode features.
A new feature to Sons of the Forest that can make survival just that little easier, is the addition of NPC companions. The companions are simple and have limited use, but when used they can drastically help the workload. NPCs can gather and store resources, repair buildings, clean up bodies and even build basic survival builds. Later on, the NPCs can be used in combat, be it actively fighting or standing as a lookout, warning when enemies are nearby and even pointing them out.
If the NPCs are not something you wish to interact with, you don’t have to. While it’s not possible to disable NPCs, you can leave them right at the spawn and see if they can survive on their own. Or you could do worse… However certain achievements require all NPCs to survive and make it to the end of the game.
A frustration I always had with The Forest was with the progression, or lack thereof, leaving me with no idea of where to go or a goal. Too often I found myself in a cave, spending the time to explore it, only to be met with an obstacle which needed special equipment which was either easily missed in the current cave or from a different story-related cave that I had not yet found. I often found myself loading up a map or guide to nudge me to which cave to find first. The developers must have heard the community cries about this as in Sons of the Forest they have added in-game hints to nudge the player in the right direction when roadblocks can hit.
The addition of a map from the start of the game helps find your way around the island. You also have more locations from the get-go and in-game story notes that hint at the equipment found in which cave and even notes describing cave locations or even tagging them on your map.
One of the biggest changes to Sons of the Forest that received an overhaul is the building system. Fans of the original will recall that building was often done via the notebook where you select a blueprint, bring over logs, sticks and rocks, dump them all in and poof suddenly a house. For those with a creative eye, there was also the free build in which you could create your own blueprint while still using the predetermined layouts. The sequel has taken this system and returned with a major improvement.
While keeping the core system of blueprints that can be set and built, the freehand has been developed to a level of ridiculous detail. No longer is it just “dump the resources and poof“, they must be pulled together in an order that makes sense. Logs are now cut down to size and any extra chunks left over are free for you to use as you wish in potential other builds or even just firewood.
Freehand building opens up so many possibilities for free-flowing designs on the landscape. From making a handcrafted platform out onto a lake, you can freely place any statues around the camp, and create your own custom house shapes equipped with windows and shutters, doors, and working electrical systems, you’re free to build as you please.
Much like The Forest, when it comes to the ending, the players are given a choice; a story ending that rolls credits or a return to the island to test your survival. The endless survival mode comes with secret unlocks only available after game completion in which you can test your builds against the hordes of enemies available, walk around in peace and quiet collecting any missed collectables, or just enjoy your time at your new remote summer home in the woods.
From the moment I launched the game, I was thoroughly impressed with all the changes and upgrades done to Sons of the Forest while keeping the core feel of The Forest. At the time of writing, Sons of the Forest has active developer support and has been receiving patches and even new updates adding more structures. Even after running into a few points of frustration from a few moments of the friendly AI bugging out and getting trapped across the map, I would still highly recommend Sons of the Forest to anyone looking for a survival game to sink their teeth into or for those who want a punishing experience to those looking to pass the time away.
Platforms: PC
Developers: Endnight games
Publishers: Newnight
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